Count median in array
Last updated: January 4, 2026
Quick Overview
Given an array of integers, write a function to calculate the median value. The median is defined as the middle value when the numbers are sorted; if the array has an even number of elements, return the average of the two middle values. Your function should take an array as input and return the median as a float.
Spotify
January 4, 2026122
15
3,973 solved
Given an array of integers, write a function to calculate the median value. The median is defined as the middle value when the numbers are sorted; if the array has an even number of elements, return the average of the two middle values. Your function should take an array as input and return the median as a float.
Spotify uses this problem in the Onsite to evaluate your algorithmic thinking. They expect you to discuss multiple approaches, analyze trade-offs between them, and implement the optimal solution with clean, readable code.
What the Interviewer Expects
- Recognize the underlying problem pattern (sliding window, two pointers, BFS/DFS, etc.)
- Discuss multiple approaches and trade-offs before coding
- Implement an optimal solution with clean, production-quality code
- Handle all edge cases including boundary conditions and invalid input
- Optimize both time and space complexity with clear justification
- Test your solution systematically with well-chosen examples
Key Topics to Cover
How to Approach This
- Clarify input constraints and edge cases before writing code.
- Walk through your approach verbally and confirm with the interviewer before coding.
- Start with a brute force solution, then optimize. Mention time and space complexity.
- Test your solution with examples, including edge cases like empty input or duplicates.
- Consider common patterns: sliding window, two pointers, hash map, BFS/DFS, dynamic programming.
Possible Follow-up Questions
- How would you modify your solution to handle streaming input?
- Can you optimize the space complexity of your solution?
- Can you solve this in a single pass?
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Problem Analysis
To solve the problem of finding the median in an array of integers, the key pattern that applies here is sorting. The median is defined based on the sorted order of elements: if the number of elements...
Approach
- Input Validation: First, check if the input array is empty. If it is, we can return None or raise an exception as there is no median to calculate.
- Sorting: Sort the array using a built-i...
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