Find maximum path in grid
Last updated: March 7, 2026
Quick Overview
Given a grid, find the longest subsequence efficiently using Binary Search.
Zillow
March 7, 202631
7
4,287 solved
Given a grid, find the longest subsequence efficiently using Binary Search.
This coding problem is frequently asked during Onsite at Zillow. The interviewer is testing your ability to translate a problem into clean, working code while discussing time and space complexity. Zillow expects candidates to write production-quality code, not just solve the puzzle.
What the Interviewer Expects
- Identify the correct data structure and algorithm for the problem
- Write clean, bug-free code with proper variable naming
- Analyze time and space complexity correctly
- Handle basic edge cases (empty input, single element)
- Communicate your thought process while coding
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
- What is the worst-case input for your solution?
- Can you solve this in a single pass?
- Can you optimize the space complexity of your solution?
- How would you modify your solution to handle streaming input?
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Practice DSA ProblemsSample Answer
Problem Analysis
To find the longest increasing subsequence in a grid, we can leverage the properties of the grid structure and the nature of subsequences. The primary pattern to apply here is Dynamic Programming comb...
Approach
- Initialize an empty list,
dp: This will hold the smallest tail values of the longest increasing subsequences found so far. - Iterate through each cell in the grid: For each value, we wi...
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