Implement Priority Queue with with follow-up
Last updated: February 7, 2026
Quick Overview
Implement a Deque data structure that supports get and put operations in O(n) time.
Slack
February 7, 202610
11
3,524 solved
Implement a Deque data structure that supports get and put operations in O(n) time.
This coding problem is frequently asked during Phone Screen at Slack. The interviewer is testing your ability to translate a problem into clean, working code while discussing time and space complexity. Slack expects candidates to write production-quality code, not just solve the puzzle.
What the Interviewer Expects
- Quickly identify the optimal approach and its theoretical basis
- Handle complex algorithm design with multiple interacting components
- Write concise, elegant code under time pressure
- Prove correctness of your approach and discuss alternative solutions
- Optimize beyond the obvious: discuss constant factor improvements
- Address follow-up variations and explain how the solution generalizes
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 test this solution thoroughly?
- How would your solution change if the input was sorted?
- Can you solve this iteratively instead of recursively (or vice versa)?
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