partitioning on Binary Tree
Last updated: November 20, 2025
Quick Overview
Perform a compression on a binary tree and return the result.
Snapchat
Coding & Algorithms
Software Engineer
Snapchat
November 20, 2025Software Engineer
Onsite
Coding & Algorithms
Medium
207
16
1,246 solved
Perform a compression on a binary tree and return the result.
Snapchat 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
Binary search and divide and conquer
Common algorithm patterns (sliding window, two pointers, BFS/DFS)
Dynamic programming and memoization
Graph algorithms and traversal
Tree structures and recursion
Data structure selection and trade-offs
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 parallelize this solution?
- Can you optimize the space complexity of your solution?
- Can you solve this iteratively instead of recursively (or vice versa)?
- How would your solution change if the input was sorted?
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Practice DSA ProblemsSample Answer
Problem Analysis
The problem of compressing a binary tree can be viewed through the lens of DFS (Depth-First Search) traversal. The goal is to traverse the tree and gather information about its structure in a way that...
Approach
- Define a Compression Function: This function will take in a node and return a compressed representation of its subtree.
- Base Case: If the node is null, return an empty string or a speci...
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