4 ms·
Pretty easy puzzle, if they were looking to hire a puzzle solver instead of say a PHP programmer. Some people hang their intellectual self esteem hat on simple
by dougabug 13y ago
Pretty easy puzzle, if they were looking to hire a puzzle solver instead of say a PHP programmer. Some people hang their intellectual self esteem hat on simple trick logic puzzles, a skill which doesn't require a great deal of intelligence, so much as time and willingness to practice puzzles.
- marcosdumay 13y agoThat question is equivalent to "describe an optimum ordering algorithm". What's so wrong with it?
- dougabug 13y agoIt's not an optimum ordering algorithm, it's a top-k problem. The overall order is not requisite, nor is the order of the top-k elements. The problem is that it provides no useful insight into whether the candidate will be a capable PHP programmer. The most productive, capable PHP developers I've worked with would not likely fair well on this kind of question, while some of the most useless, hapless programmers I've known live for this kind of question. I agree with the sentiment that these kinds of questions are largely asked to make the interviewer feel smart.