Max Savings / Phrase Covering Maximum Words with Prefix Tree

Phone ScreenZipLast reported February 2026Low Frequency
Reported
2× across candidate reports
First seen
November 2025
Last reported
February 2026
Reported outcome
unknown

Problem Overview

Given a collection of input string values (words or short phrases), find the substring (sub-phrase) that maximizes the total number of words it covers across all input values. Coverage score for a candidate phrase is defined as: phrase_word_length × occurrence_count (i.e., how many words the phrase contains multiplied by how…

  • 3 candidate-reported follow-ups — the exact probes interviewers asked, with the trigger for each
  • The rest of the problem statement — full requirements, constraints, and edge cases
  • Approach and trade-offs — what passing candidates did, and the mistakes that sink people
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Verified Source
Every question is reconstructed from multiple independent candidate reports. Verbatim follow-ups, not invented ones.
Codex Fact-Checked
Technical claims, formulas, and scale numbers are reviewed against primary sources.
Interviewer Follow-ups
The exact follow-ups reported by candidates, with the trigger that prompts each one — plus the mistakes that sink people.
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