Hiring process8 levels
  1. 1 IQ Test
  2. 2 Additional Online Test (If Required)
  3. 3 Office Interview with Hiring Manager
  4. 4 Unpaid Test Task (Motivation Check)
  5. 5 Paid Test Task and Follow-Up Interview
  6. 6 Iterative Paid Test Tasks
  7. 7 Office Verification
  8. 8 Final Interview with the Founder

Problems > Fair Candy for Ratings > Editorial

Fair Candy for Ratings — Solution & Editorial

Back to the Problem

Two sweeps: left to right enforce the rising-neighbour rule, then right to left take the max with the falling-neighbour rule. Sum the candies.

Complexity: O(N)

Watch out: A single left-to-right pass misses descents — the right-to-left pass with max() is essential.