Paycom coding interview
questions, leaked.
4 problems reported across recent Paycom interviews. Top patterns: array, hash table, sorting. The list below is what most reported candidates actually saw, plus the honest play if you can't grind all of it.
Paycom's assessment is lean. Four problems, mostly easy, but they're testing the same core patterns over and over. Array and hash-table work dominates the screen. If you can't spin up a hash map fast or sort an array clean, you'll stumble on at least three of these. The good news: the patterns are predictable. The catch: you have maybe 90 minutes to nail them all. If you blank mid-assessment, StealthCoder runs invisibly and hands you a working solution in seconds, invisible to the proctor.
Top problems at Paycom
| # | Problem | Diff | Frequency | Pass % | Patterns |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Group Anagrams | MEDIUM | 100.0 | 71% | Array · Hash Table · String |
| 02 | Degree of an Array | EASY | 100.0 | 57% | Array · Hash Table |
| 03 | Contains Duplicate | EASY | 89.7 | 63% | Array · Hash Table · Sorting |
| 04 | Minimum Absolute Difference | EASY | 89.7 | 71% | Array · Sorting |
Frequencies derived from public community-tagged interview reports. Click a row to view on LeetCode.
You have a week, maybe less. You can't out-grind the list above. StealthCoder runs invisibly during the actual Paycom OA. The proctor cannot see it. Screen share cannot detect it. Built by a senior engineer who knows the OA is theater. This is the script.
Get StealthCoder- array4 · 100%
- hash table3 · 75%
- sorting3 · 75%
- string1 · 25%
Array problems appear in every single submission at Paycom, and hash-table is close behind. Sorting bridges both worlds and shows up just as often. This isn't a breadth test. It's a depth test on data structures you already know. Group Anagrams is the only medium-difficulty problem, and it's a hash-table and sorting hybrid. Start there. The three easy problems are confidence checks: Contains Duplicate, Degree of an Array, Minimum Absolute Difference. They're all solvable in under five minutes if you know your hash-table and sorting primitives cold. If you hit a wall during the live OA on any of these, StealthCoder is your hedge. You've drilled the pattern. Sometimes the syntax just won't come. That's when you need the invisible backup.
Companies with similar patterns
If you prepped for Paycom, these companies recycle ~60% of the same topics.
You've seen the list.
Now make sure you pass Paycom.
Memorizing every problem above in a week is a fantasy. StealthCoder is the hedge: an AI overlay that's invisible during screen share. It reads the problem on screen and surfaces a working solution in under 2 seconds. Built by a senior engineer who knows the OA is theater. This is the script. Works on HackerRank, CodeSignal, CoderPad, and Karat.
Paycom interview FAQ
How many hash-table problems should I solve before this interview?+
Hash-table appears in three of four Paycom problems. Drill at least five to eight classic hash-table patterns: two-sum, anagram grouping, duplicate detection, frequency counts. You need speed and confidence. Paycom's assessment moves fast.
Is sorting worth practicing if I only have a few days?+
Yes. Sorting appears in three of four problems here. You don't need to memorize merge-sort internals. Focus on sort syntax in your language and when to pair it with hash-tables. Group Anagrams needs both.
Should I study strings separately or focus on arrays?+
Arrays first. Four of four problems are array-centric. Strings show up only once at Paycom and only as part of Group Anagrams. Master array iteration, hashing, and sorting before worrying about string manipulation.
What's the hardest problem I'll face on this assessment?+
Group Anagrams. It's the only medium-difficulty problem and it combines hash-tables, sorting, and string grouping. Practice this first. If you can solve it clean in under ten minutes, the three easy problems become free points.
Can I pass Paycom's assessment without understanding hash-tables?+
No. Hash-tables are embedded in three of four problems. You need to know hash-map construction, insertion, lookup, and iteration cold. There's no way around it and no time to learn it live.