Spotify coding interview
questions, leaked.
13 problems reported across recent Spotify interviews. Top patterns: array, hash table, string. The list below is what most reported candidates actually saw, plus the honest play if you can't grind all of it.
Spotify's assessment hits you with 13 problems across easy, medium, and hard. You'll see arrays and hash tables dominate the early rounds, then data-structure design problems that separate people who've drilled from people who haven't. Most candidates don't expect the hard problems to involve databases and real-time data streams. You have the list. If you blank on "Moving Average from Data Stream" or "Find Median from Data Stream" mid-assessment, StealthCoder surfaces a working solution in seconds, invisible to the proctor. That's your safety net.
Top problems at Spotify
| # | Problem | Diff | Frequency | Pass % | Patterns |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Moving Average from Data Stream | EASY | 100.0 | 80% | Array · Design · Queue |
| 02 | Leetcodify Similar Friends | HARD | 89.9 | 43% | Database |
| 03 | Leetcodify Friends Recommendations | HARD | 89.9 | 28% | Database |
| 04 | Two Sum | EASY | 87.6 | 56% | Array · Hash Table |
| 05 | Longest Substring Without Repeating Characters | MEDIUM | 85.1 | 37% | Hash Table · String · Sliding Window |
| 06 | Analyze User Website Visit Pattern | MEDIUM | 85.1 | 44% | Array · Hash Table · Sorting |
| 07 | Kth Largest Element in an Array | MEDIUM | 82.2 | 68% | Array · Divide and Conquer · Sorting |
| 08 | Valid Parentheses | EASY | 82.2 | 42% | String · Stack |
| 09 | Valid Palindrome | EASY | 75.0 | 51% | Two Pointers · String |
| 10 | Find Median from Data Stream | HARD | 55.3 | 53% | Two Pointers · Design · Sorting |
| 11 | Ransom Note | EASY | 55.3 | 65% | Hash Table · String · Counting |
| 12 | Walls and Gates | MEDIUM | 55.3 | 63% | Array · Breadth-First Search · Matrix |
| 13 | Maximum Depth of Binary Tree | EASY | 55.3 | 77% | Tree · Depth-First Search · Breadth-First Search |
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 Spotify OA. The proctor cannot see it. Screen share cannot detect it. Made by a working FAANG engineer who treats the OA the way companies treat hiring: as a game with rules you should know.
Get StealthCoder- array5 · 38%
- hash table4 · 31%
- string4 · 31%
- sorting3 · 23%
- design2 · 15%
- data stream2 · 15%
- heap priority queue2 · 15%
- two pointers2 · 15%
- database2 · 15%
- breadth first search2 · 15%
Arrays appear in 5 of the 13 problems, hash tables in 4. That's your core. Spotify leans hard on sliding-window and counting patterns ("Longest Substring Without Repeating Characters", "Ransom Note"). The design problems are the filter: "Moving Average" and "Find Median" require you to think about data structures and state, not just algorithms. Strings and sorting problems are mid-weight. The three hard problems involve databases and real-time stream processing, which suggests they care about systems thinking, not just LeetCode grinds. Most candidates prep the easy stuff and panic on database queries. That's where StealthCoder becomes the hedge: if you hit a database-design problem you've never seen live, it solves it while you look calm.
Companies with similar patterns
If you prepped for Spotify, these companies recycle ~60% of the same topics.
You've seen the list.
Now make sure you pass Spotify.
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. Made by a working FAANG engineer who treats the OA the way companies treat hiring: as a game with rules you should know. Works on HackerRank, CodeSignal, CoderPad, and Karat.
Spotify interview FAQ
Should I drill arrays first for Spotify?+
Yes. Arrays appear in 5 of 13 problems, including "Two Sum" and "Kth Largest Element". Start there, then move to hash tables (4 problems). Combined, they're 70% of the early rounds. Once you're solid on both, move to design problems.
How many hash-table problems should I solve?+
Four hash-table problems are documented. Spotify hits you with counting, substring patterns, and friend-recommendation logic. Solve at least 15-20 similar problems on top of the four reported here. Counting and substring patterns repeat constantly in their assessments.
Do I need to study database design before the OA?+
The two hardest problems involve databases. If you've never written SQL joins or thought about query optimization, spend 2-3 hours on it. But most assessments won't go deep. Focus on basics: keys, joins, indexing. The hard problems are rare.
Is design or algorithm practice more important for Spotify?+
Both. "Moving Average" and "Find Median" are both easy/hard design problems that require you to choose the right data structure. Don't just solve leetcode classics. Understand why you pick heap vs array. It matters here.
What topic should I skip if I'm running out of time?+
Divide-and-conquer and breadth-first search each appear once. If you have a week, skip them. Focus on arrays, hash tables, strings, and sorting. The odds are heavily skewed. But if you hit BFS during the real OA, that's what StealthCoder is for.