Maximum Number of Moves with Same Result
Reported by candidates from Microsoft's online assessment. Pattern, common pitfall, and the honest play if you blank under the timer.
Microsoft pulled this in September 2024 and it's a pattern-recognition problem that trips up candidates who overthink it. You're given some operation or transformation, and you need to find the maximum number of moves that yield the same result. The trick is that you're not optimizing for score or cost. You're counting how many different ways or sequences lead to an identical outcome. If you blank on the live OA, StealthCoder will spot the counting structure immediately and guide you through the state space.
Pattern and pitfall
The core challenge here is recognizing that this is a simulation or state-exploration problem wrapped in a counting question. You'll likely need to track a state (could be a number, a string, a coordinate, or a game position), apply a move, check if the result matches your target, and count how many distinct move sequences get you there. Common pitfall: candidates try to find a closed-form formula or think greedy logic applies. It doesn't. You need to either enumerate all possible move sequences up to some depth (BFS or DFS) or use memoization to avoid recomputing the same state. The 'same result' phrase is key. You're not maximizing anything except the count of moves that produce a specific output. StealthCoder can parse the problem statement and immediately map you to either a simulation or dynamic-programming approach, saving you critical minutes during the assessment.
If this hits your live OA and you blank, StealthCoder solves it in seconds, invisible to the proctor.
You can drill Maximum Number of Moves with Same Result cold, or you can hedge it. StealthCoder runs invisibly during screen share and surfaces a working solution in under 2 seconds. The proctor sees the IDE. They don't see what's behind it. Built by an Amazon engineer who would have shipped this the night before his JPMorgan OA if he'd had it.
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Microsoft reuses patterns across OAs. Built by an Amazon engineer who would have shipped this the night before his JPMorgan OA if he'd had it. Works on HackerRank, CodeSignal, CoderPad, and Karat.
Maximum Number of Moves with Same Result FAQ
Is this a greedy problem or do I need to explore all paths?+
You need to explore. The phrase 'same result' means multiple move sequences might lead to the same outcome. Greedy picks one path and stops. You need to find all paths or use DP/memoization to count them efficiently. Think BFS or recursive state exploration with a cache.
What's the trick Microsoft is testing here?+
Pattern recognition under time pressure. The problem statement is vague intentionally. You're being tested on whether you can map 'count moves with same result' to a known algorithmic structure (simulation, BFS, or DP counting). Read the examples carefully. They'll show you what 'same result' means in context.
Do I need to optimize or just count?+
Just count. No optimization for minimum moves or best path. You're after the maximum length of a move sequence that produces a target result. That's different from most OA problems and can mislead you if you're expecting a shortest-path or greedy solution.
How much time should I spend on understanding the problem statement?+
2-3 minutes minimum. The problem text is the entire puzzle. Without a clear example, you'll code the wrong thing. Work through a small example by hand first. Understand what 'same result' means concretely before you touch code.
Is this problem still common in Microsoft OAs in late 2024?+
Yes, reported in September 2024. Microsoft favors state-exploration and counting problems because they require both coding precision and logical clarity. Similar patterns appear across their interview loop. Understand the principle and you'll spot variations easily.