Winning Square
Reported by candidates from Salesforce's online assessment. Pattern, common pitfall, and the honest play if you blank under the timer.
You're facing 'Winning Square' at Salesforce in June. This is a grid-based problem where you need to identify a winning condition, likely a pattern recognition or game simulation puzzle. Candidates often blank on the state-space definition or miss edge cases around boundary conditions. StealthCoder sits invisible during your live OA and can surface the winning logic in real time if you freeze on the approach. The trick is usually simpler than it feels on first read.
Pattern and pitfall
Without the full problem text, 'Winning Square' almost certainly involves evaluating a game board or matrix for a win state, similar to tic-tac-toe or connect-four logic. The pattern hinges on either simulation (playing out moves and checking outcomes) or direct calculation (checking all rows, columns, diagonals, or a specific region). Most candidates over-engineer the search or miscount the winning condition. The real work is clarifying: are you checking if a square wins, counting winning squares, or determining if a position is already won. StealthCoder reads the exact problem on your screen and hands you the state-check logic instantly if you blank midway.
The honest play: practice the pattern, and have StealthCoder ready for the one you didn't see coming.
You can drill Winning Square 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 for the candidate who saw this exact problem leak two days before his OA and wondered if anyone had a play.
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Salesforce reuses patterns across OAs. Built for the candidate who saw this exact problem leak two days before his OA and wondered if anyone had a play. Works on HackerRank, CodeSignal, CoderPad, and Karat.
Winning Square FAQ
Is this a tic-tac-toe clone or something else?+
The name 'Winning Square' suggests tic-tac-toe style logic, but Salesforce OAs often twist the rules. It could be connect-four, reversi, or a custom game. Focus on what the problem defines as a win, not what you assume. Read the exact win condition before coding.
What's the most common mistake candidates make?+
Hardcoding checks for 3-in-a-row when the board size is variable, or checking only one region instead of the whole board. Also missing diagonal checks or off-by-one errors on indices. Re-read the scope before you start.
Should I use recursion or iteration?+
Iteration (nested loops over rows, columns, diagonals) is simpler and faster for a single board check. Save recursion for game tree exploration if the problem asks for 'can player X win in N moves,' which it probably doesn't.
How do I handle diagonal checks without bugs?+
Write a helper function that checks all diagonals: top-left to bottom-right, and top-right to bottom-left. Use two separate loops, starting from each edge position. Test on a 3x3 and 4x4 to catch off-by-one errors.
Is this problem still on Salesforce OAs in 2024?+
Yes, reported June 2024. Grid and game-state problems are Salesforce OA staples. Expect it or something very similar. The pattern (simulation or state-check) applies to dozens of variants.