Average Salary Excluding the Minimum and Maximum Salary
A easy-tier problem at 63% community acceptance, tagged with Array, Sorting. Reported in interviews at Netsuite and 0 others.
You'll hit this one in easy-round assessments, and it's a trap. Netsuite asks it. The pattern feels trivial on paper: take an array of salaries, exclude the min and max, average the rest. But candidates blank on edge cases or overthink the sorting step. You need to be sharp enough to nail it in 90 seconds and move on. StealthCoder runs invisibly during the OA and surfaces the solution if you hit a wall, so you don't waste time on something this fundamental.
Companies that ask "Average Salary Excluding the Minimum and Maximum Salary"
Average Salary Excluding the Minimum and Maximum Salary is the kind of problem that decides whether you pass. StealthCoder reads the problem on screen and surfaces a working solution in under 2 seconds. Invisible to screen share. The proctor sees nothing. Built by an Amazon engineer who used it to pass JPMorgan's OA and system design loop.
Get StealthCoderThe trick isn't algorithmic complexity, it's clean execution. You'll be tempted to sort the array, trim the ends, and calculate the mean. That works, but the pattern that sticks is: find the single minimum and maximum value once, subtract their sum from the total, divide by length minus 2. No sorting needed. The sorting approach works fine too, just watch your loop bounds. Common mistake: not handling arrays with fewer than 3 elements, or accidentally modifying the original array when you shouldn't. Array and Sorting both appear as topics here, which hints at the expectation that you might sort, but the real test is whether you see the simpler path and execute it without hesitation.
Pattern tags
You know the problem.
Make sure you actually pass it.
Average Salary Excluding the Minimum and Maximum Salary recycles across companies for a reason. It's easy-tier, and most candidates blank under the timer. StealthCoder is the hedge: an AI overlay invisible during screen share. It reads the problem and surfaces a working solution in under 2 seconds. Built by an Amazon engineer who used it to pass JPMorgan's OA and system design loop. Works on HackerRank, CodeSignal, CoderPad, and Karat.
Average Salary Excluding the Minimum and Maximum Salary interview FAQ
Is this problem as easy as it sounds?+
Yes and no. The logic is trivial, but the trap is overthinking or mishandling edge cases. With fewer than 3 salaries, what do you return? Make sure your solution handles that cleanly. Most candidates who fail this one panic over something that isn't actually hard.
Do I need to sort the array?+
No. Sorting is one valid path, but finding the min and max in a single pass is faster and cleaner. You don't need to modify the array. Both approaches pass, but sorting adds unnecessary overhead on a problem this simple.
Why does Netsuite ask this?+
It filters for baseline coding discipline. They want to see clean variable naming, edge-case handling, and whether you can deliver a working solution without overthinking. It's not about the algorithm, it's about your execution standards.
What topics should I review before attempting this?+
Array iteration and basic math. If you're solid on loops and sum operations, you're ready. Sorting is listed as a topic but it's optional. Focus on array traversal and index safety.
How much time should I spend on this in an OA?+
Under 2 minutes if you know the pattern. Write, test an edge case or two, and move on. If you're stuck past 5 minutes, something's wrong with your setup, not the problem. Use that signal to reset and refocus.
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