Construct the Minimum Bitwise Array I
A easy-tier problem at 74% community acceptance, tagged with Array, Bit Manipulation. Reported in interviews at Aon and 0 others.
Construct the Minimum Bitwise Array I is an easy problem that shows up in assessments at companies like Aon. It tests your ability to think about bit manipulation in the context of array construction, which sounds straightforward until you realize the greedy approach or naive bit-setting doesn't work. The 74% acceptance rate tells you most people solve it, but the ones who don't usually miss the actual constraint or try to force a bitwise operation that doesn't minimize the result. If you hit this on a live OA and blank on the construction pattern, StealthCoder surfaces the working solution in seconds, invisible to the proctor.
Companies that ask "Construct the Minimum Bitwise Array I"
Construct the Minimum Bitwise Array I 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 engineer who got tired of watching his cohort grind for six months and still get filtered at the OA stage.
Get StealthCoderThe trick here is understanding what 'minimum' actually means under the bitwise constraints. Candidates often assume they can independently set bits or that the minimum construction follows a greedy left-to-right pass. In reality, you need to recognize that bitwise operations on an array element are constrained by prior elements, and the construction must satisfy a specific relationship (usually bitwise AND or OR with neighbors). The common pitfall is trying to minimize each element in isolation rather than recognizing the dependency chain. Once you see that each element's minimum value is bounded by operations on adjacent elements, the pattern clicks and a single pass works. This is where preparation saves you on the live assessment.
Pattern tags
You know the problem.
Make sure you actually pass it.
Construct the Minimum Bitwise Array I 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 engineer who got tired of watching his cohort grind for six months and still get filtered at the OA stage. Works on HackerRank, CodeSignal, CoderPad, and Karat.
Construct the Minimum Bitwise Array I interview FAQ
Is this problem actually easy?+
Yes. The 74% acceptance rate confirms it. The difficulty comes from spotting the constraint relationship, not the implementation. Most failures are candidates overcomplicating the construction logic or missing that bitwise operations link adjacent elements.
What's the actual trick to minimizing the array?+
The minimum construction depends on understanding that each element's value is constrained by a bitwise operation with its neighbors. You can't minimize each element independently. Once you identify the operation and the dependency chain, a single forward or backward pass gives you the answer.
Do I need advanced bit manipulation knowledge?+
No. This problem uses basic bitwise operations like AND and OR. The challenge is recognizing how those operations chain across the array, not mastering exotic bit tricks. Understanding bit basics and array indexing is sufficient.
Will this come up in my Aon assessment or similar?+
Aon has reportedly asked it. It's the kind of problem companies use to filter for candidates who can reason about constraints and dependencies, not just code fast. It's not a trick question, just a pattern-spotting one.
How does this relate to other array and bit problems?+
It bridges Array and Bit Manipulation topics by forcing you to construct an array where each element's value is derived from bitwise operations on neighbors. It's less common than single-operation bit problems, which is why preparation matters on the live OA.
Want the actual problem statement? View "Construct the Minimum Bitwise Array I" on LeetCode →