Divide Array Into Arrays With Max Difference
A medium-tier problem at 79% community acceptance, tagged with Array, Greedy, Sorting. Reported in interviews at Bloomberg and 0 others.
You get an array and need to split it into groups of exactly three elements where the max minus min in each group doesn't exceed a target value. It looks simple until you realize the greedy order matters. Bloomberg has asked this. The acceptance rate sits around 78.5%, which sounds high until you submit a wrong greedy strategy and watch it fail on edge cases. If this hits your live assessment and you blank on the sorting trick, StealthCoder surfaces a working solution in seconds, invisible to the proctor.
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Divide Array Into Arrays With Max Difference 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 key insight: sort the array first. Once sorted, any valid triple must be consecutive in the sorted order, because if you skip elements, the difference only grows. So iterate through the sorted array, grab every three consecutive elements, and check the constraint. The pitfall is attempting a greedy pick without sorting, or sorting but then trying to pick non-consecutive triples to 'optimize' the grouping. Neither works. After sorting, the problem becomes linear: validate each chunk of three and return false if any violates the max difference rule. This Greedy approach with Sorting is the only viable path. If you hit this live and the greedy strategy isn't clicking, StealthCoder runs invisibly and delivers the solution so you move forward.
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Divide Array Into Arrays With Max Difference recycles across companies for a reason. It's medium-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.
Divide Array Into Arrays With Max Difference interview FAQ
Why can't I just pick any three elements as long as max-min is small?+
Because after you pick a triple, you can't reuse those elements. The constraint forces you to partition the entire array into groups of three. Greedy picking without order leads to leftover elements that violate the partition requirement. Sorting first guarantees consecutive triples are valid options.
Is this problem still asked at major companies?+
Yes. Bloomberg has publicly reported asking it. The acceptance rate of 78.5% suggests it's treated as a medium-difficulty filter, not a rare curveball. If you're interviewing at firms known for array problems, it's worth drilling.
What's the time complexity and why does it matter?+
O(n log n) due to sorting, then O(n) for validation. This is tight and efficient. Candidates who attempt backtracking or dynamic programming waste time and miss the greedy insight. The sorting step is the unlock.
How does this relate to other sorting and greedy problems?+
It combines two core patterns: use sorting to unlock a greedy structure, then validate in linear time. You'll see this in interval scheduling and partition problems. The lesson is always ask yourself whether sorting reveals a simpler greedy path.
What's the most common way to fail this?+
Skipping the sort and trying to greedily pick triples on the fly. Or sorting but then overthinking the grouping instead of just taking consecutive elements. The constraint forces a linear partition. Most failures are logic errors, not time limit issues.
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