Merge Sorted Array
A easy-tier problem at 53% community acceptance, tagged with Array, Two Pointers, Sorting. Reported in interviews at Hubspot and 46 others.
Merge Sorted Array shows up in 47 company interview reports, including Meta, Microsoft, Amazon, and Bloomberg. It's labeled Easy, but the acceptance rate sits at 53%, which tells you plenty of candidates stumble on the in-place constraint or time complexity requirement. You'll get two sorted arrays and need to merge them into the first one without allocating extra space for a third array. The trick isn't complexity. It's knowing when to iterate backwards instead of forwards. If this problem hits your live OA and you blank on the reversal pattern, StealthCoder solves it in seconds, invisible to the proctor.
Companies that ask "Merge Sorted Array"
Merge Sorted Array 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 naive approach sorts both arrays into a new list, but that violates the in-place requirement and wastes space. The real pattern is two pointers starting at the end of each array, comparing elements and filling the first array from back to front. By moving backwards, you avoid overwriting values in the input array before you've read them. This is a core two-pointer technique that appears across harder problems. Most candidates either miss the backwards iteration entirely or try to merge left-to-right and destroy their input. Once you see the pattern, it's straightforward. StealthCoder is your hedge if the in-place constraint confuses you on exam day.
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Merge Sorted Array 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.
Merge Sorted Array interview FAQ
Why can't I just merge left-to-right into the first array?+
Because you'll overwrite unread elements. The first array has enough space at the end to hold the result, so you must fill from the back forward. Start at the highest indices of both input arrays and place the larger element at the end of the first array, then move backwards.
Is this problem still asked at big tech companies?+
Yes, frequently. The input data shows it's been asked at Meta, Microsoft, Amazon, and Bloomberg among others. It's an easy-level problem that filters for candidates who understand array indexing and two-pointer logic under constraints.
What makes the acceptance rate only 53% if it's labeled Easy?+
The in-place constraint trips people up. Candidates either don't realize they can use the tail of the first array or they overwrite values carelessly. The trick is obvious once you see it, but the constraint forces you to think backwards instead of forwards.
How does this relate to the Two Pointers topic?+
Two pointers is about managing two positions in data simultaneously to avoid nested loops or extra passes. Here, you track positions in both input arrays and step through them in parallel, moving backwards. It's a foundational pattern for harder two-pointer problems.
What's the time and space complexity?+
Time is O(m+n) where m and n are the lengths of the two arrays. Space is O(1) because you're modifying the first array in place. That's why the backwards iteration matters. It proves you understand constraints, not just algorithms.
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