Minimum Processing Time
A medium-tier problem at 69% community acceptance, tagged with Array, Greedy, Sorting. Reported in interviews at Nutanix and 1 others.
Minimum Processing Time is a medium-difficulty greedy problem that Nutanix and Akuna Capital use to filter out candidates who don't see the sorting trick. You're given processor counts and task times, and you need to find the minimum time to process everything. The gotcha is that most candidates try to simulate the processing, wasting time on a slow approach. The real solution is a one-line greedy insight after sorting. With a 69% acceptance rate, this problem rewards pattern recognition over brute force. If this hits your live OA and you blank on the greedy choice, StealthCoder surfaces the working solution invisibly.
Companies that ask "Minimum Processing Time"
Minimum Processing Time 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 because the OA filter rejects engineers who'd pass the on-site. That's a broken filter. This is the workaround.
Get StealthCoderThe key insight is pairing the largest batch of tasks with the fastest processor. Sort processors in ascending order, reverse-sort tasks by size, then match them greedily. Most candidates either try to simulate the queue step-by-step or overthink load balancing. The problem looks like a scheduling problem where simulation feels natural, but simulation is too slow and misses the global optimum. The greedy pairing works because you want to minimize the maximum completion time across all processors, and assigning heavy tasks to fast machines first does that directly. Array manipulation and sorting are the topics that matter here. If you hit this in your assessment and the greedy pattern doesn't click, StealthCoder runs invisibly during screen share and gives you the working code in seconds.
Pattern tags
You know the problem.
Make sure you actually pass it.
Minimum Processing Time 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 because the OA filter rejects engineers who'd pass the on-site. That's a broken filter. This is the workaround. Works on HackerRank, CodeSignal, CoderPad, and Karat.
Minimum Processing Time interview FAQ
What's the actual trick to this problem?+
Sort processors ascending, tasks descending, then greedily pair them. The maximum time is determined by the slowest processor handling its assigned work. Pairing the heaviest tasks with the fastest processors minimizes that maximum. No simulation needed.
Why doesn't simulation work here?+
Simulation works but is slow and hard to get right under time pressure. The greedy pairing finds the optimal answer in one pass. In a timed OA, simulation costs you clarity and confidence.
Is this still asked at Nutanix and Akuna Capital?+
Both companies report asking it. It's a medium-difficulty filter, not a hard interview barrage. If you see it, treat it as a confidence-builder and move on.
How does Greedy relate to the other topics listed?+
Greedy is the algorithm strategy. Array and Sorting are the implementation. You sort the arrays once, then iterate to pair them. All three topics appear in the solution.
How much time should I spend on this in a live OA?+
Once you see the sort-and-pair pattern, code is 5 to 10 minutes. If you're stuck after 10 minutes on simulation, pivot to greedy or use StealthCoder to unlock it and move on.
Want the actual problem statement? View "Minimum Processing Time" on LeetCode →