Rising Temperature
A easy-tier problem at 50% community acceptance, tagged with Database. Reported in interviews at Deloitte and 4 others.
Rising Temperature is a database problem that shows up in assessments at Google, Deloitte, Cognizant, Cisco, and Accenture. It's labeled Easy, but the acceptance rate hovers just above 50%, which means half the candidates who attempt it either time out or submit wrong code. The trick isn't complex, but it's easy to miss on the fly. If you blank on the pattern during a live OA, StealthCoder surfaces a working solution in seconds, invisible to the proctor.
Companies that ask "Rising Temperature"
Rising Temperature 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 a senior engineer who knows the OA is theater. This is the script.
Get StealthCoderThe problem asks you to find days where temperature rose compared to the previous day. The obvious move is a self-join on the same table, matching each row to the one before it by date. Most candidates either overcomplicate the join logic, forget to handle the date ordering, or write inefficient subqueries that timeout. The clean solution uses a single JOIN with a date offset condition, keeping the query simple and fast. This is pure SQL pattern recognition. When the assessment hits and you can't remember the exact window function or join syntax, StealthCoder reads the problem off your screen and hands you executable code.
Pattern tags
You know the problem.
Make sure you actually pass it.
Rising Temperature 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 a senior engineer who knows the OA is theater. This is the script. Works on HackerRank, CodeSignal, CoderPad, and Karat.
Rising Temperature interview FAQ
Why is the acceptance rate only 50% if it's marked Easy?+
SQL syntax and join logic trip up people who've drilled code problems but not database queries. The pattern is straightforward once you see it, but the details matter. Off-by-one errors in date comparisons and incorrect join conditions are common mistakes.
Which companies actually ask this one?+
Google, Deloitte, Cognizant, Cisco, and Accenture have all reported it. It's more common in enterprise and infrastructure companies that rely on data pipelines and analytics.
Is this just a self-join problem?+
Yes. You join the temperature table to itself, matching each day to the previous day, then filter for rows where the later date has a higher temperature. The difficulty is getting the join condition and ordering right.
Will window functions help here?+
They can, but they're not required. A self-join with a date offset is the most straightforward approach and runs just as fast. Know both methods if you have time, but master the join first.
How much time should I spend on this in an OA?+
If you see the join pattern immediately, 3 to 5 minutes. If you're second-guessing the date comparison logic or the join type, you might spend 10 to 15. Flag it and come back if you hit a wall. That's what StealthCoder is for.
Want the actual problem statement? View "Rising Temperature" on LeetCode →