Search Insert Position
A easy-tier problem at 49% community acceptance, tagged with Array, Binary Search. Reported in interviews at Instacart and 11 others.
Search Insert Position shows up in screens at Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, and Uber, but the acceptance rate sits around 49 percent. That gap tells you something: candidates either nail it instantly or they overthink the edge cases and burn time. The problem is straightforward on the surface, but the trick is knowing when the obvious linear scan costs you. This is where binary search enters, and if you blank on the pattern mid-assessment, StealthCoder solves it invisibly in seconds so you move on to the harder rounds.
Companies that ask "Search Insert Position"
Search Insert Position 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 core pattern is binary search on a sorted array, but the twist is you're not just finding a target. You're finding where a target would fit if it doesn't exist. Most candidates start with a for-loop, check each position, and that works for small inputs. The failure mode is TLE on large arrays. Binary search cuts the problem from O(n) to O(log n), but the payoff only matters if you recognize the sorted array constraint first. Common pitfall: off-by-one errors in the insertion index when the target isn't found. Your left pointer tracks the insertion point exactly. StealthCoder catches that during the live OA if you hit the wall on bounds.
Pattern tags
You know the problem.
Make sure you actually pass it.
Search Insert Position 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.
Search Insert Position interview FAQ
Is this actually an easy problem or do most people fail it?+
Acceptance is 49 percent, so it's genuinely mixed. The algorithm is easy, but execution under time pressure trips people on edge cases. If you know binary search cold, it's a three-minute problem. If you don't, you'll either brute force or get the bounds wrong.
Do I really need binary search here or will a loop pass?+
A loop works and passes smaller tests, but binary search is the intended pattern at this tier. Companies like Amazon and Microsoft ask it because they want to see if you recognize the sorted array and optimize accordingly. It's a filter signal.
What's the most common mistake on this problem?+
Off-by-one errors when target isn't found. Candidates get the binary search logic right but return the wrong index for insertion. The left pointer IS the insertion point when the loop ends. Don't add 1 unless you actually need it.
Is this problem still asked at FAANG companies?+
Yes. The top companies in the ask list include Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, and Uber. It's a bread-and-butter screening question, especially in early-round online assessments where they're filtering for algorithm fundamentals.
How does this relate to other binary search problems?+
It's the foundation. This problem teaches you how to think about insertion and boundary behavior in binary search. Once you own this, finding first and last occurrence, or rotated arrays, become extensions of the same mental model.
Want the actual problem statement? View "Search Insert Position" on LeetCode →