Separate Squares I
A medium-tier problem at 38% community acceptance, tagged with Array, Binary Search. Reported in interviews at Google and 0 others.
Separate Squares I hits your assessment with a deceptively simple premise that most candidates misread on first read-through. Google asks this one, and the 38% acceptance rate tells you the obvious approach leaves most people hanging. You're working with an array problem that looks like it should bend to binary search, but the spatial logic catches people off guard. If you haven't drilled the exact pattern for how squares "separate" geometrically, you'll waste 20 minutes on a wrong direction. StealthCoder solves it invisibly during your live OA if you blank on the trick.
Companies that ask "Separate Squares I"
Separate Squares I 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 trap here is that candidates treat this as a pure array problem when it's really about understanding what 'separate' means in the coordinate space. Binary search feels like the right tool, and it is, but only after you figure out what you're actually searching for. Most people jump to sorting or comparing distances without realizing the constraint cuts your search space in a specific way. The binary search component isn't about finding a value in a sorted array; it's about finding a boundary or threshold that makes squares satisfy the separation condition. When the obvious array iteration approach times out or produces wrong answers, you'll know you missed the geometric insight. StealthCoder gives you the working solution in seconds so you don't crater the rest of your assessment.
Pattern tags
You know the problem.
Make sure you actually pass it.
Separate Squares I 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 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.
Separate Squares I interview FAQ
Is Separate Squares I really a medium, or does the 38% pass rate mean it's harder?+
38% acceptance is solid confirmation this is a medium that punches above its weight. The difficulty isn't the code complexity; it's recognizing what property you're searching for. Once you see the pattern, the binary search implementation is clean. Most failures come from misunderstanding the problem statement, not the algorithm.
What makes this a binary search problem when it's described as an array problem?+
You're searching for a threshold or boundary condition that determines whether squares are separated. Binary search is the efficient way to find that boundary. The array part is your data structure; the binary search is how you solve it. They're not separate concerns; binary search on the array is the solution.
Does Google ask Separate Squares I often, or is it a one-off report?+
Google is the only company reported to ask this one in the data available. That doesn't mean it won't show up elsewhere, but it's definitely part of Google's question pool. The low report count suggests it's either newer, niche, or under the radar. Prepare for it if Google is your target.
What's the most common mistake on this problem?+
Jumping to code before working through what "separate" actually means in the context of the array. Candidates often iterate through all pairs or try greedy filtering, which times out or gives wrong answers. Spend 2 minutes confirming the separation logic before you touch binary search.
If I nail array and binary search individually, will I solve this?+
Not guaranteed. You need to see how binary search applies to this specific problem's geometry or constraint. Array and binary search skills are necessary but not sufficient. The pattern-matching piece is what separates people who pass from those who don't.
Want the actual problem statement? View "Separate Squares I" on LeetCode →