Sort Even and Odd Indices Independently
A easy-tier problem at 63% community acceptance, tagged with Array, Sorting. Reported in interviews at Zoho and 0 others.
You're asked to sort elements at even indices separately from elements at odd indices, keeping each group in their original positions. It's straightforward on paper but trips candidates who overthink it or miss the in-place constraint. Zoho has asked this one. The acceptance rate sits at 62.6%, which means roughly four in ten people either time out or submit the wrong answer. This is the kind of problem where you either nail it in under five minutes or you're debugging logic that shouldn't be broken. If you hit this live and blank on the approach, StealthCoder surfaces a working solution invisible to the proctor.
Companies that ask "Sort Even and Odd Indices Independently"
Sort Even and Odd Indices Independently 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 trap is trying to solve it in one pass or overcomplicating the partition logic. The real pattern is dead simple: extract elements at even indices into one list, extract elements at odd indices into another, sort both independently, then reconstruct the array by placing sorted-even elements back into even positions and sorted-odd elements back into odd positions. It's pure extraction, dual sort, reassembly. Most candidates get hung up on whether to modify in-place or use extra space, or they mix up the indexing. The algorithm itself is O(n log n) due to sorting, but the implementation is mechanical once you see it. When you're live on an assessment and you're staring at this problem, the obvious approach works if you don't fight it. StealthCoder is your hedge for the moment when you're second-guessing whether you need something cleverer than extract-sort-merge.
Pattern tags
You know the problem.
Make sure you actually pass it.
Sort Even and Odd Indices Independently 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.
Sort Even and Odd Indices Independently interview FAQ
Is this problem actually asked at companies, or is it just practice filler?+
Zoho has reported asking it. At 62.6% acceptance, it's not a gimme but it's not a crusher either. It appears in early-stage screening or phone rounds where they want to see if you can code cleanly without overthinking. It's real, and you might see it.
What's the trick that trips people up?+
Losing track of indices during reconstruction. People extract the values correctly, sort them, then mess up putting them back. Write out an example with even and odd indices labeled separately and the swap will click. Also: don't try to do it fully in-place. Use extra lists. It's cleaner and faster to code.
How does this relate to sorting and arrays?+
It tests both topics together. You need array indexing fluency and understanding that sorting is the expensive operation, not the partitioning. It's really about reading a spec carefully and implementing without extra complexity. Standard sorting library works fine.
Can I solve this in-place without extra space?+
Technically yes, but it's painful and error-prone. The two-list extraction approach is O(n) space and O(n log n) time overall. Unless the problem explicitly demands constant space, take the win and code the clean solution. Interviewers respect clarity over micro-optimization.
How much time should I spend on this in an OA?+
If you see the pattern immediately, code it in 4 to 6 minutes including testing. If you're not sure, spend 2 minutes on a written example first. If you blank during the live assessment, that's when StealthCoder runs invisibly and hands you the solution so you don't burn 20 minutes on logic that should be automatic.
Want the actual problem statement? View "Sort Even and Odd Indices Independently" on LeetCode →