Goldman Sachs OA – Questions Asked

Hey everyone! 👋

This platform has given me so much over the years - knowledge, confidence, opportunities, and a community that constantly pushes you to grow. From struggling with basic problems to finally cracking interviews, it’s been a journey I couldn’t have taken alone.

Now it feels like the right time to give back ❤️ If this helps even one person prepare better or feel less lost, it’ll be worth it.

OA Format

• 2 coding questions
• Time: 120 minutes

Question 1 – Matrix Special Elements [Medium]

Given a matrix, count the distinct elements that are either the minimum or maximum in their row or column.

Important constraint:

• If any row or column has more than one minimum or more than one maximum, return -1.

Question 2 – Array Burst [Medium]

Given a sequence of characters and a burstLength, repeatedly remove any contiguous group whose size is ≥ burstLength.

Key details:

• Entire group should be removed if size ≥ k
• After removal, new adjacent groups may merge and trigger another burst
• Continue until no more removals are possible

Example

Input

abcdeeeeeddcbfgfhhht k = 3

Process

eeeee → removed ddd → removed hhh → removed

Final Result

abccbfgft

If you’re preparing right now - keep going. It’s tough, but completely worth it. And when you make it, come back and help someone else too 🤝