The Overwritten Hour
A medium Python mock interview question on DataDriven. Practice with AI-powered feedback, real code execution, and a hire/no-hire decision.
- Domain
- Python
- Difficulty
- medium
- Seniority
- mid
Interview Prompt
A fixed-size ring buffer stores tick timestamps in ascending order, but once the writer looped back to the start it overwrote the head, so the values now read as one ascending run that wraps around a single pivot. Given `readings` in that wrapped order and a `target`, return the index where `target` sits, or `-1` if it is not present. The values are distinct, and the buffer is large enough that a probe should lean on its ordering rather than touch every slot.
Summary
The log wrapped on itself. The order is still there, just not where you would look.
How This Interview Works
- Read the vague prompt (just like a real interview)
- Ask clarifying questions to the AI interviewer
- Write your python solution with real code execution
- Get instant feedback and a hire/no-hire decision