Problem database last updated: June 20, 2025

AApple logo

Apple Coding Interview Questions

100 problems · 23 Easy, 62 Medium, 15 Hard · Ranked #4 of 458

Difficulty breakdown

23 Easy

23% · avg 23%

62 Medium

62% · avg 59%

15 Hard

15% · avg 18%

Top topics

array
46%
string
28%
dynamic-programming
18%
two-pointers
17%
math
15%
backtracking
13%2.5x

Interview profile

Based on 100 reported problems, Apple interviews are in line with industry averages - 15% Hard vs 18% overall. The majority (62%) of questions are Medium difficulty, which is typical for companies that want to see solid fundamentals without excessive trick questions.

Compared to the industry average, Apple puts unusual emphasis on binary-search-tree (5% of problems, 4.5x the industry average), binary-tree (13% of problems, 2.6x the industry average), backtracking (13% of problems, 2.5x the industry average). If you're short on time, these are the categories to double down on.

The most common topics are array (46%), string (28%), dynamic-programming (18%), two-pointers (17%). Problems below are sorted by frequency, the ones at the top are asked most often.

All 100 problems

Two Sum

Solve

Given an array of integers nums and an integer target, return the indices of the two numbers that add up to target.

EasyVery Likely
arrayhash-map

Longest Substring Without Repeating Characters

Solve

Given a string s, find the length of the longest substring without duplicate characters.

MediumVery Likely
hash-tablestringsliding-window

Longest Common Prefix

Solve

Write a function to find the longest common prefix string amongst an array of strings.

EasyVery Likely
arraystringtrie

Valid Parentheses

Solve

Given a string s containing just the characters '(', ')', '{', '}', '[' and ']', determine if the input string is valid.

EasyVery Likely
stringstack

Median of Two Sorted Arrays

Solve

Given two sorted arrays nums1 and nums2 of size m and n respectively, return the median of the two sorted arrays.

HardVery Likely
arraybinary-searchdivide-and-conquer

Group Anagrams

Solve

Given an array of strings strs, group the anagrams together. You can return the answer in any order.

MediumLikely
arrayhash-tablestring

Merge Intervals

Solve

Given an array of intervals where intervals[i] = [starti, endi], merge all overlapping intervals, and return an array of the non-overlapping intervals that cove...

MediumLikely
arraysorting

Merge Sorted Array

Solve

You are given two integer arrays nums1 and nums2, sorted in non-decreasing order, and two integers m and n, representing the number of elements in nums1 and num...

EasyLikely
arraytwo-pointerssorting

Trapping Rain Water

Solve

Given n non-negative integers representing an elevation map where the width of each bar is 1, compute how much water it can trap after raining.

HardLikely
arraytwo-pointersdynamic-programming

Valid Sudoku

Solve

Determine if a 9 x 9 Sudoku board is valid. Only the filled cells need to be validated according to the following rules:

MediumLikely
arrayhash-tablematrix

Reverse Integer

Solve

Given a signed 32-bit integer x, return x with its digits reversed. If reversing x causes the value to go outside the signed 32-bit integer range [-231, 231 - 1...

MediumLikely
math

Climbing Stairs

Solve

You are climbing a staircase. It takes n steps to reach the top.

EasyLikely
mathdynamic-programmingmemoization

Longest Palindromic Substring

Solve

Given a string s, return the longest palindromic substring in s.

MediumLikely
two-pointersstringdynamic-programming

Palindrome Number

Solve

Given an integer x, return true if x is a palindrome, and false otherwise.

EasyLikely
math

Rotate Image

Solve

You are given an n x n 2D matrix representing an image, rotate the image by 90 degrees (clockwise).

MediumLikely
arraymathmatrix

Spiral Matrix

Solve

Given an m x n matrix, return all elements of the matrix in spiral order.

MediumLikely
arraymatrixsimulation

Add Two Numbers

Solve

You are given two non-empty linked lists representing two non-negative integers. The digits are stored in reverse order, and each of their nodes contains a sing...

MediumLikely
linked-listmathrecursion

3Sum

Solve

Given an integer array nums, return all the triplets [nums[i], nums[j], nums[k]] such that i != j, i != k, and j != k, and nums[i] + nums[j] + nums[k] == 0.

MediumLikely
arraytwo-pointerssorting

Roman to Integer

Solve

Roman numerals are represented by seven different symbols: I, V, X, L, C, D and M.

EasyLikely
hash-tablemathstring

Remove Duplicates from Sorted Array

Solve

Given an integer array nums sorted in non-decreasing order, remove the duplicates in-place such that each unique element appears only once. The relative order o...

EasyLikely
arraytwo-pointers

Search in Rotated Sorted Array

Solve

There is an integer array nums sorted in ascending order (with distinct values).

MediumLikely
arraybinary-search

Sqrt(x)

Solve

Given a non-negative integer x, return the square root of x rounded down to the nearest integer. The returned integer should be non-negative as well.

EasyLikely
mathbinary-search

Maximum Subarray

Solve

Given an integer array nums, find the subarray with the largest sum, and return its sum.

MediumLikely
arraydivide-and-conquerdynamic-programming

Merge Two Sorted Lists

Solve

You are given the heads of two sorted linked lists list1 and list2.

EasyLikely
linked-listrecursion

Generate Parentheses

Solve

Given n pairs of parentheses, write a function to generate all combinations of well-formed parentheses.

MediumLikely
stringdynamic-programmingbacktracking

Merge k Sorted Lists

Solve

You are given an array of k linked-lists lists, each linked-list is sorted in ascending order.

HardLikely
linked-listdivide-and-conquerheap-priority-queue

Container With Most Water

Solve

You are given an integer array height of length n. There are n vertical lines drawn such that the two endpoints of the ith line are (i, 0) and (i, height[i]).

MediumLikely
arraytwo-pointersgreedy

Find the Index of the First Occurrence in a String

Solve

Given two strings needle and haystack, return the index of the first occurrence of needle in haystack, or -1 if needle is not part of haystack.

EasyLikely
two-pointersstringstring-matching

Remove Element

Solve

Given an integer array nums and an integer val, remove all occurrences of val in nums in-place. The order of the elements may be changed. Then return the number...

EasyLikely
arraytwo-pointers

Letter Combinations of a Phone Number

Solve

Given a string containing digits from 2-9 inclusive, return all possible letter combinations that the number could represent. Return the answer in any order.

MediumLikely
hash-tablestringbacktracking

Search Insert Position

Solve

Given a sorted array of distinct integers and a target value, return the index if the target is found. If not, return the index where it would be if it were ins...

EasyLikely
arraybinary-search

Remove Nth Node From End of List

Solve

Given the head of a linked list, remove the nth node from the end of the list and return its head.

MediumLikely
linked-listtwo-pointers

Regular Expression Matching

Solve

Given an input string s and a pattern p, implement regular expression matching with support for '.' and '' where:

HardLikely
stringdynamic-programmingrecursion

Largest Rectangle in Histogram

Solve

Given an array of integers heights representing the histogram's bar height where the width of each bar is 1, return the area of the largest rectangle in the his...

HardLikely
arraystackmonotonic-stack

Find First and Last Position of Element in Sorted Array

Solve

Given an array of integers nums sorted in non-decreasing order, find the starting and ending position of a given target value.

MediumLikely
arraybinary-search

Maximum Depth of Binary Tree

Solve

Given the root of a binary tree, return its maximum depth.

EasyLikely
treedepth-first-searchbreadth-first-search

Permutations

Solve

Given an array nums of distinct integers, return all the possible permutations. You can return the answer in any order.

MediumLikely
arraybacktracking

Insert Interval

Solve

You are given an array of non-overlapping intervals intervals where intervals[i] = [starti, endi] represent the start and the end of the ith interval and interv...

MediumLikely
array

Add Binary

Solve

Given two binary strings a and b, return their sum as a binary string.

EasyLikely
mathstringbit-manipulation

Binary Tree Level Order Traversal

Solve

Given the root of a binary tree, return the level order traversal of its nodes' values. (i.e., from left to right, level by level).

MediumLikely
treebreadth-first-searchbinary-tree

Next Permutation

Solve

A permutation of an array of integers is an arrangement of its members into a sequence or linear order.

MediumLikely
arraytwo-pointers

Combination Sum

Solve

Given an array of distinct integers candidates and a target integer target, return a list of all unique combinations of candidates where the chosen numbers sum...

MediumSometimes
arraybacktracking

Sort Colors

Solve

Given an array nums with n objects colored red, white, or blue, sort them in-place so that objects of the same color are adjacent, with the colors in the order...

MediumSometimes
arraytwo-pointerssorting

Jump Game

Solve

You are given an integer array nums. You are initially positioned at the array's first index, and each element in the array represents your maximum jump length...

MediumSometimes
arraydynamic-programminggreedy

Symmetric Tree

Solve

Given the root of a binary tree, check whether it is a mirror of itself (i.e., symmetric around its center).

EasySometimes
treedepth-first-searchbreadth-first-search

4Sum

Solve

Given an array nums of n integers, return an array of all the unique quadruplets [nums[a], nums[b], nums[c], nums[d]] such that:

MediumSometimes
arraytwo-pointerssorting

Validate Binary Search Tree

Solve

Given the root of a binary tree, determine if it is a valid binary search tree (BST).

MediumSometimes
treedepth-first-searchbinary-search-tree

First Missing Positive

Solve

Given an unsorted integer array nums. Return the smallest positive integer that is not present in nums.

HardSometimes
arrayhash-table

String to Integer (atoi)

Solve

Implement the myAtoi(string s) function, which converts a string to a 32-bit signed integer.

MediumSometimes
string

Interleaving String

Solve

Given strings s1, s2, and s3, find whether s3 is formed by an interleaving of s1 and s2.

MediumSometimes
stringdynamic-programming

Jump Game II

Solve

You are given a 0-indexed array of integers nums of length n. You are initially positioned at index 0.

MediumSometimes
arraydynamic-programminggreedy

Pow(x, n)

Solve

Implement pow(x, n), which calculates x raised to the power n (i.e., xn).

MediumSometimes
mathrecursion

Plus One

Solve

You are given a large integer represented as an integer array digits, where each digits[i] is the ith digit of the integer. The digits are ordered from most sig...

EasySometimes
arraymath

Wildcard Matching

Solve

Given an input string (s) and a pattern (p), implement wildcard pattern matching with support for '?' and '' where:

HardSometimes
stringdynamic-programminggreedy

Binary Tree Inorder Traversal

Solve

Given the root of a binary tree, return the inorder traversal of its nodes' values.

EasySometimes
stacktreedepth-first-search

Search a 2D Matrix

Solve

You are given an m x n integer matrix matrix with the following two properties:

MediumSometimes
arraybinary-searchmatrix

Divide Two Integers

Solve

Given two integers dividend and divisor, divide two integers without using multiplication, division, and mod operator.

MediumSometimes
mathbit-manipulation

Reverse Linked List II

Solve

Given the head of a singly linked list and two integers left and right where left <= right, reverse the nodes of the list from position left to position right,...

MediumSometimes
linked-list

Word Search

Solve

Given an m x n grid of characters board and a string word, return true if word exists in the grid.

MediumSometimes
arraystringbacktracking

Balanced Binary Tree

Solve

Given a binary tree, determine if it is height-balanced.

EasySometimes
treedepth-first-searchbinary-tree

Set Matrix Zeroes

Solve

Given an m x n integer matrix matrix, if an element is 0, set its entire row and column to 0's.

MediumSometimes
arrayhash-tablematrix

Count and Say

Solve

The count-and-say sequence is a sequence of digit strings defined by the recursive formula:

MediumSometimes
string

Subsets

Solve

Given an integer array nums of unique elements, return all possible subsets (the power set).

MediumSometimes
arraybacktrackingbit-manipulation

Remove Duplicates from Sorted List

Solve

Given the head of a sorted linked list, delete all duplicates such that each element appears only once. Return the linked list sorted as well.

EasySometimes
linked-list

Swap Nodes in Pairs

Solve

Given a linked list, swap every two adjacent nodes and return its head. You must solve the problem without modifying the values in the list's nodes (i.e., only...

MediumSometimes
linked-listrecursion

Minimum Window Substring

Solve

Given two strings s and t of lengths m and n respectively, return the minimum window substring of s such that every character in t (including duplicates) is inc...

HardSometimes
hash-tablestringsliding-window

Text Justification

Solve

Given an array of strings words and a width maxWidth, format the text such that each line has exactly maxWidth characters and is fully (left and right) justifie...

HardSometimes
arraystringsimulation

N-Queens

Solve

The n-queens puzzle is the problem of placing n queens on an n x n chessboard such that no two queens attack each other.

HardSometimes
arraybacktracking

Simplify Path

Solve

You are given an absolute path for a Unix-style file system, which always begins with a slash '/'. Your task is to transform this absolute path into its simplif...

MediumSometimes
stringstack

Minimum Path Sum

Solve

Given a m x n grid filled with non-negative numbers, find a path from top left to bottom right, which minimizes the sum of all numbers along its path.

MediumSometimes
arraydynamic-programmingmatrix

Rotate List

Solve

Given the head of a linked list, rotate the list to the right by k places.

MediumSometimes
linked-listtwo-pointers

Reverse Nodes in k-Group

Solve

Given the head of a linked list, reverse the nodes of the list k at a time, and return the modified list.

HardSometimes
linked-listrecursion

Integer to Roman

Solve

Seven different symbols represent Roman numerals with the following values:

MediumSometimes
hash-tablemathstring

Zigzag Conversion

Solve

The string "PAYPALISHIRING" is written in a zigzag pattern on a given number of rows like this: (you may want to display this pattern in a fixed font for better...

MediumSometimes
string

Decode Ways

Solve

You have intercepted a secret message encoded as a string of numbers. The message is decoded via the following mapping:

MediumSometimes
stringdynamic-programming

Partition List

Solve

Given the head of a linked list and a value x, partition it such that all nodes less than x come before nodes greater than or equal to x.

MediumSometimes
linked-listtwo-pointers

Combinations

Solve

Given two integers n and k, return all possible combinations of k numbers chosen from the range [1, n].

MediumSometimes
backtracking

Convert Sorted Array to Binary Search Tree

Solve

Given an integer array nums where the elements are sorted in ascending order, convert it to a height-balanced binary search tree.

EasySometimes
arraydivide-and-conquertree

Sudoku Solver

Solve

Write a program to solve a Sudoku puzzle by filling the empty cells.

HardSometimes
arrayhash-tablebacktracking

Same Tree

Solve

Given the roots of two binary trees p and q, write a function to check if they are the same or not.

EasySometimes
treedepth-first-searchbreadth-first-search

Length of Last Word

Solve

Given a string s consisting of words and spaces, return the length of the last word in the string.

EasySometimes
string

Remove Duplicates from Sorted List II

Solve

Given the head of a sorted linked list, delete all nodes that have duplicate numbers, leaving only distinct numbers from the original list. Return the linked li...

MediumSometimes
linked-listtwo-pointers

Restore IP Addresses

Solve

A valid IP address consists of exactly four integers separated by single dots. Each integer is between 0 and 255 (inclusive) and cannot have leading zeros.

MediumSometimes
stringbacktracking

Unique Binary Search Trees II

Solve

Given an integer n, return all the structurally unique BST's (binary search trees), which has exactly n nodes of unique values from 1 to n. Return the answer in...

MediumSometimes
dynamic-programmingbacktrackingtree

Edit Distance

Solve

Given two strings word1 and word2, return the minimum number of operations required to convert word1 to word2.

MediumSometimes
stringdynamic-programming

Permutations II

Solve

Given a collection of numbers, nums, that might contain duplicates, return all possible unique permutations in any order.

MediumRare
arraybacktrackingsorting

3Sum Closest

Solve

Given an integer array nums of length n and an integer target, find three integers at distinct indices in nums such that the sum is closest to target.

MediumRare
arraytwo-pointerssorting

Maximal Rectangle

Solve

Given a rows x cols binary matrix filled with 0's and 1's, find the largest rectangle containing only 1's and return its area.

HardRare
arraydynamic-programmingstack

Multiply Strings

Solve

Given two non-negative integers num1 and num2 represented as strings, return the product of num1 and num2, also represented as a string.

MediumRare
mathstringsimulation

Unique Paths

Solve

There is a robot on an m x n grid. The robot is initially located at the top-left corner (i.e., grid[0][0]). The robot tries to move to the bottom-right corner...

MediumRare
mathdynamic-programmingcombinatorics

Valid Number

Solve

Given a string s, return whether s is a valid number.

HardRare
string

Substring with Concatenation of All Words

Solve

You are given a string s and an array of strings words. All the strings of words are of the same length.

HardRare
hash-tablestringsliding-window

Construct Binary Tree from Preorder and Inorder Traversal

Solve

Given two integer arrays preorder and inorder where preorder is the preorder traversal of a binary tree and inorder is the inorder traversal of the same tree, c...

MediumRare
arrayhash-tabledivide-and-conquer

Remove Duplicates from Sorted Array II

Solve

Given an integer array nums sorted in non-decreasing order, remove some duplicates in-place such that each unique element appears at most twice. The relative or...

MediumRare
arraytwo-pointers

Recover Binary Search Tree

Solve

You are given the root of a binary search tree (BST), where the values of exactly two nodes of the tree were swapped by mistake. Recover the tree without changi...

MediumRare
treedepth-first-searchbinary-search-tree

Flatten Binary Tree to Linked List

Solve

Given the root of a binary tree, flatten the tree into a "linked list":

MediumRare
linked-liststacktree

Unique Binary Search Trees

Solve

Given an integer n, return the number of structurally unique BST's (binary search trees) which has exactly n nodes of unique values from 1 to n.

MediumRare
mathdynamic-programmingtree

Subsets II

Solve

Given an integer array nums that may contain duplicates, return all possible subsets (the power set).

MediumRare
arraybacktrackingbit-manipulation

Unique Paths II

Solve

You are given an m x n integer array grid. There is a robot initially located at the top-left corner (i.e., grid[0][0]). The robot tries to move to the bottom-r...

MediumRare
arraydynamic-programmingmatrix

Search in Rotated Sorted Array II

Solve

There is an integer array nums sorted in non-decreasing order (not necessarily with distinct values).

MediumRare
arraybinary-search

How often are these problems asked?

Frequency scores are based on crowdsourced interview reports. A higher score means the problem has been reported more often in recent Apple interviews.

Very Likely

75-100%

Likely

50-74%

Sometimes

25-49%

Rare

0-24%

Preparing for your Apple coding interview

Apple interviews focus heavily on array, string, dynamic-programming problems. If you're short on time, these are the categories to prioritize. The problems on this page are sorted by frequency, so start from the top and work your way down.

Beyond solving problems, practice explaining your approach. Apple interviewers care about your thought process - how you break down a problem, consider edge cases, and evaluate tradeoffs between solutions. A clean O(n) solution you can explain clearly beats an O(log n) solution you can't articulate.

Looking for more companies? Browse all 458 companies in our directory, or sharpen your fundamentals with our free data structure visualizers and AI-powered DSA tutor.

Frequently Asked Questions

What coding problems does Apple ask in interviews?add

Apple has been reported to ask 100 distinct coding problems. The most common topics are array, string, dynamic-programming. 23 are Easy difficulty, 62 are Medium, and 15 are Hard. Problems are sorted by frequency - the ones at the top are asked most often.

How hard are Apple coding interviews?add

Based on 100 reported problems, Apple interviews are in line with industry averages - 15% Hard vs 18% overall. 62% of questions are Medium difficulty. Focus on the high-frequency Medium problems first, then work through the Hard ones.

How should I prepare for a Apple coding interview?add

Start with the highest-frequency problems listed on this page. Focus on the core topics: array, string, dynamic-programming. Practice solving them under time pressure and explaining your approach out loud. Mock interviews with AI can simulate the real experience.

Other companies to explore

Ready to ace your Apple interview?

Simulate a real Apple coding interview with an AI interviewer. Get a scorecard with specific feedback on your problem-solving, code quality, and communication.

Simulate a Apple interview with AIarrow_forward