Problem database last updated: June 20, 2025
7 problems · 2 Easy, 5 Medium, 0 Hard · Ranked #196 of 458
2 Easy
29% · avg 23%
5 Medium
71% · avg 59%
0 Hard
0% · avg 18%
Based on 7 reported problems, OpenAI interviews are easier than average - only 0% Hard compared to 18% across all companies. The majority (71%) 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, OpenAI puts unusual emphasis on design (42.9% of problems, 7.4x the industry average), simulation (28.6% of problems, 6.6x the industry average), stack (42.9% of problems, 5x the industry average). If you're short on time, these are the categories to double down on.
The most common topics are array (57.1%), stack (42.9%), design (42.9%), depth-first-search (28.6%). Problems below are sorted by frequency, the ones at the top are asked most often.
| Problem | Difficulty | Frequency | Topics | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Flatten Nested List Iterator You are given a nested list of integers nestedList. Each element is either an integer or a list whose elements may also be integers or other lists. Implement an... | Medium | Very Likely | stacktreedepth-first-search | Solve |
Time Based Key-Value Store Design a time-based key-value data structure that can store multiple values for the same key at different time stamps and retrieve the key's value at a certain... | Medium | Likely | hash-tablestringbinary-search | Solve |
Design Memory Allocator You are given an integer n representing the size of a 0-indexed memory array. All memory units are initially free. | Medium | Likely | arrayhash-tabledesign | Solve |
Simplify Path 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... | Medium | Likely | stringstack | Solve |
Asteroid Collision We are given an array asteroids of integers representing asteroids in a row. The indices of the asteroid in the array represent their relative position in space... | Medium | Likely | arraystacksimulation | Solve |
Flood Fill You are given an image represented by an m x n grid of integers image, where image[i][j] represents the pixel value of the image. You are also given three integ... | Easy | Likely | arraydepth-first-searchbreadth-first-search | Solve |
Largest Local Values in a Matrix You are given an n x n integer matrix grid. | Easy | Likely | arraymatrix | Solve |
Flatten Nested List Iterator
SolveYou are given a nested list of integers nestedList. Each element is either an integer or a list whose elements may also be integers or other lists. Implement an...
Time Based Key-Value Store
SolveDesign a time-based key-value data structure that can store multiple values for the same key at different time stamps and retrieve the key's value at a certain...
Design Memory Allocator
SolveYou are given an integer n representing the size of a 0-indexed memory array. All memory units are initially free.
Simplify Path
SolveYou 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...
Asteroid Collision
SolveWe are given an array asteroids of integers representing asteroids in a row. The indices of the asteroid in the array represent their relative position in space...
Flood Fill
SolveYou are given an image represented by an m x n grid of integers image, where image[i][j] represents the pixel value of the image. You are also given three integ...
Largest Local Values in a Matrix
SolveYou are given an n x n integer matrix grid.
Frequency scores are based on crowdsourced interview reports. A higher score means the problem has been reported more often in recent OpenAI interviews.
Very Likely
75-100%
Likely
50-74%
Sometimes
25-49%
Rare
0-24%
OpenAI interviews focus heavily on array, stack, design 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. OpenAI 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.
OpenAI has been reported to ask 7 distinct coding problems. The most common topics are array, stack, design. 2 are Easy difficulty, 5 are Medium, and 0 are Hard. Problems are sorted by frequency - the ones at the top are asked most often.
Based on 7 reported problems, OpenAI interviews are easier than average - only 0% Hard compared to 18% across all companies. 71% of questions are Medium difficulty. Focus on the high-frequency Medium problems first, then work through the Hard ones.
Start with the highest-frequency problems listed on this page. Focus on the core topics: array, stack, design. Practice solving them under time pressure and explaining your approach out loud. Mock interviews with AI can simulate the real experience.
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