These are Algorithms questions of the kind Meta actually asks — the patterns reported from Meta's AI-engineering rounds, where design trade-offs, scale and failure modes matter as much as definitions. Treat this page as a mock interview: say every answer out loud before revealing it. If one surprises you, the lesson behind it is linked at the bottom.
Meta Algorithms concept questions
K closest points to the origin, from a million points. Compare the three standard approaches and their costs.
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Next permutation: rearrange [1, 3, 5, 4, 2] into the lexicographically next arrangement, in place. Derive the algorithm rather than reciting it.
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Meta Algorithms applied & hands-on questions
Can "abca" become a palindrome by deleting AT MOST one character? Solve in O(n) with two pointers.
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How to use this page: Meta rarely asks something you've never seen — they ask a standard Algorithms concept and then push one level deeper ("why?", "what would you do if..."). Master the concept in the Algorithms course lessons, and the follow-up stops being scary.
Keep practising: Binary Search, Dynamic Programming, BFS & DFS and Patterns & Strategy cover what most Meta Algorithms rounds test.