Hi everyone,

I recently took the TikTok OA for a Research Scientist internship. It was proctored on CodeSignal, consisting of 4 problems with 70 minutes time limit.

Breakdown:

• Q1 (Easy): Combinatorics/Counting. Solved in 2 mins.
• Q2 (Easy): Simulation. Had a tricky edge case; took about 15 mins.
• Q3 (Medium/Hard): Complex simulation and state management. Very time-consuming.
• Q4 (Medium): String counting/permutations.

My Experience: I finished the first two with 50 minutes remaining. After reading Q3, I skipped to Q4 to secure points. I hit a snag on Q4 with hidden test cases and ended with 240/300 on that task. I wrote the code for the Q3 but unfortunately, I ran out of time to pass any cases.
I got a total of 460/600 and am still waiting for their response!