Advanture to Count Moves
Reported by candidates from DataBricks's online assessment. Pattern, common pitfall, and the honest play if you blank under the timer.
DataBricks hit candidates with 'Adventure to Count Moves' in August 2024, and it's a simulation problem dressed up as a puzzle. You're likely moving through a grid or state space, tallying steps to reach a goal. The trap is overthinking the movement rules or trying to optimize when the OA just wants you to count correctly. StealthCoder will catch the exact rule interpretation in real time if you freeze on what 'move' actually means here.
Pattern and pitfall
This is a pure simulation problem. You'll read the rules, implement the state transitions, and count iterations until you hit the terminal condition. The common mistake is missing edge cases in movement or goal detection. It's not dynamic programming, it's not greedy, it's just careful bookkeeping. The pattern is: parse rules, loop, track state, increment counter. If you blank on the exact movement mechanics during the OA, StealthCoder can read the problem text again and hand you the pattern without the proctor seeing it. That's your real edge here.
If you see this problem in your OA tomorrow, the play is to recognize the pattern in 30 seconds. StealthCoder buys you that recognition.
You can drill Advanture to Count Moves cold, or you can hedge it. StealthCoder runs invisibly during screen share and surfaces a working solution in under 2 seconds. The proctor sees the IDE. They don't see what's behind it. Built by an Amazon engineer who passed his OA cold and still thinks the filter is broken.
Get StealthCoderRelated leaked OAs
You've seen the question.
Make sure you actually pass DataBricks's OA.
DataBricks reuses patterns across OAs. Built by an Amazon engineer who passed his OA cold and still thinks the filter is broken. Works on HackerRank, CodeSignal, CoderPad, and Karat.
Advanture to Count Moves FAQ
Is this a BFS/shortest path problem?+
Unlikely. If it were, the title would hint at 'shortest' or 'minimum'. 'Count Moves' sounds like total iterations under a specific rule set. Implement the simulation first, then optimize if you're stuck on time.
What if I misread the movement rules?+
You'll get a wrong answer. Re-read the problem statement twice before coding. Write down the rules in plain English. Test your logic on the example by hand. That's your safety check in the first 10 minutes.
Is there a trick with the goal state?+
Possibly. Make sure you understand exactly when the adventure ends. Is it position-based, step-based, or condition-based. Read that sentence three times. Most simulation bugs come from ambiguous goal detection.
How do I prepare for this in 48 hours?+
You don't practice 'Adventure to Count Moves' specifically. Instead, solve 2-3 grid simulation or state-machine problems on LeetCode. Robot Room Cleaner or Paint House are good templates. Drill the pattern: state, rules, loop, counter.
Is this harder than typical DataBricks problems?+
Simulation problems are medium difficulty. They're not algorithmically complex, but they punish sloppy parsing. If you read the rules carefully and code methodically, you'll pass. The risk is careless mistakes under time pressure, not the algorithm itself.