Minimize Path Value
Reported by candidates from Palantir's online assessment. Pattern, common pitfall, and the honest play if you blank under the timer.
Palantir asked this in September 2024, and it's a graph traversal problem wrapped in optimization language. You're given a path (or a graph structure) and you need to find the route that minimizes some cost or value. The trick isn't usually the algorithm itself. It's recognizing whether this is shortest-path (Dijkstra, BFS), dynamic programming on a DAG, or a greedy choice that gets locked in early. Candidates often overthink the state space. StealthCoder will catch the pattern if you freeze up on the definition.
Pattern and pitfall
Graph problems at Palantir usually hide a shortest-path or minimal-cost traversal inside a problem statement that sounds domain-specific. 'Minimize Path Value' likely means you're moving from one node to another, accumulating cost, and you want the lowest total. If the graph is unweighted, BFS works. If weighted and no negative cycles, Dijkstra. If it's a DAG, topological sort plus DP beats Dijkstra. The common miss: candidates build the graph wrong (missing edges, wrong direction) or apply the wrong algorithm and time out on large inputs. StealthCoder will surface the right approach in seconds if you blank on which primitive to use.
Drill it cold or hedge it with StealthCoder. Either way, don't walk into the OA hoping you remember the trick.
You can drill Minimize Path Value 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. Made for the candidate who got the OA invite this morning and has 72 hours, not six months.
Get StealthCoderRelated leaked OAs
This OA pattern shows up on LeetCode as network delay time. If you have time before the OA, drill that.
You've seen the question.
Make sure you actually pass Palantir's OA.
Palantir reuses patterns across OAs. Made for the candidate who got the OA invite this morning and has 72 hours, not six months. Works on HackerRank, CodeSignal, CoderPad, and Karat.
Minimize Path Value FAQ
Is this Dijkstra or BFS?+
If the problem gives you edge weights, it's Dijkstra. If all edges cost 1 or the cost is implicit, BFS works. Look at the input format first. Palantir usually makes it clear whether weight exists. If unsure, implement Dijkstra. It handles both.
What's the common trap here?+
Building the graph backwards or missing bidirectional edges. Read whether the path is directed or undirected. A second trap: visiting a node and not exploring all neighbors because you've already seen it. Track visited accurately. Don't mark a node done until you've processed all its children.
How do I prepare in 48 hours?+
Implement BFS and Dijkstra from scratch. No libraries. Know the priority queue pattern cold. Then do one weighted shortest-path problem on LeetCode (Network Delay Time or Cheapest Flights). That's it. Palantir graphs are rarely exotic.
Is this asking for the path itself or just the value?+
The title says 'Path Value,' which suggests the total cost. But verify in the problem statement. If they want the path, reconstruct it by backtracking parent pointers. If just the value, return the distance. Reading the output spec takes 10 seconds and saves 20 minutes of wrong direction.
What if there are multiple paths with the same minimum value?+
Return any one of them. If the problem asks for all of them or a lexicographically smallest path, it'll say so explicitly. Don't assume. Palantir is usually clear on tiebreakers. If it's not, ask during the OA or assume any valid answer works.