Destroy Sequential Targets
A medium-tier problem at 41% community acceptance, tagged with Array, Hash Table, Counting. Reported in interviews at Intuit and 0 others.
Destroy Sequential Targets is a medium-difficulty problem that shows up at Intuit and relies on a clean counting pattern most candidates miss. It's not a trick problem, but it's not a straightforward iteration either. The setup looks simple: you're destroying targets in a sequence, and the state changes as you go. That's where people stumble. You need to recognize the sequential dependency and group targets by their remainder class to avoid redundant work. With a 41% acceptance rate, most candidates either brute force and time out, or they don't see why a hash table saves them. If this problem hits your live assessment and you blank on the remainder-based grouping trick, StealthCoder surfaces a working solution in seconds, invisible to the proctor.
Companies that ask "Destroy Sequential Targets"
Destroy Sequential Targets is the kind of problem that decides whether you pass. StealthCoder reads the problem on screen and surfaces a working solution in under 2 seconds. Invisible to screen share. The proctor sees nothing. Built by an Amazon engineer who realized the OA tests how well you memorized 200 problems, not how well you code.
Get StealthCoderThe core insight is that you can't process targets in arbitrary order. Each destruction shifts which targets remain, so you need to identify which remainder class (modulo some value) lets you destroy everything without recomputing state. Most candidates try a simulation: destroy one target, rebuild the list, repeat. That's O(n^2) or worse. The fast path is to count how many targets fall into each remainder bucket, then find the starting position where the destruction sequence never gets stuck. You're not actually destroying targets; you're checking if a particular remainder class will empty cleanly given the sequential mechanics. A hash table or frequency array handles the counting in one pass. This pattern separates the 40% who pass from the 60% who don't.
Pattern tags
You know the problem.
Make sure you actually pass it.
Destroy Sequential Targets recycles across companies for a reason. It's medium-tier, and most candidates blank under the timer. StealthCoder is the hedge: an AI overlay invisible during screen share. It reads the problem and surfaces a working solution in under 2 seconds. Built by an Amazon engineer who realized the OA tests how well you memorized 200 problems, not how well you code. Works on HackerRank, CodeSignal, CoderPad, and Karat.
Destroy Sequential Targets interview FAQ
Is this really a medium problem?+
Yes, but the 41% acceptance rate means it's harder than the label suggests. The trick isn't obvious from the problem statement. Once you see the remainder-class insight, it clicks and the code is simple. Without it, you're stuck in simulation hell.
Do I need to actually simulate the destruction?+
No. Simulation is the trap. You need to realize that certain starting positions guarantee success based on how targets are distributed modulo the destruction step. Count frequencies in a hash table, then test whether a remainder class clears cleanly.
What's the time complexity?+
O(n) with a hash table. You iterate through targets once to count, then iterate again to find a valid starting position. Any O(n^2) solution will time out on large inputs, which is why most submissions fail.
Does Intuit ask this often?+
It's in their reported problem pool. Medium-difficulty array and hash table problems are standard at Intuit. Know the remainder-class pattern, and you've got a good edge on it.
What's the most common mistake?+
Brute-force simulation. Candidates code up a loop that destroys one target, shifts the array, and rechecks. That's intuitive but hits O(n^2) or worse. The problem rewards you for recognizing the mathematical structure before you code.
Want the actual problem statement? View "Destroy Sequential Targets" on LeetCode →