Moderate Sorting Question 135 of 224

How do you sort a k-sorted array where each element is at most k positions from its sorted place?

DSA interview set · Speak this in 60–90 seconds · Faridabad & Delhi NCR

01234

Index starts at 0. Scan once for max — O(n).

Slide a min-heap of size k+1: push the next element and pop the min into the result.

Why interviewers care about Sorting:

This is a process

question about Sorting.

Panels listen for order,

trade-offs, and what you would actually do on a DSA project - not buzzwords.

Stay structured

Name the idea, why it exists, then one short example.

Close cleanly

End with when you use it and one common pitfall.

Before you speak the answer, walk the interviewer through these steps:

1
Slide a min-heap of
size k+1: push the next element and pop the min into the result.
2
Time is O(n log
k) and space is O(k).
3
Full sorting is O(n
log n), which ignores the almost-sorted structure.
4
Give an example
One tiny concrete case you can say aloud.
5
Common mistake
What juniors usually get wrong.
6
Close
When you pick this over the alternative.

Here's a short line you can speak, broken into clear beats:

Say this line

“Time is O(n log k) and space is O(k).”

Break into beats

TimeisOnlogk

Speaking order

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Note: Adapt this scaffold to your own project — keep it under 60–90 seconds.

Slide a min-heap of size k+1: push the next element and pop the min into the result. Time is O(n log k) and space is O(k).