Capital One vs DE Shaw Interview Questions
Capital One lists 47 LeetCode interview questions while DE Shaw lists 105. They share 7 problems — 15% of Capital One's bank and 7% of DE Shaw's. Focus on the overlap first, then drill into 40 Capital One-only and 98 DE Shaw-only questions.
Overview
Preparation Strategy
Step 1 — Shared core: Solve the 7 overlapping problems first. These are the highest-yield questions for candidates interviewing at both Capital One and DE Shaw.
Step 2 — Company-specific depth: Add Capital One-specific problems like Simple Bank System, Spiral Matrix, Block Placement Queries and DE Shaw-specific problems from the exclusive lists below.
Step 3 — Difficulty tuning: DE Shaw skews harder in our data. Budget extra time for Hard problems if you are targeting that company.
Difficulty Comparison
Top Shared Topics
7 Shared Questions
High-priority problems to practice for both Capital One and DE Shaw.
| Problem | Difficulty |
|---|---|
| Text Justification | Hard |
| Best Time to Buy and Sell Stock | Easy |
| Number of Islands | Medium |
| Word Search II | Hard |
| LRU Cache | Medium |
| Valid Parentheses | Easy |
| Best Time to Buy and Sell Stock II | Medium |
Unique to Capital One (40)
Problems in Capital One's list that do not appear at DE Shaw.
| Problem | Difficulty |
|---|---|
| Simple Bank System | Medium |
| Spiral Matrix | Medium |
| Block Placement Queries | Hard |
| Minimum Operations to Write the Letter Y on a Grid | Medium |
| Candy Crush | Medium |
| Count Alternating Subarrays | Medium |
| Rotate Image | Medium |
| Four Divisors | Medium |
| Simplify Path | Medium |
| Count Operations to Obtain Zero | Easy |
| Longest Continuous Subarray With Absolute Diff Less Than or Equal to Limit | Medium |
| Split Message Based on Limit | Hard |
Unique to DE Shaw (98)
Problems in DE Shaw's list that do not appear at Capital One.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many LeetCode questions do Capital One and DE Shaw share?
Capital One and DE Shaw share 7 LeetCode interview questions. 40 problems appear only in Capital One's list and 98 appear only in DE Shaw's list.
What topics overlap most between Capital One and DE Shaw?
The most common shared topics between Capital One and DE Shaw are Array (5 shared questions), String (3 shared questions), Dynamic Programming (2 shared questions), Matrix (2 shared questions), Simulation (1 shared questions). Mastering these areas prepares you for both companies.
Which company asks harder LeetCode questions: Capital One or DE Shaw?
Capital One has 9 Easy, 28 Medium, and 10 Hard questions. DE Shaw has 11 Easy, 64 Medium, and 30 Hard questions. DE Shaw has a higher proportion of Hard problems in its interview set.
How should I prepare if interviewing at both Capital One and DE Shaw?
Start with the 7 shared problems since they cover what both companies ask most often. Then add 20 Capital One-specific and 20 DE Shaw-specific questions to round out your prep.