Databricks vs PayPal Interview Questions
Databricks lists 31 LeetCode interview questions while PayPal lists 105. They share 6 problems — 19% of Databricks's bank and 6% of PayPal's. Focus on the overlap first, then drill into 25 Databricks-only and 99 PayPal-only questions.
Overview
Preparation Strategy
Step 1 — Shared core: Solve the 6 overlapping problems first. These are the highest-yield questions for candidates interviewing at both Databricks and PayPal.
Step 2 — Company-specific depth: Add Databricks-specific problems like Design Hit Counter, IP to CIDR, Design Tic-Tac-Toe and PayPal-specific problems from the exclusive lists below.
Step 3 — Difficulty tuning: Databricks skews harder in our data. Budget extra time for Hard problems if you are targeting that company.
Difficulty Comparison
Top Shared Topics
6 Shared Questions
High-priority problems to practice for both Databricks and PayPal.
| Problem | Difficulty |
|---|---|
| House Robber | Medium |
| Text Justification | Hard |
| Spiral Matrix | Medium |
| Merge Intervals | Medium |
| Rotting Oranges | Medium |
| Two Sum | Easy |
Unique to Databricks (25)
Problems in Databricks's list that do not appear at PayPal.
| Problem | Difficulty |
|---|---|
| Design Hit Counter | Medium |
| IP to CIDR | Medium |
| Design Tic-Tac-Toe | Medium |
| Find All Anagrams in a String | Medium |
| Step-By-Step Directions From a Binary Tree Node to Another | Medium |
| Time Based Key-Value Store | Medium |
| House Robber II | Medium |
| RLE Iterator | Medium |
| Longest Palindrome by Concatenating Two Letter Words | Medium |
| Closest Leaf in a Binary Tree | Medium |
| Shortest Path in a Grid with Obstacles Elimination | Hard |
| Number of Recent Calls | Easy |
Unique to PayPal (99)
Problems in PayPal's list that do not appear at Databricks.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many LeetCode questions do Databricks and PayPal share?
Databricks and PayPal share 6 LeetCode interview questions. 25 problems appear only in Databricks's list and 99 appear only in PayPal's list.
What topics overlap most between Databricks and PayPal?
The most common shared topics between Databricks and PayPal are Array (6 shared questions), Simulation (2 shared questions), Matrix (2 shared questions), Dynamic Programming (1 shared questions), String (1 shared questions). Mastering these areas prepares you for both companies.
Which company asks harder LeetCode questions: Databricks or PayPal?
Databricks has 2 Easy, 22 Medium, and 7 Hard questions. PayPal has 19 Easy, 69 Medium, and 17 Hard questions. Databricks has a higher proportion of Hard problems in its interview set.
How should I prepare if interviewing at both Databricks and PayPal?
Start with the 6 shared problems since they cover what both companies ask most often. Then add 20 Databricks-specific and 20 PayPal-specific questions to round out your prep.