In the "Chunk Array" coding problem, you are given an array and a chunk size . You need to split the array into multiple sub-arrays (chunks), where each chunk has a maximum length of . The last chunk may contain fewer than elements if the total length is not perfectly divisible by .
Microsoft and Google use this "Easy" problem (often in JavaScript/TypeScript contexts) to test basic array manipulation and pagination logic. It's a fundamental task in frontend development—dividing a large list of items into pages for display. It evaluates your ability to use built-in array methods like slice or your skill in manual loop indexing.
The pattern is a simple Simulation / Linear Scan. You iterate through the array using a loop that increments by in each step. In each iteration, you take a "slice" of the array from the current index i to i + k and add it to your result list.
Array: [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8],
[1, 2, 3].[4, 5, 6].[7, 8]. (Length 2 is okay for the last chunk).
Result: [[1, 2, 3], [4, 5, 6], [7, 8]].A common error is getting the loop termination condition or the slicing indices wrong, which can lead to an infinite loop or missing the last few elements. In languages where slice isn't available, candidates often struggle with the nested loop logic for manually building each chunk.
Master the slice(start, end) method in your preferred language. It's a versatile tool for many array problems. Also, know how to handle the "remaining" elements at the end of a group.