This problem follows the Sort + Overlap Check pattern, commonly found in the Intervals category. Recognizing this pattern is key to solving it efficiently in an interview setting.
Sort by start time. Check if any meeting starts before the previous ends.
Sorting by start time means you only need to check adjacent intervals — if interval i overlaps with i-1, you can't attend both.
intervals.sort(key=lambda x: x[0])
for i in range(1, len(intervals)):
if intervals[i][0] < intervals[i-1][1]:
return false
return truePractice Meeting Rooms and similar Intervals problems with flashcards. Build pattern recognition through active recall.
Practice this problem