Practice Arena

Python Coding Challenges

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925 challenges 556 easy 323 medium 46 hard
Python Basics easy

Min of three numbers

Write a function that returns the minimum of three integers.

min comparison function
+5 pts 5m
Python Basics easy

Find Minimum Value

Write a function that returns the minimum integer from a given list.

min list loop
+10 pts 10m
Python Basics medium

Jump Game Minimum Jumps

Given an array of non-negative integers where each element is the maximum jump length, compute the minimum jumps to reach the last index.

arrays greedy minimum-jumps
+20 pts 25m
Strings & Text medium

Minimum Remove Valid Parentheses

Given a string with parentheses and letters, remove the fewest parentheses to make it valid.

strings stack validation
+20 pts 25m
Strings & Text easy

Crawler Log Folder

Given a list of folder navigation operations, compute the minimum steps required to return to the main folder.

strings stack simulation
+10 pts 15m
Dicts & Sets easy

Longest Harmonious Subsequence

Given a list of integers, find the length of the longest harmonious subsequence where the difference between maximum and minimum values is exactly 1.

hash-map counting subsequence
+10 pts 15m
Data Structures & Algorithms medium

Coin change (DP)

Find the minimum number of coins to make exactly the target amount.

dp greedy
+30 pts 28m
Dynamic Programming easy

Min cost climbing stairs

Compute the minimum total cost to reach the top of a staircase, given you can climb 1 or 2 steps at a time.

dynamic programming memoization array
+10 pts 15m
Dynamic Programming easy

Triangle Minimum Path

Compute the minimum path sum from top to bottom of a triangle given as a list of lists.

dynamic-programming bottom-up arrays
+12 pts 20m
Dynamic Programming medium

Edit Distance (Levenshtein Distance)

Implement the classic edit distance algorithm to find the minimum number of single-character edits required to transform one string into another.

dynamic-programming strings levenshtein-distance
+25 pts 30m
Dynamic Programming medium

Coin Change Minimum

Given coin denominations and a target amount, compute the minimum number of coins needed or -1 if impossible.

dynamic-programming coins minimum
+30 pts 25m
Dynamic Programming hard

Palindrome Partitioning Minimum Cuts

Given a string, return the minimum number of cuts needed such that every substring in the partition is a palindrome.

dynamic-programming palindrome strings
+40 pts 35m
Dynamic Programming hard

Egg Drop Puzzle

Given k eggs and n floors, compute the minimum number of attempts required in the worst case to find the highest safe floor.

dynamic-programming optimization classic-puzzle
+45 pts 35m
Dynamic Programming medium

Paint House Colors

Given a cost matrix, compute the minimum total cost to paint all houses with no two adjacent houses having the same color.

dynamic-programming optimization arrays
+20 pts 25m
Dynamic Programming medium

Minimum Falling Path Sum

Compute the minimum falling path sum in an n x n matrix by moving down or diagonally each step.

dynamic programming grid path sum
+25 pts 25m
Dynamic Programming medium

Matrix Chain Multiplication

Given a list of matrix dimensions, compute the minimum multiplication cost using dynamic programming.

matrix dynamic-programming optimization
+30 pts 25m
Dynamic Programming medium

Minimum Path Sum Matrix

Implement a function that computes the minimum path sum from the top-left to the bottom-right of a grid moving only right or down.

dynamic-programming matrix path
+20 pts 25m
Dynamic Programming medium

Dungeon Game Minimum Health

Compute the minimum initial health needed to reach the bottom-right corner of a dungeon grid without health dropping to zero or below.

dynamic-programming matrix grid
+30 pts 30m
Trees & Binary Trees easy

Minimum Depth of Tree

Given a binary tree, compute the minimum depth from the root to the nearest leaf node.

binary-tree depth traversal
+10 pts 15m
Graphs & Graph Algorithms hard

Minimum Cut

Given an undirected graph in adjacency-list form, return the size of the minimum edge cut that disconnects the graph.

graphs max-flow min-cut
+40 pts 35m
Graphs & Graph Algorithms medium

Network Delay Time

Given a directed weighted graph and a starting node, find the minimum time for a signal to reach all nodes, or -1 if unreachable.

dijkstra shortest-path graph
+25 pts 30m
Graphs & Graph Algorithms hard

Swim in Rising Water

Find the minimum time needed to swim from the top-left to the bottom-right of a grid where water level rises and you can only move to cells with elevation ≤ current time.

graph minimax priority-queue
+30 pts 20m
Graphs & Graph Algorithms medium

Prim's Minimum Spanning Tree

Given a connected undirected weighted graph, compute the total weight of its minimum spanning tree using Prim's algorithm.

graphs mst prim
+30 pts 30m
Graphs & Graph Algorithms medium

Kruskal MST

Implement Kruskal's algorithm to compute the total weight of a minimum spanning tree in a connected undirected graph.

graphs minimum-spanning-tree union-find
+25 pts 30m

Showing 1–24 of 53 challenges

Guide: free Python coding challenges

Practice Python by solving problems

PythonSkillset challenges are hands-on coding exercises from beginner to advanced. Open a challenge, read the problem, write Python in the split-pane editor, and run tests with Pyodide — no install required.

How to use the arena

  1. Pick a category — basics, algorithms, strings, and more
  2. Open a challenge, read the statement, and edit the starter code
  3. Run tests, fix failures, then try a related quiz or tutorial lesson

Challenges vs tutorials and quizzes

Challenges test what you can build under constraints. For guided teaching, use our Python tutorials. For quick checks, try quizzes or copy snippets from code samples.