#0236

Kth Largest Element

MediumDSA28 min20 XP

Problem

Given nums and k, return the kth largest element. Use a min-heap of size k.

Why This Matters

Top-k problems are everywhere in search, recommendations, metrics dashboards, and stream processing.

Function Signature

def kth_largest(nums, k):

Examples

Example 1

Inputnums = [3, 2, 1, 5, 6, 4], k = 2

Output5

The sorted order descending is 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, so the 2nd largest is 5.

Constraints

Return the exact requested value.
Handle empty or small inputs when the prompt allows them.
Prefer the target DSA pattern over brute force when the input can grow.

CodePython

def kth_largest(nums, k):
    """
    Input example: nums = [3, 2, 1, 5, 6, 4], k = 2
    Return: 5
    Return the value from the function so the tests can compare it. Do not print unless the prompt asks.
    """
    # write your code here
    return None

def kth_largest(nums, k):
    """
    Input example: nums = [3, 2, 1, 5, 6, 4], k = 2
    Return: 5
    Return the value from the function so the tests can compare it. Do not print unless the prompt asks.
    """
    # write your code here
    return None

Visible browser tests run here when available.

Testcases2 visible / 3 hidden categories

Second largest

Input[3, 2, 1, 5, 6, 4], k = 2

Expected5

The heap keeps the two largest values seen so far.

Duplicates included

Input[3, 2, 3, 1, 2, 4, 5, 5, 6], k = 4

Expected4

Duplicates count as separate elements.

Hidden Test Categories

k equals 1k equals len(nums)negative values