Points and boundaries!

Interval-based partitioning and counting problem in C++ or Python

This easy coding problem tests your ability to classify and count elements based on boundary ranges. It is representative of the kind of straightforward implementation work that appears in early-stage technical interviews at quant firms, where clarity and correctness matter more than algorithmic sophistication.

The problem requires you to partition a sorted list of values into groups defined by intervals, then return a count for each group. Since both input lists are pre-sorted and boundaries are unique, an efficient solution often exploits that ordering to avoid redundant comparisons. You'll need to handle boundary conditions carefully—especially values that fall outside the highest boundary—and consider edge cases like empty inputs.

• Interval membership and range logic
• Iterating over sorted data structures
• Off-by-one errors and boundary conditions
• Time and space complexity awareness