[bjourne]

Yes, absolutely! A person who knows the answer to that question is definitely a strong developer. It does not mean someone who does not know the answer isn't as strong, but my bet would be on the one who knows it.

If I was asked the question I would probably use a set and mark the indices of the maximum elements. I think that should be O(n) but there is probably methods that are much faster.

I also really don't agree that it is the "thought process" that matters. What that means is that you should speak what your mind is thinking while you solve the problem and the interviewer should rate you based on this speech. Meaning those who like to think quietly are unfairly penalized.

Like who would really want to talk to the examiner while solving tough linear algebra problems? Math doesn't work that way and neither does programming.