In the HackerRank coding environment, a "Terminated due to timeout" message means your code didn't execute and return an output within the preset time limit, resulting in an error.
For coding questions, the test cases set by the test setter compare your code's output with the expected result. If your code isn't efficient, or optimal or has issues like infinite loops, index overflow, or input overload, it will be aborted with a timeout error.
Note: The timeout error occurs if any test case fails to execute and return an output within the set time limit.
Time Limits on the HackerRank Coding Environment
The HackerRank coding environment supports 53 different programming languages, and for each language, there is a definite memory limit and a specific time limit for code execution. Please refer to the HackerRank Environment page for more details specific to the language you choose and accordingly, optimize your code. You can also access the Environment page from the test page.
Note: The code execution time limit is varied for different programming languages. For instance, Python has a longer time limit of 10 seconds compared to C language, which is 2 seconds.
Example: In the C language code, you could be using loops to perform a recursive check on a set of values, and each of these values can be the input to the test cases. In the illustration shown below, the sample C language program should read 10 integers and return the sum of the integers.
The following program to read 10 integers and add them can return a "Terminated due to timeout" status because of the input overhead in code.
The test cases could not return output because the logic involved an iterative check, resulting in an input overload.
When you change the logic in your code to check the index value more efficiently, your input is faster to all the test cases, and the output is returned within the time limit. See the illustration below:
Best practices for optimal coding:
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Practices |
Examples |
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Avoid compulsive code iterations. |
Avoid using multiple nested loops in your code when you have a large data set to compare. |
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Ensure faster approaches to read input to test cases and write the output. |
In Java, when working with multiple threads, use the BufferReader class instead of Scanner. In Python, use the stdin.readline() and stdout.write() instead of input and print. |
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Ensure that the input value to test cases is passed in the expected format. |
When expecting a date input, ensure the value is provided in the correct format (e.g., dd/mm/yy or mm/dd/yyyy). |
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Ensure your code addresses the logic to execute the edge case scenarios in the test cases and the straightforward test cases. |
Your C code for reading and summing 10 numbers may fail if the input includes floating-point values. Optimize your code to handle both integer and floating-point inputs correctly. |
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Favor optimized algorithms and data structures over brute-force methods for computations. |
While searching for elements in an array, avoid sequential search and use the binary search method. |
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Include timestamps in your code. |
Use the language-specific time-stamp functions to identify the areas in your code that are taking longer to execute and optimize them accordingly. |