Level 3Exercise #55
Top-k frequent values
Return only the k most frequent values, not their counts.
What you’ll practice
This Level 3 exercise focuses on Counter.most_common in the Collections curriculum. Solve the challenge prompt above using clear, idiomatic Python and the relevant language or standard-library tools.
Relevant Python reference: collections.Counter.
Sample Test Cases
Example #1
Input:
top_k([1,1,1,2,2,3], k=2)Output:
[1,2]Further Reading
Reference Solution
Reveal Reference Solution
def top_k(values: list[int], k: int) -> list[int]: from collections import Counter return [value for value, _ in Counter(values).most_common(k)]Pro Tips & Keyboard Shortcuts
Color Theme
Ctrl + K then T
Open VS Code Color Theme Quick Pick to select from 20 dark and light themes.
Editor SettingsCtrl + K
Open practice settings drawer to toggle line numbers, indenting, font size & hints.
Search MenuCtrl + /
Expand sidebar menu, focus search bar, and highlight search text instantly.
Focus Code Editor
Esc or Ctrl + `
Instantly highlight and focus code editor from anywhere, restoring cursor right where you left off.
Normal ViewEsc
Collapse sidebar and close all popups or settings drawers for clean focus view.