This. Literally every problem in NP can be cast as a constraint problem. The question of whether a solver is the right solution varies a lot depending on the application, and in an interview , it’s almost by definition not the right solution.
They can also be dreadfully slow (and typically are) compared to just a simple dynamic program.
I guess you mean n^2 (or maybe n**2, if you're a fellow Pythonista). Many of these — especially the ones where the intended solution is characterized as using a "dynamic programming" technique — are reducible to n.
They can also be dreadfully slow (and typically are) compared to just a simple dynamic program.