The answer
Yes, reset the hover preview on mouseleave, but keep the clicked/locked rating. So if the user hovers 4 stars then moves away, the display goes back to the locked rating (e.g., 3 if they previously clicked 3).
How to Build a Star Rating Component in an Interview
Should the star rating reset hover on mouseleave?
More FAQs in How to Build a Star Rating Component in an Interview
Create 5 star elements. On mouseover, highlight up to the hovered star. On click, lock the rating. On mouseleave, reset the hover (keep the locked rating). Use Unicode stars (filled/empty). Add keyboard and ARIA support.
Split each star into two halves with separate hover/click areas. Use clip-path or two overlaid elements. The left half sets 0.5, the right half sets 1.0. This allows precision rating like 3.5 out of 5.
Half-star support, keyboard navigation (arrow keys, enter), reset button, readonly mode (display only), and ARIA attributes (role='slider', aria-valuenow, aria-valuemax). Also handle mouseleave to reset hover but keep locked rating.
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