Software Engineer Data Structures & Algorithms Interview Questions

Review this list of 172 data structures & algorithms software engineer interview questions and answers verified by hiring managers and candidates.
  • +10

    "Would be better to adjust resolution in the video player directly."

    Anonymous Prawn - "Would be better to adjust resolution in the video player directly."See full answer

    Software Engineer
    Data Structures & Algorithms
    +4 more
  • Meta (Facebook) logoAsked at Meta (Facebook) 
    +2

    "Implemented a recursive function which returns the length of the list so far. when the returned value equals k + 1 , assign current.next = current.next.next. If I made it back to the head return root.next as the new head of the linked list."

    דניאל ר. - "Implemented a recursive function which returns the length of the list so far. when the returned value equals k + 1 , assign current.next = current.next.next. If I made it back to the head return root.next as the new head of the linked list."See full answer

    Software Engineer
    Data Structures & Algorithms
    +2 more
  • Adobe logoAsked at Adobe 

    "Use a representative of each, e.g. sort the string and add it to the value of a hashmap> where we put all the words that belong to the same anagram together."

    Gaston B. - "Use a representative of each, e.g. sort the string and add it to the value of a hashmap> where we put all the words that belong to the same anagram together."See full answer

    Software Engineer
    Data Structures & Algorithms
    +4 more
  • "Use Dutch National Flag Algorithm to solve the problem"

    Sireesha R. - "Use Dutch National Flag Algorithm to solve the problem"See full answer

    Software Engineer
    Data Structures & Algorithms
    +1 more
  • Apple logoAsked at Apple 
    +15

    "we can use two pointer + set like maintain i,j and also insert jth character to set like while set size is equal to our window j-i+1 then maximize our answer and increase jth pointer till last index"

    Kishor J. - "we can use two pointer + set like maintain i,j and also insert jth character to set like while set size is equal to our window j-i+1 then maximize our answer and increase jth pointer till last index"See full answer

    Software Engineer
    Data Structures & Algorithms
    +4 more
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  • "/* You are with your friends in a castle, where there are multiple rooms named after flowers. Some of the rooms contain treasures - we call them the treasure rooms. Each room contains a single instruction that tells you which room to go to next. * instructions1 and treasurerooms_1 * lily* --------- daisy sunflower | | | v v v jasmin --> tulip* violet* ----> rose* --> ^ | ^ ^ | "

    Azeezat R. - "/* You are with your friends in a castle, where there are multiple rooms named after flowers. Some of the rooms contain treasures - we call them the treasure rooms. Each room contains a single instruction that tells you which room to go to next. * instructions1 and treasurerooms_1 * lily* --------- daisy sunflower | | | v v v jasmin --> tulip* violet* ----> rose* --> ^ | ^ ^ | "See full answer

    Software Engineer
    Data Structures & Algorithms
    +1 more
  • Google logoAsked at Google 
    Software Engineer
    Data Structures & Algorithms
    +1 more
  • Amazon logoAsked at Amazon 
    +2

    "Traverse the array of points while computing the distance and pushing it to the heap. Then traverse again the heap and pop the k closest. Time O(nlogn) Space O(n)"

    Dadja Z. - "Traverse the array of points while computing the distance and pushing it to the heap. Then traverse again the heap and pop the k closest. Time O(nlogn) Space O(n)"See full answer

    Software Engineer
    Data Structures & Algorithms
    +2 more
  • Adobe logoAsked at Adobe 
    Video answer for 'Explain how to find a target sum in an array.'
    +4

    "a top-down recursive solution with memoization in python: from typing import List from functools import cache def changeSigns(nums: List[int], S: int) -> int: @cache def dp(i, curr_sum): if i == len(nums): if curr_sum == S: return 1 return 0 return dp(i+1, currsum + nums[i]) + dp(i+1, currsum - nums[i]) answer = dp(0, 0) if answer == 0: return -1 return answer `"

    Jessica R. - "a top-down recursive solution with memoization in python: from typing import List from functools import cache def changeSigns(nums: List[int], S: int) -> int: @cache def dp(i, curr_sum): if i == len(nums): if curr_sum == S: return 1 return 0 return dp(i+1, currsum + nums[i]) + dp(i+1, currsum - nums[i]) answer = dp(0, 0) if answer == 0: return -1 return answer `"See full answer

    Software Engineer
    Data Structures & Algorithms
    +1 more
  • Amazon logoAsked at Amazon 

    "class Node: def init(self, value): self.value = value self.children = [] def inorder_traversal(root): if not root: return [] result = [] n = len(root.children) for i in range(n): result.extend(inorder_traversal(root.children[i])) if i == n // 2: result.append(root.value) if n == 0: result.append(root.value) return result Example usage: root = Node(1) child1 = Node(2) chil"

    Teddy Y. - "class Node: def init(self, value): self.value = value self.children = [] def inorder_traversal(root): if not root: return [] result = [] n = len(root.children) for i in range(n): result.extend(inorder_traversal(root.children[i])) if i == n // 2: result.append(root.value) if n == 0: result.append(root.value) return result Example usage: root = Node(1) child1 = Node(2) chil"See full answer

    Software Engineer
    Data Structures & Algorithms
    +1 more
  • Adobe logoAsked at Adobe 
    +21

    "#inplace reversal without inbuilt functions def reverseString(s): chars = list(s) l, r = 0, len(s)-1 while l < r: chars[l],chars[r] = chars[r],chars[l] l += 1 r -= 1 reversed = "".join(chars) return reversed "

    Anonymous Possum - "#inplace reversal without inbuilt functions def reverseString(s): chars = list(s) l, r = 0, len(s)-1 while l < r: chars[l],chars[r] = chars[r],chars[l] l += 1 r -= 1 reversed = "".join(chars) return reversed "See full answer

    Software Engineer
    Data Structures & Algorithms
    +4 more
  • Meta (Facebook) logoAsked at Meta (Facebook) 
    Software Engineer
    Data Structures & Algorithms
    +1 more
  • Meta (Facebook) logoAsked at Meta (Facebook) 
    Video answer for 'Merge Intervals'
    +35

    "const mergeIntervals = (intervals) => { const compare = (a, b) => { if(a[0] b[0]) return 1 else if(a[0] === b[0]) { return a[1] - b[1] } } let current = [] const result = [] const sorted = intervals.sort(compare) for(let i = 0; i = b[0]) current[1] = b[1] els"

    Kofi N. - "const mergeIntervals = (intervals) => { const compare = (a, b) => { if(a[0] b[0]) return 1 else if(a[0] === b[0]) { return a[1] - b[1] } } let current = [] const result = [] const sorted = intervals.sort(compare) for(let i = 0; i = b[0]) current[1] = b[1] els"See full answer

    Software Engineer
    Data Structures & Algorithms
    +6 more
  • Microsoft logoAsked at Microsoft 

    "Let me try to explain it with simple life analogy You're cooking dinner in the kitchen. Multithreading is when you've got a bunch of friends helping out. Each friend does a different job—like one chops veggies while another stirs a sauce. Everyone focuses on their task, and together, you all make the meal faster. In a computer, it's like different jobs happening all at once, making stuff happen quicker, just like having lots of friends helping makes dinner ready faster."

    Praveen D. - "Let me try to explain it with simple life analogy You're cooking dinner in the kitchen. Multithreading is when you've got a bunch of friends helping out. Each friend does a different job—like one chops veggies while another stirs a sauce. Everyone focuses on their task, and together, you all make the meal faster. In a computer, it's like different jobs happening all at once, making stuff happen quicker, just like having lots of friends helping makes dinner ready faster."See full answer

    Software Engineer
    Data Structures & Algorithms
    +1 more
  • Apple logoAsked at Apple 
    +16

    "function isValid(s) { const stack = []; for (let i=0; i < s.length; i++) { const char = s.charAt(i); if (['(', '{', '['].includes(char)) { stack.push(char); } else { const top = stack.pop(); if ((char === ')' && top !== '(') || (char === '}' && top !== '{') || (char === ']' && top !== '[')) { return false; } } } return stack.length === 0"

    Tiago R. - "function isValid(s) { const stack = []; for (let i=0; i < s.length; i++) { const char = s.charAt(i); if (['(', '{', '['].includes(char)) { stack.push(char); } else { const top = stack.pop(); if ((char === ')' && top !== '(') || (char === '}' && top !== '{') || (char === ']' && top !== '[')) { return false; } } } return stack.length === 0"See full answer

    Software Engineer
    Data Structures & Algorithms
    +4 more
  • Amazon logoAsked at Amazon 
    +4

    "this assumes that the dependency among courses is in a growing order: 0 -> 1 -> 2 -> ... if not, then the code will not work"

    Gabriele G. - "this assumes that the dependency among courses is in a growing order: 0 -> 1 -> 2 -> ... if not, then the code will not work"See full answer

    Software Engineer
    Data Structures & Algorithms
    +4 more
  • Goldman Sachs logoAsked at Goldman Sachs 

    "I solved it using recursion and then memoization. Used Dynamic programming approach"

    Ravi teja N. - "I solved it using recursion and then memoization. Used Dynamic programming approach"See full answer

    Software Engineer
    Data Structures & Algorithms
    +1 more
  • Adobe logoAsked at Adobe 
    Video answer for 'Move all zeros to the end of an array.'
    +45

    "Initialize left pointer: Set a left pointer left to 0. Iterate through the array: Iterate through the array from left to right. If the current element is not 0, swap it with the element at the left pointer and increment left. Time complexity: O(n). The loop iterates through the entire array once, making it linear time. Space complexity: O(1). The algorithm operates in-place, modifying the input array directly without using additional data structures. "

    Avon T. - "Initialize left pointer: Set a left pointer left to 0. Iterate through the array: Iterate through the array from left to right. If the current element is not 0, swap it with the element at the left pointer and increment left. Time complexity: O(n). The loop iterates through the entire array once, making it linear time. Space complexity: O(1). The algorithm operates in-place, modifying the input array directly without using additional data structures. "See full answer

    Software Engineer
    Data Structures & Algorithms
    +4 more
  • Meta (Facebook) logoAsked at Meta (Facebook) 
    +1

    "public class CircularBuffer { private T[] buffer; private int head; private int tail; private int size; private final int capacity; public CircularBuffer(int capacity) { this.capacity = capacity; this.buffer = (T[]) new Object[capacity]; this.head = 0; this.tail = 0; this.size = 0; } public void enqueue(T item) { if (isFull()) { throw new IllegalStateException("Buffer is full"); } buf"

    Vidhyadhar V. - "public class CircularBuffer { private T[] buffer; private int head; private int tail; private int size; private final int capacity; public CircularBuffer(int capacity) { this.capacity = capacity; this.buffer = (T[]) new Object[capacity]; this.head = 0; this.tail = 0; this.size = 0; } public void enqueue(T item) { if (isFull()) { throw new IllegalStateException("Buffer is full"); } buf"See full answer

    Software Engineer
    Data Structures & Algorithms
    +1 more
  • Adobe logoAsked at Adobe 
    Video answer for 'Find the median of two sorted arrays.'
    Software Engineer
    Data Structures & Algorithms
    +4 more
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