40+ Societe Generale Global Solution Centre Interview Questions and Answers

Interview questions for Software Engineer position

• Array manipulation and linked list operations

• Tree data structure and balancing techniques

• Database concepts and differences between SQL and NoSQL

• Web development frameworks and protocols

• Concepts of Deadlock and Race Condition

• Use of pointers in function oriented programming and their absence in Java

Yes, a constructor can be made private in C++ to restrict object creation outside the class.

• Private constructors are used in Singleton design pattern to ensure only one instance of the class is created.

• If a constructor is made private, it can only be accessed by the member functions of the class.

• Attempting to create an object of a class with a private constructor outside the class will result in a compile-time error.

Binary Tree is a tree data structure where each node has at most two children. Binary Search Tree is a binary tree with the property that the left subtree of a node contains only nodes with keys lesser than the node's key and the right subtree of a node contains only nodes with keys greater than the node's key.

• Binary Tree can have any values in the nodes, while Binary Search Tree has a specific order of values.

• Binary Search Tree allows for efficient searching, insertion, and ...read more

DLL is a library of executable functions and data that can be used by a Windows application.

• DLLs are loaded at runtime and can be shared by multiple applications.

• They allow for modular programming and reduce memory usage.

• DLLs can be used for device drivers, system utilities, and application extensions.

• Examples of DLLs include kernel32.dll, user32.dll, and msvcr100.dll.

Function pointers are pointers that point to the memory address of a function. They can be passed as arguments or returned from a function.

• Function pointers allow for dynamic function calls at runtime

• Function pointers can be used to implement callbacks

• Function pointers can be used to implement polymorphism

• Normal functions are called directly, while function pointers are called indirectly

• Function pointers can be assigned to NULL to indicate that they do not point to a valid fu...read more

Diamond problem occurs in multiple inheritance when two base classes have a common method. It is solved using virtual inheritance.

• Diamond problem occurs when a derived class inherits from two base classes that have a common method.

• Virtual inheritance is used to solve the diamond problem.

• Virtual inheritance ensures that only one instance of the common base class is created.

Ways to prevent instantiation of a class

• Declare the class as abstract

• Make the constructor private

• Implement a static factory method

• Throw an exception in the constructor

• Use the Singleton pattern

The task is to find any number of elements in an array that add up to a given target.

• Use a recursive approach to find all possible combinations of elements that add up to the target.

• Start with the first element and recursively call the function with the remaining elements and the reduced target.

• If the target becomes zero, add the current combination to the result.

• If the target becomes negative or there are no more elements, backtrack and try the next element.

• Return all the co...read more

Separate negative and positive numbers in a linked list.

• Create two separate linked lists for positive and negative numbers

• Traverse the original linked list and add nodes to respective lists

• Join the two lists to get the final linked list with separated numbers

Printing names of 4 threads in a given order using an array of strings.

• Create an array of strings with the names of the threads in the desired order.

• Use a loop to iterate through the array and print each thread name.

• Ensure that the threads are started in the same order as the names in the array.

Delete Kth node from end of linked list in single iteration

• Use two pointers, one to traverse the list and another to keep track of Kth node from end

• Move both pointers simultaneously until the first pointer reaches the end

• Delete the Kth node from end using the second pointer

Segregate 0's and 1's in array using Dutch National Flag Algorithm

• Use three pointers - low, mid, and high

• low points to the first index of 1

• mid points to the first index of unknown element

• high points to the last index of 1

• If arr[mid] is 0, swap arr[low] and arr[mid], increment low and mid

• If arr[mid] is 1, increment mid

• If arr[mid] is 2, swap arr[mid] and arr[high], decrement high

Equal Sum Partition problem with DP and matrix printing

• The problem involves dividing an array into two subsets with equal sum

• Dynamic programming can be used to solve this problem efficiently

• A matrix can be used to keep track of the subsets

• Printing the subsets can be done by backtracking through the matrix

I would have pursued a career in music.

• I have been playing the guitar for over 10 years.

• I have performed at local gigs and events.

• I enjoy writing and composing my own music.

To check for a loop in a linked list, we use the Floyd's cycle-finding algorithm.

• Create two pointers, slow and fast, and initialize them to the head of the linked list.

• Move slow pointer by one node and fast pointer by two nodes.

• If there is a loop, the two pointers will eventually meet.

• If there is no loop, the fast pointer will reach the end of the linked list.

• Time complexity of this algorithm is O(n) and space complexity is O(1).

Find the maximum multiplication of 3 numbers in an array of strings.

• Convert the array of strings to an array of integers.

• Sort the array in descending order.

• Check the product of first three elements and last two elements with the first element.

Finally is a block of code that executes after try-catch block. It will not execute if System.exit() is called.

• Finally block is used to execute a block of code after try-catch block

• It will execute even if an exception is thrown

• Finally block will not execute if the JVM exits before the block is executed

• System.exit() terminates the JVM and finally block will not execute

Developed a project management tool for tracking tasks and deadlines.

• Implemented user authentication and authorization for secure access.

• Utilized a relational database to store project data and user information.

• Designed a user-friendly interface with drag-and-drop functionality for task management.

To check if a linked list is circular, we can use Floyd's cycle-finding algorithm.

• Create two pointers, slow and fast, and initialize them to the head of the linked list

• Move slow pointer by one node and fast pointer by two nodes

• If the linked list is circular, the fast pointer will eventually catch up to the slow pointer

• If the linked list is not circular, the fast pointer will reach the end of the list

• Time complexity: O(n), Space complexity: O(1)

Remove duplicates from Linked List. Both variants.

• Variant 1: Using Hash Set to keep track of visited nodes and removing duplicates

• Variant 2: Using two pointers to compare each node with all subsequent nodes and removing duplicates

• Example: 1->2->3->2->4->3, Output: 1->2->3->4

Calculating the depth of a tree

• Depth of a tree is the maximum distance from the root node to any leaf node

• Can be calculated recursively by finding the maximum depth of left and right subtrees

• Base case is when the node is null, return 0

Registers are small, fast memory locations in a CPU that store data for quick access.

• Registers are used to store data that is frequently accessed by the CPU.

• They are faster than accessing data from RAM.

• Registers are limited in number and size.

• Examples of registers include the program counter, stack pointer, and general-purpose registers.

• Register usage can be optimized for performance in code.

• Accessing registers can be done using assembly language.

• In C++, registers can be decl...read more

Level order traversal is a tree traversal algorithm that visits nodes level by level.

• Start at the root node and visit all nodes at the current level before moving to the next level

• Use a queue to keep track of nodes at each level

• Enqueue the root node, then dequeue and visit each node while enqueueing its children

• Repeat until the queue is empty

• Time complexity: O(n), space complexity: O(w) where w is the maximum width of the tree

Reverse a linked list in groups of k

• Create a function to reverse a linked list

• Iterate through the linked list in groups of k

• Reverse each group using the function

• Connect the reversed groups back together

• Return the new head of the linked list

Encapsulation is a mechanism of wrapping data and code together into a single unit.

• Encapsulation helps in achieving data hiding and abstraction.

• It provides better control over the data by making it private and accessible only through public methods.

• Real-time examples of encapsulation include a car's engine, which is encapsulated and can only be accessed through the car's interface.

• Another example is a mobile phone, where the internal components are encapsulated and can only b...read more

Runtime polymorphism is the ability of an object to take on multiple forms during runtime.

• It is achieved through method overriding

• It allows for more flexibility and extensibility in code

• It is a key feature of object-oriented programming

• Example: Animal class with different subclasses such as Dog, Cat, and Bird

Count the number of occurrences of each character in a given string.

• Create a dictionary to store the count of each character.

• Iterate through the string and update the count in the dictionary.

• Return the dictionary with character count.

Inheritance allows a subclass to inherit properties and methods from a superclass, but it has some disadvantages.

• Inheritance can lead to tight coupling between classes, making it difficult to modify the superclass without affecting the subclass.

• Inheritance can also lead to the creation of deep class hierarchies, which can be difficult to understand and maintain.

• Inheritance can result in code duplication if multiple subclasses need to override the same method or property.

• Inher...read more

The Dutch national flag problem is a sorting problem that involves sorting an array of 3 distinct values.

• The problem involves sorting an array of 3 distinct values: red, white, and blue.

• The goal is to sort the array in-place, without using any additional data structures.

• The solution involves using three pointers to keep track of the boundaries between the different values.

Merge two sorted linked lists

• Create a new linked list

• Compare the first nodes of both lists and add the smaller one to the new list

• Move the pointer of the added node to the next node in the list

• Repeat until one of the lists is empty

• Add the remaining nodes of the non-empty list to the new list

Program to find all palindromic strings in a given string.

• Iterate through the string and check for palindromic substrings using two pointers.

• Add the palindromic substrings to an array of strings.

• Return the array of palindromic strings.

Use tree traversal to find the minimum number in a tree structure.

• Start at the root node and compare it with its children to find the minimum value.

• Use depth-first search or breadth-first search to traverse the tree.

• Keep track of the minimum value found so far as you traverse the tree.

• Consider implementing a recursive function to traverse the tree efficiently.

Merge Sort is a divide-and-conquer algorithm that recursively divides an array into two halves, sorts them, and then merges them.

• Divide the array into two halves

• Recursively sort each half

• Merge the sorted halves

SQL query to find the 2nd highest salary in a table.

• Use ORDER BY and LIMIT to sort and select the 2nd highest salary.

• Use subquery to avoid duplicates if necessary.

Method overriding is a feature in object-oriented programming where a subclass provides a specific implementation of a method that is already provided by its parent class.

• Occurs when a subclass provides a specific implementation of a method that is already provided by its parent class

• The method in the subclass must have the same name, return type, and parameters as the method in the parent class

• Allows for polymorphism, where a subclass can be treated as an instance of its par...read more

Java is a popular programming language known for its platform independence and object-oriented features.

• Platform independence allows Java code to run on any platform without recompilation

• Object-oriented features like encapsulation, inheritance, and polymorphism make code modular and reusable

• Java has a vast standard library with built-in support for networking, I/O, and concurrency

• Java is highly secure with features like bytecode verification and automatic memory management

DBMS types include relational, NoSQL, object-oriented, and hierarchical. Each has unique features and use cases.

• Relational DBMS: structured data, ACID compliance, SQL queries (e.g. MySQL, Oracle)

• NoSQL DBMS: unstructured data, flexible schema, horizontal scaling (e.g. MongoDB, Cassandra)

• Object-oriented DBMS: data stored as objects, supports inheritance and polymorphism (e.g. db4o)

• Hierarchical DBMS: data organized in a tree-like structure, good for storing nested data (e.g. IBM...read more

Conditions for a deadlock in software engineering

• Deadlock occurs when each process in a set is waiting for an event that only another process in the set can cause

• Four conditions for a deadlock: mutual exclusion, hold and wait, no preemption, circular wait

• Example: Process A holds resource X and waits for resource Y, while Process B holds resource Y and waits for resource X