Automatic Data Processing (ADP) Member Technical Staff Interview Questions and Answers

To find and remove a loop in a Linked List, we can use Floyd's Cycle Detection Algorithm.

• Use two pointers, slow and fast, to detect if there is a loop in the Linked List

• If the two pointers meet at some point, there is a loop

• To remove the loop, set one of the pointers to the head of the Linked List and move both pointers one step at a time until they meet again

• The meeting point is the start of the loop, set the next poi

Find the maximum window size to sort an unsorted array.

• Identify the longest decreasing subarray from the beginning and longest increasing subarray from the end

• Find the minimum and maximum element in the identified subarrays

• Expand the identified subarrays until all elements in the array are covered

• The length of the expanded subarray is the maximum window size

Finding the longest last occurring word in a sentence with multiple whitespace.

• Split the sentence into words using whitespace as delimiter

• Reverse the list of words

• Iterate through the list and find the first occurrence of each word

• Calculate the length of each last occurring word

• Return the longest last occurring word

Merge sort and Quick sort are sorting algorithms used to sort arrays of data.

• Merge sort is a divide and conquer algorithm that divides the input array into two halves, sorts each half recursively, and then merges the sorted halves.

• Quick sort is also a divide and conquer algorithm that selects a pivot element and partitions the array around the pivot, sorting the two resulting sub-arrays recursively.

• Merge sort has a tim...read more

Process is an instance of a program while thread is a subset of a process that can run concurrently with other threads.

• A process is a program in execution

• A process can have multiple threads

• Threads share the same memory space as the process

• Threads can run concurrently with other threads within the same process

• Examples of processes include web browsers, word processors, and media players

• Examples of threads include GUI th

A recursive function calls itself until a base case is reached, then returns the result to the previous call.

• Each call creates a new instance of the function on the call stack

• The function continues to call itself until a base case is reached

• Once the base case is reached, the function returns the result to the previous call

• The previous call then continues executing from where it left off

Code to find number of combinations of reaching step N by ball falling from staircase with 1 or 2 steps per jump.

• Use dynamic programming to solve the problem

• Create an array to store the number of ways to reach each step

• Initialize the array with base cases for steps 0, 1, and 2

• Use a loop to fill in the array for steps 3 to N

• The number of ways to reach step i is the sum of the number of ways to reach step i-1 and i-2

• Retu

Priority queue is a data structure that stores elements with priority levels and retrieves them in order of priority.

• Priority queue is implemented using a heap data structure.

• Stack can be implemented using a priority queue by assigning higher priority to the most recently added element.

• Queue can be implemented using a priority queue by assigning higher priority to the oldest element.

Implementing stack using queue involves using two queues to simulate stack behavior.

• Create two queues, q1 and q2.

• Push operation: Enqueue the element to q1.

• Pop operation: Dequeue all elements from q1 to q2 except the last element. Dequeue and return the last element.

• Swap the names of q1 and q2 after each pop operation.

• Top operation: Return the last element of q1 without dequeuing it.

• isEmpty operation: Check if both q1 a

I lost my job during the pandemic and struggled to find a new one

• Applied to multiple job openings daily

• Networked with former colleagues and industry professionals

• Took online courses to improve skills

• Maintained a positive attitude and stayed motivated

• Eventually landed a new job in a different industry

I would have pursued a career in music or writing.

• I have always had a passion for music and writing.

• I have played multiple instruments since childhood.

• I have written and published short stories and poetry.

• I believe creativity is an important aspect of any profession.

I value my relationships with loved ones the most.

• Spending quality time with family and friends

• Making an effort to stay in touch with long-distance loved ones

• Prioritizing important events and milestones in their lives

• Being there for them during difficult times

• Forgiving and working through conflicts to maintain strong bonds

Given 2 arrays with n and n-1 elements, find the unique element in the larger array.

• Loop through the larger array and check if each element is present in the smaller array.

• If an element is not present in the smaller array, it is the unique element.

• Return the unique element.

• Example: arr1 = ['a', 'b', 'c', 'd'], arr2 = ['a', 'b', 'c'], unique element = 'd'

Density of a person in a social networking graph is the ratio of friends who interacted with the person to the total number of friends.

• Calculate the number of friends who interacted with the person.

• Calculate the total number of friends for that person.

• Divide the number of interacting friends by the total number of friends to get the density.

• Density = (Number of interacting friends) / (Total number of friends)

Given a map of coffee shops and a person, find the closest n coffee shops to him.

• Use the person's location and calculate the distance to each coffee shop on the map.

• Sort the coffee shops by distance and return the closest n.

• Consider using a data structure like a priority queue to efficiently find the closest coffee shops.

Higher studies not necessary for current career goals.

• My current career goals do not require higher studies.

• I have gained enough knowledge and experience through my work.

• I believe in continuous learning and development through on-the-job training and workshops.

• I am open to pursuing higher studies in the future if it aligns with my career goals.