Affle Software Engineer Interview Questions and Answers

Find sum of k smallest numbers in a BST.

• Traverse the BST in-order and add the k smallest numbers to a sum variable.

• Use a priority queue to keep track of the k smallest numbers.

• If k is greater than the number of nodes in the BST, return the sum of all nodes.

• If k is 0, return 0.

Design algorithm and database for seat booking system of BookMyShow and handle failed payments.

• Create a database with tables for movies, theaters, seats, bookings, and payments

• Use a locking mechanism to prevent double booking of seats

• If payment fails, release the locked seats and notify the user

• Write a query to get the timestamp in SQL: SELECT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP;

Code for time stamp in C

• Use the time.h header file

• Call the time() function to get the current time in seconds

• Convert the time to a string using strftime() function

• Use the format string to specify the desired format of the time stamp

Rearrange array in consecutive pair multiplication in descending order.

• Create a new array to store the multiplied values

• Use a loop to iterate through the original array and multiply consecutive pairs

• Write a compare function to sort the new array in descending order

Code to rearrange an array in maximum-minimum form.

• Sort the array in descending order.

• Create a new array and alternate between adding the maximum and minimum values from the sorted array.

• Return the new array.

• Time complexity: O(nlogn)

• Space complexity: O(n)

stoi() function converts a string to an integer.

• stoi() is a C++ function that takes a string as input and returns an integer.

• It is used to convert a string of digits into an integer.

• It can also handle negative numbers and ignore leading whitespace.

• Example: int num = stoi("123"); // num is now 123

Code for finding the longest common substring in an array of strings.

• Iterate through the first string and check for all possible substrings

• Check if the substring is present in all other strings

• Keep track of the longest common substring found so far

• Return the longest common substring

Answers to common technical questions in a software engineering interview

• A transaction in DBMS is a sequence of operations that must be treated as a single unit of work. ACID properties ensure reliability and consistency of transactions.

• A thread is a lightweight process that shares memory and resources with other threads in the same process. A process is a separate instance of a program.

• Common Linux commands include ls...read more

Algorithms for manipulating arrays and strings in coding

• Use sorting algorithms like quicksort and mergesort for arrays

• Use string manipulation functions like substring and replace for strings

• Use dynamic programming for optimizing solutions to array and string problems

Designing a large scale Ad Server

• Use distributed systems for scalability

• Implement caching for faster ad delivery

• Ensure high availability and fault tolerance

• Use real-time bidding for efficient ad placement

• Implement fraud detection mechanisms

• Ensure compliance with privacy regulations

I am an avid traveler and have visited over 20 countries

• I love experiencing new cultures and trying new foods

• I have backpacked through Europe and Asia

• I have volunteered in orphanages in Cambodia and Nepal

Mobile advertising platform

• Adtech

• Mobile marketing

• App monetization

Maximum sub sequence sum in an array

• Use Kadane's algorithm

• Initialize max_so_far and max_ending_here to 0

• Iterate through the array and update max_ending_here and max_so_far

• Return max_so_far

Endianness refers to the byte order of a system. It determines how multi-byte data types are stored in memory.

• Little-endian systems store the least significant byte first, while big-endian systems store the most significant byte first.

• Endianness can affect the way data is transmitted between systems.

• To determine the endianness of a system, you can use the byte order mark (BOM) or write a test program that checks the by...read more

Sort an array of 0's and 1's only.

• Use two pointers, one at the beginning and one at the end of the array.

• Swap 0's from the beginning with 1's from the end until the pointers meet.

• Alternatively, use a counting sort algorithm to count the number of 0's and 1's and then reconstruct the array.

Heaps are data structures used to efficiently find the maximum or minimum element in a collection.

• Max heap: parent nodes are always greater than or equal to child nodes

• Min heap: parent nodes are always smaller than or equal to child nodes

• Heaps are commonly used in priority queues and sorting algorithms

• Heap operations include insert, delete, and extract max/min

• Example: An array [3, 8, 2, 5, 1, 4, 6] can be represented a

Find 3 numbers in an array where a+b=c.

• Loop through the array and check for all possible combinations of a and b.

• Use a hash table to store the values of a and b, and check if c is present in the hash table.

• Sort the array and use two pointers to find a and b, and then check if their sum equals c.

Reverse a linked list

• Iteratively swap the next and previous pointers of each node

• Use three pointers to keep track of the current, previous, and next nodes

• Update the head pointer to the last node after reversing

I appreciate the company's commitment to innovation and employee development.

• Strong focus on innovation in software development

• Opportunities for professional growth and development

• Positive company culture and work environment

I am impressed by the company's innovative projects and collaborative work environment.

• Impressed by innovative projects

• Desire to work in a collaborative environment

• Excited about potential for growth and learning opportunities

Web server handles HTTP requests and responses, while application server executes application logic.

• Web server serves static content like HTML, CSS, JS files

• Application server executes dynamic code like Java, Python, Ruby

• Web server communicates with client, application server communicates with database

• Examples of web servers: Apache, Nginx, IIS

• Examples of application servers: Tomcat, JBoss, WebSphere