American Express Programmer Analyst Interview Questions and Answers

Round duration - 90 minutes
Round difficulty - Medium

It was conducted in Hacker rank which consisted of 10 aptitude questions that included C, C++, Java MCQ. 2 programming questions were also given.

Q1. 
Minimum Cost Path Problem Statement
Given an N x M matrix filled with integers, determine the minimum sum obtainable from a path that starts at a specified cell (x, y) and ends at the top left corner of t...read more
Ans. 
The problem involves finding the minimum sum path from a specified cell to the top left corner of a matrix.
• Start from the specified cell and calculate the minimum sum path to reach the top left corner using dynamic programming.

• Consider the three possible moves: down, right, and down-right diagonal.

• Keep track of the minimum sum at each cell and update it based on the minimum of the three possible moves.

• Finally, the mini...read more
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Q2. 
Balanced Parentheses Combinations
Given an integer N representing the number of pairs of parentheses, find all the possible combinations of balanced parentheses using the given number of pairs.
Explanati...read more
Ans. 
Generate all possible combinations of balanced parentheses for a given number of pairs.
• Use backtracking to generate all possible combinations of balanced parentheses.

• Keep track of the number of open and close parentheses used in each combination.

• Recursively generate combinations by adding open parentheses if there are remaining, and closing parentheses if the number of open parentheses is greater than the number of clo...read more
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Round duration - 60 minutes
Round difficulty - Medium

Technical round with questions based on data structures, oops and networking.

Q1. 
Character Counting Challenge
Create a program that counts and prints the total number of specific character types from user input. Specifically, you need to count lowercase English alphabets, numeric digi...read more
Ans. 
Create a program to count lowercase alphabets, digits, and white spaces from user input until '$' is encountered.
• Read characters from input stream until '$' is encountered

• Count lowercase alphabets, digits, and white spaces separately

• Print the counts of each character type as three integers separated by spaces
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Q2. 
K Largest Elements Problem Statement
Given an unsorted array containing 'N' integers, you are required to find 'K' largest elements from the array and return them in non-decreasing order.
Input:
The fir...read more
Ans. 
Find K largest elements in an unsorted array and return them in non-decreasing order.
• Sort the array in non-decreasing order.

• Return the last K elements of the sorted array.
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Q3. How can you check whether you have an internet connection on your system?
Ans. 
To check internet connection on a system, you can use various methods like pinging a website or checking network status.
• Use ping command to check connectivity to a website (e.g. ping www.google.com)

• Check network status using network settings or command line tools

• Try accessing a website or online service to verify internet connection
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Q4. What happens when you type a URL in a web browser?
Ans. 
When you type a URL in a web browser, the browser sends a request to the server hosting the website, which then responds with the necessary files to display the webpage.
• Browser checks cache for DNS resolution

• If not found, browser sends a DNS query to resolve the domain name to an IP address

• Browser establishes a TCP connection with the server

• Browser sends an HTTP request to the server for the webpage

• Server processes the...read more
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Round duration - 60 minutes
Round difficulty - Medium

Technical round with questions based on data structures, oops and networking.

Q1. 
Counting Sort Problem Statement
Ninja is learning about sorting algorithms, specifically those that do not rely on comparisons. Can you help Ninja implement the counting sort algorithm?
Example:
Input:
...read more
Ans. 
Implement counting sort algorithm to sort an array of integers without comparisons.
• Count the frequency of each element in the input array.

• Calculate the prefix sum of frequencies to determine the position of each element in the sorted array.

• Place each element in its correct position based on the prefix sum.

• Time complexity of counting sort is O(n+k), where n is the number of elements and k is the range of input.

• Example: ...read more
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Q2. What are the applications of the Fibonacci series in real life?
Ans. 
The Fibonacci series has applications in various fields such as mathematics, computer science, art, and nature.
• Used in algorithms for optimization problems and dynamic programming.

• Found in nature, such as the arrangement of leaves on a stem, the branching of trees, and the spiral shapes of shells.

• Applied in financial markets for predicting stock prices and analyzing market trends.

• Utilized in art and design for creating
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Round duration - 30 minutes
Round difficulty - Easy

HR round where the interviewer asked questions to know more about me.

Round duration - 60 minutes
Round difficulty - Easy

I couldn't find an optimal approach to the first question, so she skipped that question and proceeded to next questions. Remaining questions I have answered satisfactorily.

Q1. 
Subset Sum Equal To K Problem Statement
Given an array/list of positive integers and an integer K, determine if there exists a subset whose sum equals K.
Provide true if such a subset exists, otherwise r...read more
Ans. 
Given an array of positive integers and an integer K, determine if there exists a subset whose sum equals K.
• Use dynamic programming to solve this problem efficiently

• Create a 2D array to store if a subset with a particular sum exists

• Iterate through the array and update the 2D array accordingly

• Check if the value at the end of the iteration is true for the given K
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Q2. 
BFS Traversal in a Graph
Given an undirected and disconnected graph G(V, E) where V vertices are numbered from 0 to V-1, and E represents edges, your task is to output the BFS traversal starting from the ...read more
Ans. 
BFS traversal in a disconnected graph starting from vertex 0.
• Implement BFS algorithm to traverse the graph starting from vertex 0.

• Use a queue to keep track of visited nodes and their neighbors.

• Ensure to print the traversal sequence in the correct order.

• Handle disconnected components by checking for unvisited nodes.

• Follow the BFS approach of exploring neighbors before moving to the next level.
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Round duration - 60 minutes
Round difficulty - Easy

I told that my strength is problem solving and I can always find a way when there is a bottle-neck. Gave some examples of my experiences while doing my assignments.

Q1. 
Replace Spaces in a String
Given a string STR consisting of words separated by spaces, your task is to replace all spaces between words with the characters "@40".
Input:
The first line contains an integ...read more
Ans. 
Replace spaces in a string with '@40'.
• Iterate through each character in the string

• Replace spaces with '@40'

• Return the modified string
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Round duration - 60 minutes
Round difficulty - Easy

Technical Interview Round with questions based on Data structures, OOPS and SQL.

Q1. 
Delete a Node from a Linked List
You are provided with a linked list of integers. Your task is to implement a function that deletes a node located at a specified position 'POS'.
Input:
The first line co...read more
Ans. 
Implement a function to delete a node from a linked list at a specified position.
• Traverse the linked list to find the node at the specified position.

• Update the pointers of the previous and next nodes to skip the node to be deleted.

• Handle edge cases such as deleting the head or tail of the linked list.

• Ensure to free the memory of the deleted node to avoid memory leaks.
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Q2. Write an SQL query to find the nth highest salary.
Ans. 
SQL query to find the nth highest salary
• Use the ORDER BY clause to sort salaries in descending order

• Use the LIMIT and OFFSET clauses to skip the first n-1 highest salaries

• Combine the above steps in a single query to find the nth highest salary
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Q3. Can you explain the concepts of Object-Oriented Programming (OOP)?
Ans. 
OOP is a programming paradigm based on the concept of objects, which can contain data in the form of fields and code in the form of procedures.
• OOP focuses on creating objects that interact with each other to solve problems.

• Key concepts include encapsulation, inheritance, and polymorphism.

• Encapsulation involves bundling data and methods that operate on the data into a single unit.

• Inheritance allows classes to inherit at...read more
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Round duration - 60 minutes
Round difficulty - Easy

Was asked me about my favorite technologies, What i liked about Facebook. And asked me to design a cinema ticket reservation web site­ like the one satyam has.

Q1. 
Kth Largest Element Problem
Given an array containing N distinct positive integers and a number K, determine the Kth largest element in the array.
Example:
Input:
N = 6, K = 3, array = [2, 1, 5, 6, 3, ...read more
Ans. 
Find the Kth largest element in an array of distinct positive integers.
• Sort the array in non-increasing order and return the Kth element.

• Handle multiple test cases efficiently.

• Ensure all elements in the array are distinct.
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Q2. What are virtual functions?
Ans. 
Virtual functions are functions in a base class that are overridden in derived classes to achieve runtime polymorphism.
• Virtual functions are declared in a base class with the 'virtual' keyword.

• They are overridden in derived classes using the 'override' keyword.

• They allow a function to be called based on the runtime type of an object.

• Virtual functions enable dynamic binding and late binding in C++.

• Example: virtual void ...read more
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Q3. Design a Cinema Ticket Reservation System.
Ans. 
Design a Cinema Ticket Reservation System
• Use a database to store movie information, showtimes, and seat availability

• Allow users to search for movies, select showtimes, and choose seats

• Implement a payment system for ticket purchases

• Send confirmation emails with QR codes for ticket validation
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Q4. In how many attempts can you find a defective ball among 10 given balls using a two-pan balance scale?
Ans. 
You can find a defective ball among 10 given balls in 2 attempts using a two-pan balance scale.
• Divide the 10 balls into two groups of 5 each.

• Weigh the two groups on the balance scale.

• If one group is heavier, it contains the defective ball. If they are equal, the defective ball is in the remaining 5 balls.

• Divide the group of 5 balls with the defective one into two groups of 2 and 3 balls.

• Weigh the two groups on the bala...read more
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Round duration - 30 minutes
Round difficulty - Easy

HR round that lasted for about 30 minutes. The interviewer asked me questions to know more about me and a puzzle.

Q1. Can you tell me about your projects and your extracurricular activities?
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