Cornerstone OnDemand Software Developer Interview Questions and Answers

Round duration - 60 minutes
Round difficulty - Medium

The interviewer was really cool. He realized that I mostly work on java applications so he chose to ask me stuff related to that. He didn't want me to know the answer well but just wanted me to approach to it, maybe think more. He went through my resume back and forth and asked mostly about all my projects and their logic and how could I take them to the next level.
Tips: Be confident. Its okay not to know any answer, just try giving it a shot in the approach.

Q1. What is the difference between an abstract class and an interface in Java?
Ans. 
Abstract class can have both abstract and non-abstract methods, while interface can only have abstract methods.
• Abstract class can have constructors, member variables, and methods with implementation.

• Interface can only have abstract methods and constants.

• A class can implement multiple interfaces but can only extend one abstract class.

• Example: Abstract class - Animal with abstract method 'eat', Interface - Flyable with m
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Q2. What is the difference between 'final', 'finally', and 'finalize' in Java?
Ans. 
final is a keyword used to declare constants, finally is a block used in exception handling, and finalize is a method used for cleanup.
• final is a keyword used to declare constants in Java, meaning the value cannot be changed once assigned. Example: final int x = 10;

• finally is a block used in exception handling to ensure a piece of code is always executed, whether an exception is thrown or not. Example: try { // code } ...read more
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Q3. What is the difference between the private and final access modifiers in Java?
Ans. 
Private restricts access to the class itself, while final prevents inheritance and method overriding.
• Private access modifier restricts access to the class itself, while final access modifier prevents inheritance and method overriding.

• Private members are only accessible within the same class, while final classes cannot be extended and final methods cannot be overridden.

• Example: private int num; - num can only be accesse...read more
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Q4. What are the steps for establishing a JDBC connection?
Ans. 
Establishing a JDBC connection involves loading the driver, creating a connection, creating a statement, executing queries, and handling exceptions.
• Load the JDBC driver using Class.forName() method

• Create a connection using DriverManager.getConnection() method

• Create a statement using connection.createStatement() method

• Execute queries using statement.executeQuery() method

• Handle exceptions using try-catch blocks
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Q5. What is JSON?
Ans. 
JSON is a lightweight data interchange format used to store and transmit data between a server and a web application.
• JSON stands for JavaScript Object Notation.

• It is easy for humans to read and write, and easy for machines to parse and generate.

• JSON is language-independent and can be used with any programming language.

• Example: {"name": "John", "age": 30}

• Example: [{"name": "Alice", "age": 25}, {"name": "Bob", "age": 35}
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Q6. What do you know about garbage collection in Java?
Ans. 
Garbage collection in Java is the process of automatically managing memory by deallocating objects that are no longer needed.
• Garbage collection helps in preventing memory leaks by reclaiming memory used by objects that are no longer referenced.

• Java uses a garbage collector to automatically manage memory, unlike languages like C++ where memory management is manual.

• Garbage collection in Java can be triggered by calling S...read more
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Round duration - 30 minutes
Round difficulty - Easy

I wouldn't say it went great but it was fine. I did not think I would clear it as for most of the questions the interviewer seemed disappointed and wanted more out of me.

Round duration - 60 minutes
Round difficulty - Easy

This was a technical round with questions on DBMS.

Q1. What is data integrity?
Ans. 
Data integrity refers to the accuracy, consistency, and reliability of data throughout its lifecycle.
• Data integrity ensures that data is accurate and consistent in storage and transmission.

• It involves maintaining the quality and reliability of data over time.

• Methods for ensuring data integrity include checksums, encryption, and error detection codes.

• Examples of data integrity violations include data corruption, unautho
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Q2. What is a trigger in the context of a database management system?
Ans. 
A trigger is a special type of stored procedure that automatically executes when certain events occur in a database.
• Triggers are used to enforce business rules, maintain data integrity, and automate repetitive tasks.

• They can be triggered by INSERT, UPDATE, or DELETE operations on a table.

• Examples of triggers include auditing changes to a table, updating related tables when a record is modified, or enforcing referential
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Q3. What is the difference between clustered and non-clustered indexes in a database management system?
Ans. 
Clustered indexes physically order the data in the table, while non-clustered indexes do not.
• Clustered indexes determine the physical order of data in the table, while non-clustered indexes do not.

• A table can have only one clustered index, but multiple non-clustered indexes.

• Clustered indexes are faster for retrieval of data, especially range queries, compared to non-clustered indexes.

• Non-clustered indexes are stored se...read more
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Round duration - 60 minutes
Round difficulty - Easy

Technical interview round with questions on DBMS.

Q1. What is the difference between UNION and UNION ALL in SQL?
Ans. 
UNION combines and removes duplicates, UNION ALL combines without removing duplicates.
• UNION merges the result sets of two or more SELECT statements and removes duplicates.

• UNION ALL merges the result sets of two or more SELECT statements without removing duplicates.

• UNION is slower than UNION ALL as it involves removing duplicates.

• Example: SELECT column1 FROM table1 UNION SELECT column1 FROM table2;

• Example: SELECT column...read more
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Q2. What are the functions of a cursor in PL/SQL?
Ans. 
A cursor in PL/SQL is used to retrieve and process multiple rows of data one at a time.
• Allows iteration over a result set

• Retrieves data row by row

• Can be used to update or delete rows in a table

• Must be declared, opened, fetched, and closed
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Q3. Write a SQL query to fetch the nth highest salary from a table.
Ans. 
SQL query to fetch the nth highest salary from a table
• Use the ORDER BY clause to sort salaries in descending order

• Use the LIMIT clause to fetch the nth highest salary
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Round duration - 30 minutes
Round difficulty - Easy

This was a managerial round with typical behavioral problems.

Round duration - 105 minutes
Round difficulty - Medium

There were 3 problems .
One was easy but the other two were of medium level.

Q1. 
Aggressive Cows Problem Statement
Given an array representing positions of stalls and an integer ‘K’ representing the number of aggressive cows, determine the largest minimum distance between any two cows ...read more
Ans. 
The problem requires assigning aggressive cows to stalls in a way that maximizes the minimum distance between any two cows.
• Sort the array of stall positions in ascending order.

• Use binary search to find the largest minimum distance between cows.

• Check if it is possible to assign cows with this minimum distance by iterating through the sorted array.

• If it is possible, update the maximum distance and continue binary search ...read more
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Q2. 
Shortest Path in an Unweighted Graph
The city of Ninjaland is represented as an unweighted graph with houses and roads. There are 'N' houses numbered 1 to 'N', connected by 'M' bidirectional roads. A road...read more
Ans. 
The problem is to find the shortest path between two houses in an unweighted graph.
• The graph represents the city of Ninjaland with houses connected by roads.

• The input consists of the number of test cases, number of houses and roads, starting and ending house, and the roads between houses.

• The output is a vector of nodes representing the shortest path from the starting house to the ending house.

• If there are multiple shor...read more
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Q3. 
Count Set Bits Problem Statement
Given a positive integer N, compute the total number of '1's in the binary representation of all numbers from 1 to N. Return this count modulo 1e9+7 because the result can...read more
Ans. 
The task is to count the total number of '1' in the binary representation of all numbers from 1 to N.
• Convert each number from 1 to N into its binary representation

• Count the number of '1' bits in each binary representation

• Sum up the counts of '1' bits for all numbers

• Return the sum modulo 1e9+7
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Round duration - 60 minutes
Round difficulty - Easy

The interviewer was very polite and straightforward. 
Firstly he introduced himself and then asked me to introduce myself and then he jumped to the coding problems.
After the coding problems, he asked some questions from the OS and DBMS.

Q1. 
Reverse Words in a String: Problem Statement
You are given a string of length N. Your task is to reverse the string word by word. The input may contain multiple spaces between words and may have leading o...read more
Ans. 
The task is to reverse the words in a given string, removing any leading or trailing spaces and replacing multiple spaces between words with a single space.
• Split the string into words using spaces as delimiters

• Reverse the order of the words

• Join the reversed words with a single space between them

• Remove any leading or trailing spaces
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Q2. 
Reverse Linked List in Groups of K
You are provided with a linked list containing 'N' nodes and an integer 'K'. The task is to reverse the linked list in groups of size K, which means reversing the nodes ...read more
Ans. 
The task is to reverse a linked list in groups of size K.
• Iterate through the linked list in groups of size K

• Reverse each group using a helper function

• Connect the reversed groups to form the final reversed linked list
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Round duration - 60 minutes
Round difficulty - Medium

The interviewer was very polite and straightforward, firstly he introduce himself and then ask me to introduce myself and then ask some ques on my projects and then he jumps to the coding problems.

Q1. 
Remove Consecutive Duplicates From String Problem Statement
Given a string STR consisting of both lower and upper case characters, your task is to remove consecutive duplicate characters from the string a...read more
Ans. 
The task is to remove consecutive duplicate characters from a given string and return the new string.
• Iterate through the characters of the string

• Compare each character with the next character

• If they are the same, skip the next character

• If they are different, add the current character to the new string

• Return the new string
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Q2. 
Maximum Path Sum in a Matrix
Given an N*M matrix filled with integer numbers, determine the maximum sum that can be obtained from a path starting from any cell in the first row to any cell in the last row...read more
Ans. 
The question asks to find the maximum sum that can be obtained from a path starting from any cell in the first row to any cell in the last row of a given matrix.
• Iterate through each cell in the first row and calculate the maximum sum path ending at that cell

• For each cell, calculate the maximum sum path ending at that cell by considering the three possible directions

• Store the maximum sum path ending at each cell in a se...read more
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Directions: Each of the following question has a question and two statements labelled as (i) and (ii). Use the data/information given in (i) and (ii) to decide whether the data are sufficient to answer the question record your answer as

A) If you can get the answer from (1)alone but not from (2)
B) If you can get the answer from (2)alone but not from (1)
C) If can get the answer from (1)and (2)together ,although neither statement by itself suffice
D) If statement (1)alone suffices and statement (2) alone also suffice.
E) If can\'t get the answer from statements (1) and (2) together and you need more data.

Copyright protection is given for a work having originality,i.e. it should be from the author and must have minimum degree of creativity. So it is the author who is the real creator of the work thereby first owner of the copyright and Indian law recognizes author as the firstowner of the copyright .But by the term ‘ownership it means it includes not only theauthor ,but also assignee and can even a legal entity even though not defined in the !ct. InBern convention the term !uthor is not defined, instead it says that the person under whose name the work is disclosed, which implies that it is not necessary that always theauthor should be the owner. "owever Indian copyright !ct defines the tern ‘!uthor withrespect to various works, but still leaves some problems. It becomes more comple# in theconte#t of changing technologies, i.e. cinematographic works, sound recording, broadcasting etc which is a combination of different works, also when author does thework in the course of employment. $hen new technologies emerge, different mode of communication simultaneously arise and the e#ploitation of the copyright by wayof assignment %licensing will add economic benefits to the copyright owner and the provisions of assignment and licensing becomes crucial. By amendments Indian Copyright!ct has taken care of such provisions, but still leaving lacunae % the role of &udiciary becomes crucial in interpreting such provisions for effectively protecting the rights of the authors.

What are the constraints and give example that's include all constraints? 2. Basic SQL queries were asked but I don't remember 3. Then asked questions from my college projects

Q1. Why we use public, private and protect
Ans. 
Public, private, and protected are access modifiers used in object-oriented programming to control the visibility of class members.
• Public: allows access to the member from outside the class

• Private: restricts access to the member only within the class

• Protected: allows access to the member within the class and its subclasses
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Q2. Difference between various SQL joins?
Ans. 
SQL joins are used to combine rows from two or more tables based on a related column between them.
• INNER JOIN: Returns rows when there is at least one match in both tables.

• LEFT JOIN: Returns all rows from the left table, and the matched rows from the right table.

• RIGHT JOIN: Returns all rows from the right table, and the matched rows from the left table.

• FULL JOIN: Returns rows when there is a match in one of the tables.

• C...read more
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The aptitude test is conducted as exam

They provide seperate topic for everyone

They give us a python task