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DE Shaw Software Developer Interview Questions and Answers for Freshers

Updated 18 Jul 2024

20 Interview questions

A Software Developer was asked
Q. What is the purpose of Normalization?
Ans. 

Normalisation is the process of organizing data in a database to reduce redundancy and improve data integrity.

  • Normalisation helps to eliminate data redundancy and inconsistencies

  • It ensures that each piece of data is stored in only one place

  • It helps to improve data integrity and accuracy

  • It makes it easier to maintain and update the database

  • There are different levels of normalisation, each with its own set of rules ...

A Software Developer was asked
Q. What are access specifiers?
Ans. 

Access specifiers are keywords in object-oriented programming languages that determine the visibility and accessibility of class members.

  • Access specifiers are used to restrict access to class members.

  • There are three types of access specifiers: public, private, and protected.

  • Public members can be accessed from anywhere in the program.

  • Private members can only be accessed within the class.

  • Protected members can be acc...

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A Software Developer was asked
Q. What is a stack?
Ans. 

A stack is a data structure that follows the Last-In-First-Out (LIFO) principle.

  • Elements are added to the top of the stack and removed from the top.

  • Common operations include push (add element) and pop (remove element).

  • Stacks can be implemented using arrays or linked lists.

  • Examples include the call stack in programming and the undo/redo feature in text editors.

A Software Developer was asked
Q. What are class access modifiers?
Ans. 

Class access modifiers are keywords used to control the visibility and accessibility of class members.

  • There are four access modifiers in Java: public, private, protected, and default

  • Public members can be accessed from anywhere

  • Private members can only be accessed within the same class

  • Protected members can be accessed within the same class, subclasses, and same package

  • Default members can be accessed within the same ...

A Software Developer was asked
Q. What is the difference between a primary key and a unique key?
Ans. 

Primary key uniquely identifies a record in a table, while unique key ensures that all values in a column are distinct.

  • Primary key can't have null values, while unique key can have one null value.

  • A table can have only one primary key, but multiple unique keys.

  • Primary key is used as a foreign key in other tables, while unique key is not.

  • Example: Primary key - employee ID, Unique key - email address.

🔥 Asked by recruiter 2 times
A Software Developer was asked
Q. What is the difference between C and C++?
Ans. 

C++ is an extension of C with object-oriented programming features.

  • C++ supports classes and objects while C does not.

  • C++ has better support for polymorphism and inheritance.

  • C++ has a standard template library (STL) which C does not have.

  • C++ allows function overloading while C does not.

  • C++ has exception handling while C does not.

A Software Developer was asked
Q. What is the difference between Truncate and Delete?
Ans. 

Truncate removes all data from a table while Delete removes specific data from a table.

  • Truncate is faster than Delete as it doesn't log individual row deletions.

  • Truncate resets the identity of the table while Delete doesn't.

  • Truncate can't be rolled back while Delete can be.

  • Truncate doesn't fire triggers while Delete does.

Are these interview questions helpful?
A Software Developer was asked
Q. OOP concepts in Java
Ans. 

OOP concepts in Java

  • Encapsulation - hiding implementation details

  • Inheritance - creating new classes from existing ones

  • Polymorphism - ability of objects to take on multiple forms

  • Abstraction - focusing on essential features and ignoring the rest

  • Example: A Car class can inherit from a Vehicle class

  • Example: A Dog class can have a bark() method that overrides the Animal class's makeSound() method

  • Example: A Shape class ...

A Software Developer was asked
Q. OOP Java Design problems
Ans. 

Answering OOP Java design problems

  • Identify the problem domain and create a class hierarchy

  • Use encapsulation to hide implementation details

  • Apply inheritance to reuse code and create subtypes

  • Implement polymorphism to allow objects to take on multiple forms

  • Avoid tight coupling and favor composition over inheritance

  • Use design patterns to solve common problems

  • Consider SOLID principles for maintainable code

A Software Developer was asked
Q. 

Conquering the Best Kingdom Problem Statement

Aragorn, an influential ruler, aspires to expand his power by conquering more kingdoms. There are 'N' kingdoms numbered from 0 to N-1, forming a tree structure...

Ans. 

Given a tree structure of kingdoms, determine if it's possible to conquer more kingdoms than Aragorn by strategically choosing the starting kingdom.

  • Start at the kingdom adjacent to Aragorn's initial kingdom

  • Choose the kingdom that allows you to capture the most number of kingdoms in subsequent turns

  • Consider the tree structure to plan your conquest strategically

DE Shaw Software Developer Interview Experiences for Freshers

3 interviews found

I appeared for an interview in Mar 2022.

Round 1 - Coding Test 

(3 Questions)

Round duration - 120 Minutes
Round difficulty - Hard

Online Test Platform - HackerRank
Test Access Window – between 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Online Test Pattern –

Total Duration of Test – 120 mins
Total No. of Sections - 5
Section 1 – One Coding Question - Easy difficulty (20 mins)
Section 2 – One Coding Question - Medium difficulty (30 mins)
Section 3 – One Coding Question - Medium difficulty (30 mins)
Section 4 - Technical MCQs - 10 questions (20 mins)
Section 5 - Aptitude MCQs - 10 questions (20 mins)
Programming Sections (1, 2 and 3): This will have 3 coding questions with a time limit of 80 minutes. It is mandatory for you to attempt the 1st coding question before moving to the second question and third. You cannot revisit question/section once you proceed ahead
MCQ Sections (4 and 5): This will have 10 technical and 10 aptitude questions, with a time limit of 20 minutes each. Each correct answer will carry 2 marks and wrong answer will carry negative 0.5
Technical questions will cover Data structures & algorithms, Operating systems, Database systems, SQL and Networks.
Aptitude questions will cover Quantitative Aptitude, Problem solving and Logical & verbal Reasoning

  • Q1. 

    Tower Building Problem Statement

    Given an array 'ARR' of 'N' cubes, you need to construct towers such that each cube can either be placed on top of an existing tower or start a new one. The restriction is...

  • Ans. 

    The task is to determine the minimum number of towers needed to stack cubes in a specific order.

    • Iterate through the array of cubes and maintain a stack to keep track of towers.

    • For each cube, check if it can be placed on an existing tower or start a new one.

    • Update the stack based on the cube's size and count the number of towers needed.

    • Return the minimum number of towers required.

    • Example: For input N = 3, ARR = [3, 2, 1...

  • Answered by AI
  • Q2. 

    Minimum Removals Problem Statement

    Given an array ARR of size N and an integer K, determine the minimum number of elements that must be removed from the array so that the difference between the maximum an...

  • Ans. 

    The problem involves finding the minimum number of elements to remove from an array so that the difference between the maximum and minimum element is less than or equal to a given value.

    • Iterate through the array and keep track of the minimum and maximum elements.

    • Calculate the difference between the maximum and minimum elements.

    • If the difference is greater than the given value, increment the count of elements to remove.

    • ...

  • Answered by AI
  • Q3. 

    Conquering the Best Kingdom Problem Statement

    Aragorn, an influential ruler, aspires to expand his power by conquering more kingdoms. There are 'N' kingdoms numbered from 0 to N-1, forming a tree structur...

  • Ans. 

    Given a tree structure of kingdoms, determine if it's possible to conquer more kingdoms than Aragorn by strategically choosing the starting kingdom.

    • Start at the kingdom adjacent to Aragorn's initial kingdom

    • Choose the kingdom that allows you to capture the most number of kingdoms in subsequent turns

    • Consider the tree structure to plan your conquest strategically

  • Answered by AI
Round 2 - Video Call 

(1 Question)

Round duration - 60 Minutes
Round difficulty - Medium

They called and asked me to choose a date and time I would be free in the upcoming week for my interview.
I chose 10th March 5 pm. 

Interviewer was pretty friendly. Started with some resume based questions. Asked me OS, DBMS and JAVA based questions. A coding question was asked to code. Asked me OOPS related questions too.

  • Q1. 

    K Most Frequent Elements Problem Statement

    Given an integer array ARR and an integer K, identify the K most frequent elements within ARR. Return these elements sorted in ascending order.

    Example:

    Input:
    ...
  • Ans. 

    Identify K most frequent elements in an array and return them sorted in ascending order.

    • Use a hashmap to store the frequency of each element in the array.

    • Sort the elements based on their frequency in descending order.

    • Return the first K elements from the sorted list.

  • Answered by AI

Interview Preparation Tips

Professional and academic backgroundI applied for the job as SDE - 1 in HyderabadEligibility criteriaAbove 7 CGPA for CSE students, above 8 for others.DE Shaw India interview preparation:Topics to prepare for the interview - DSA, OS, DBMS, CN, Java, Hashing, Aptitude, Output questionsTime required to prepare for the interview - 1 MonthInterview preparation tips for other job seekers

Tip 1 : Learn the OS and DBMS fundamentals.
Tip 2 : Practice a wide variety of questions on Leetcode
Tip 3 : Do practice aptitude. It will help in OA

Application resume tips for other job seekers

Tip 1 : Use OverLeaf format to make resume
Tip 2 : Do not mention any skill you aren't comfortable with. A lot of the times they ask you questions based on what is written in your resume.

Final outcome of the interviewRejected

Skills evaluated in this interview

I appeared for an interview in Nov 2020.

Round 1 - Coding Test 

(2 Questions)

Round duration - 95 minutes
Round difficulty - Easy

This round was conducted in Hackerrank portal for a total duration of 95 minutes and was divided into 4 sections.

1st Section : Aptitude Section : 14 questions , 28 minutes
2nd Section : Technical Section : 12 questions , 17 minutes
3rd Section :1 coding Questions : 20 minutes+30 minutes

This Round was Conducted on Hackerrank (Webcam Enabled).

  • Q1. 

    Coin Game Problem Statement

    Wong wants to borrow money from Dr. Strange, who insists Wong must win a coin game first. The game involves two players taking turns to remove one coin from either end of a row...

  • Ans. 

    Given an array of coin values, determine the maximum value Wong can obtain by playing a coin game against Dr. Strange.

    • Wong plays first and can remove one coin from either end of the array on each turn.

    • The game ends when no coins are left, and the player with the highest total value wins.

    • Consider different scenarios like having an odd or even number of coins in the array.

  • Answered by AI
  • Q2. 

    Find Magic Index in Sorted Array

    Given a sorted array A consisting of N integers, your task is to find the magic index in the given array, where the magic index is defined as an index i such that A[i] = i...

  • Ans. 

    Find the magic index in a sorted array where A[i] = i.

    • Use binary search to efficiently find the magic index in the sorted array.

    • Check the middle element of the array and compare it with its index to determine the direction to search.

    • Repeat the process on the left or right half of the array until the magic index is found or no more elements to search.

  • Answered by AI
Round 2 - Face to Face 

(2 Questions)

Round duration - 120 minutes
Round difficulty - Medium

This was an Online F2F Technical Round conducted on CodePair : Hackerrank. So, Basically You have to Run and Submit ( Pass All Test cases) in the Interview Round also (Like normal Coding Test) in Codepair : Hackerrank & along with that You should have to explain your Code and Approach to the Interviewers.
The Interviewers were helpful and didn't hesitate in giving hints. 
Timing - 10:00 A.M to 12:00 P.M

  • Q1. 

    Minimum Number of Taps to Water the Garden

    Given a garden that extends along a one-dimensional x-axis from point 0 to point N, your task is to determine the minimum number of taps needed to water the enti...

  • Ans. 

    Find the minimum number of taps needed to water the entire garden using given tap ranges.

    • Iterate over taps and update the farthest point each tap can reach.

    • Use a greedy approach to select the tap that can water the farthest point.

    • If a tap can't water any point, return -1.

    • Example: For ranges = [3, 4, 1, 1, 0, 0], tap at position 1 can water the entire garden.

  • Answered by AI
  • Q2. 

    Money Saving in Bank Problem

    Harshit wants to save up money for his first car by depositing money daily in the Ninja bank with a specific increment strategy.

    Starting with 1 rupee on the first Monday, th...

  • Ans. 

    Calculate the total money accumulated by Harshit in Ninja bank after N days with a specific increment strategy.

    • Start with 1 rupee on the first Monday and increase by 1 rupee each day from Tuesday to Sunday.

    • Each new Monday starts with an additional rupee more than the previous Monday's deposit.

    • Calculate the total amount of money accumulated after N days for each test case.

    • Example: For N = 2, total amount is 3 rupees; fo...

  • Answered by AI
Round 3 - Face to Face 

(2 Questions)

Round duration - 120 minutes
Round difficulty - Hard

A lot of Variants based on Constraints were asked in this Round. They will ask you to write the final code for every question before Submitting it(run all test cases) so you won’t get any hints after running test cases in the IDE. ( So don’t Submit your code before dry running it on a lot of Test Cases on pen & paper , they allow to use pen & blank paper at the time of Interviews) .The Interviewers tried to trick in case of time complexities even if you gave the best one. So try to be confident.

  • Q1. 

    Buy and Sell Stock Problem Statement

    Imagine you are Harshad Mehta's friend, and you have been given the stock prices of a particular company for the next 'N' days. You can perform up to two buy-and-sell ...

  • Ans. 

    The task is to determine the maximum profit that can be achieved by performing up to two buy-and-sell transactions on a given set of stock prices.

    • Iterate through the array of stock prices and calculate the maximum profit that can be achieved by buying and selling at different points.

    • Keep track of the maximum profit after the first transaction and the maximum profit after the second transaction.

    • Return the sum of these t...

  • Answered by AI
  • Q2. 

    Stock Investment Problem Statement

    You are given the prices of a particular stock over 'N' consecutive days. Your task is to find the maximum profit that can be obtained by completing at most two transact...

  • Ans. 

    Find the maximum profit that can be obtained by completing at most two transactions of buying and selling a stock.

    • Iterate through the array of stock prices and calculate the maximum profit that can be obtained by completing at most two transactions.

    • Keep track of the maximum profit that can be obtained by selling the stock on each day after buying it on a previous day.

    • Consider all possible combinations of two transactio...

  • Answered by AI
Round 4 - HR 

(1 Question)

Round duration - 30 minutes
Round difficulty - Easy

This was a Telephonic Round (Audio Call). The HR was friendly and asked basic questions.
The timing was 2:00 PM to 2:30 PM.

  • Q1. 

    Rabbit Jumping Problem

    Consider 'n' carrots numbered from 1 to 'n' and 'k' rabbits. Each rabbit jumps to carrots only at multiples of its respective jumping factor Aj (i.e., Aj, 2Aj, 3Aj, ...), for all ra...

  • Ans. 

    Calculate uneaten carrots by rabbits with specific jumping factors.

    • Iterate through each carrot and check if any rabbit jumps on it.

    • Use the jumping factors to determine which carrots will be eaten.

    • Subtract the eaten carrots from the total to get the uneaten carrots.

  • Answered by AI

Interview Preparation Tips

Professional and academic backgroundI applied for the job as SDE - 1 in HyderabadEligibility criteriaAbove 8.5 CGPA ( Only CSE, IT, ECE - both UG and PG )DE Shaw India interview preparation:Topics to prepare for the interview - Dynamic Programming, OOPS, Computer Networks, Computer System Architecture, Operating System, Data Structures, PointersTime required to prepare for the interview - 4 monthsInterview preparation tips for other job seekers

Tip 1 : Make sure that you are thorough with CS concepts beforehand.
Tip 2 : Even when you are explaining the approach to a question, try to parallelly think about how you would code it.
Tip 3 : Read the previous interview experiences. It would give a fair idea of the kind of questions one should expect.
Tip 4 : For a company like DE Shaw, practicing medium and hard difficulty level coding questions would be the way to go.
Tip 5 : Practice atleast 200 questions from coding platforms like CodeZen, LeetCode, Interviewbit as they contain common interview questions.

Application resume tips for other job seekers

Tip 1 : Mention atleast 1 project and past work experience as it sets good impression.
Tip 2 : Keep your resume up to date for the role you are applying.
Tip 3 : Try to keep your resume of 1 Page.

Final outcome of the interviewSelected

Skills evaluated in this interview

Interview Questionnaire 

21 Questions

  • Q1. Hobbies and interests
  • Q2. Questions regarding java
  • Q3. OOP concepts in Java
  • Ans. 

    OOP concepts in Java

    • Encapsulation - hiding implementation details

    • Inheritance - creating new classes from existing ones

    • Polymorphism - ability of objects to take on multiple forms

    • Abstraction - focusing on essential features and ignoring the rest

    • Example: A Car class can inherit from a Vehicle class

    • Example: A Dog class can have a bark() method that overrides the Animal class's makeSound() method

    • Example: A Shape class can h...

  • Answered by AI
  • Q4. OOP Java Design problems
  • Ans. 

    Answering OOP Java design problems

    • Identify the problem domain and create a class hierarchy

    • Use encapsulation to hide implementation details

    • Apply inheritance to reuse code and create subtypes

    • Implement polymorphism to allow objects to take on multiple forms

    • Avoid tight coupling and favor composition over inheritance

    • Use design patterns to solve common problems

    • Consider SOLID principles for maintainable code

  • Answered by AI
  • Q5. C++ Virtual Functions
  • Q6. What is the difference between C and C++?
  • Q7. What is inheritance?
  • Q8. What is the difference between default and copy constructor?
  • Ans. 

    Default constructor is provided by the compiler if no constructor is defined. Copy constructor creates a new object by copying an existing object.

    • Default constructor initializes member variables to default values.

    • Copy constructor creates a new object with the same values as an existing object.

    • Default constructor is called automatically by the compiler if no constructor is defined.

    • Copy constructor is called when an obje...

  • Answered by AI
  • Q9. What are access specifiers?
  • Ans. 

    Access specifiers are keywords in object-oriented programming languages that determine the visibility and accessibility of class members.

    • Access specifiers are used to restrict access to class members.

    • There are three types of access specifiers: public, private, and protected.

    • Public members can be accessed from anywhere in the program.

    • Private members can only be accessed within the class.

    • Protected members can be accessed...

  • Answered by AI
  • Q10. What is library functions?
  • Ans. 

    Library functions are pre-written code that can be reused to perform common tasks.

    • Library functions save time and effort by providing pre-written code.

    • They are often included in programming languages or external libraries.

    • Examples include functions for string manipulation, mathematical calculations, and file input/output.

    • Library functions can be called from within a program to perform specific tasks.

    • They can also be cu...

  • Answered by AI
  • Q11. What is the difference between DML and DLL?
  • Ans. 

    DML is Data Manipulation Language used to manipulate data in a database. DLL is Data Definition Language used to define database schema.

    • DML is used to insert, update, delete data in a database.

    • DLL is used to create, alter, drop database objects like tables, views, indexes.

    • DML statements include INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE.

    • DLL statements include CREATE, ALTER, DROP.

    • DML affects data in a database, DLL affects the structure of...

  • Answered by AI
  • Q12. What is the difference between primary key and unique key?
  • Ans. 

    Primary key uniquely identifies a record in a table, while unique key ensures that all values in a column are distinct.

    • Primary key can't have null values, while unique key can have one null value.

    • A table can have only one primary key, but multiple unique keys.

    • Primary key is used as a foreign key in other tables, while unique key is not.

    • Example: Primary key - employee ID, Unique key - email address.

  • Answered by AI
  • Q13. What is a stack?
  • Ans. 

    A stack is a data structure that follows the Last-In-First-Out (LIFO) principle.

    • Elements are added to the top of the stack and removed from the top.

    • Common operations include push (add element) and pop (remove element).

    • Stacks can be implemented using arrays or linked lists.

    • Examples include the call stack in programming and the undo/redo feature in text editors.

  • Answered by AI
  • Q14. What is an Assembly?
  • Ans. 

    Assembly is a low-level programming language that is used to write programs that can directly interact with computer hardware.

    • Assembly language is specific to a particular computer architecture.

    • It is a low-level language that is difficult to read and write.

    • Assembly language programs are faster and more efficient than programs written in high-level languages.

    • Examples of assembly language include x86, ARM, and MIPS.

    • Assem...

  • Answered by AI
  • Q15. What are class access modifiers?
  • Ans. 

    Class access modifiers are keywords used to control the visibility and accessibility of class members.

    • There are four access modifiers in Java: public, private, protected, and default

    • Public members can be accessed from anywhere

    • Private members can only be accessed within the same class

    • Protected members can be accessed within the same class, subclasses, and same package

    • Default members can be accessed within the same packa...

  • Answered by AI
  • Q16. What is serialization?
  • Ans. 

    Serialization is the process of converting an object into a format that can be stored or transmitted.

    • Serialization is used to save the state of an object and recreate it later.

    • It is commonly used in network communication to transmit data between different systems.

    • Examples of serialization formats include JSON, XML, and binary formats like Protocol Buffers.

    • Deserialization is the opposite process of converting serialized...

  • Answered by AI
  • Q17. What is the purpose of Normalisation?
  • Ans. 

    Normalisation is the process of organizing data in a database to reduce redundancy and improve data integrity.

    • Normalisation helps to eliminate data redundancy and inconsistencies

    • It ensures that each piece of data is stored in only one place

    • It helps to improve data integrity and accuracy

    • It makes it easier to maintain and update the database

    • There are different levels of normalisation, each with its own set of rules and g...

  • Answered by AI
  • Q18. What is the difference between Truncate and Delete?
  • Ans. 

    Truncate removes all data from a table while Delete removes specific data from a table.

    • Truncate is faster than Delete as it doesn't log individual row deletions.

    • Truncate resets the identity of the table while Delete doesn't.

    • Truncate can't be rolled back while Delete can be.

    • Truncate doesn't fire triggers while Delete does.

  • Answered by AI
  • Q19. What is the difference between DBMS and RDBMs?
  • Q20. What is Recursion Function?
  • Ans. 

    Recursion function is a function that calls itself until a base condition is met.

    • Recursion is a technique used to solve problems by breaking them down into smaller sub-problems.

    • It involves a function calling itself with a modified input until a base case is reached.

    • Recursion can be used to solve problems such as factorial, Fibonacci series, and binary search.

    • Recursion can be implemented using loops as well, but it may ...

  • Answered by AI
  • Q21. Interview with the Director

Interview Preparation Tips

Round: Test
Experience: Initially they took an online round but due to some network problem, they had to scrap it. Next morning, they came up with a paper based round. There were 2 sections. One was aptitude and one was coding, both being objective type. The aptitude section was as lengthy as difficult. No one could have solved all 30 questions in 30 minutes time. Infact, I was only able to attempt 10. Next 40 minutes or so was reserved for the coding test. The questions they asked covered almost all the topics they mentioned in their pre-placement presentation. But the maximum number of questions were related to getting output or finding errors in C, C++ and JAVA codes. The questions they asked from theoretical subjects were more or less the basics and easy. In those questions (which were quite a few in number), you will be given a huge chunk of code with some part missing and you have to identify which snippet among the options best fits in there. Sometimes its given what the code is supposed to do, but in some questions it was also your task to find out. So I think the differentiating factor is how well your actual coding skills are. And you need to know these 3 languages atleast – C, C++ and JAVA. Again, similar to aptitude section the coding section was also very lengthy with some programs extending upto 1 or more pages. I’d recommend to skip those programs initially and jump to other easy problems first. Then if you have time, you can come back and attempt them.In the end of the coding round, they had one special subjective test in which they asked you to write the full code in any language for the give problem statement. In my case, the problem was : “Given a tree, find the depth of the largest binary search tree it contains.” I know it sounds simple enough but only until you start coding it. And while writing codes of such problems, make sure to display your data-structures and algorithmic skills and not your knowledge of STL libraries. Even if you’re not able to solve the problem and you used some complicated data structures (by using, I mean you created them from scratch without any help from STL libraries) and some good algorithms, then they are likely to appreciate your coding skills if not your problem-solving skills. And just a hint although I think you already know this – BST are the favourites of all software companies . Overall, I sat for 2 companies including Amazon and both of them had a coding problem related to BST only.
Duration: 70 minutes
Total Questions: 2

Round: HR Interview
Experience: Anyways, then there were usual HR questions like your hobbies, interests, family background, history of my town, etc. He did ask me some technical questions also like on seeing the word ‘Hacking’ in my resume, we started discussing upon hacking, its types and laws related to it.

Round: Technical Interview
Experience: They started off with puzzles, which were quite easy and common ones. Then only after 2 puzzles they started asking me about my favourite subject and language. I told them OS, Networks and C++. But instead they asked me all about Java ! I kept telling them I hadn’t revised Java but that didn’t help. They’ll ask some question and I’ll write the code in C++ and they would ask me to convert it to Java. They’d also ask the equivalents of C++ OOP concepts in Java. Its not that I know nothing of Java, I have actually done a lot of coding in it, but that day and time, I was totally unprepared. So I kept guessing a lot based on my poor memory and later to my surprise, I found I got many of them right .They also asked some design questions in which they asked me to write the class and related functions (just the prototypes) for implementing a parking lot management system. Then there were questions on hacking and security. They also asked about the network problem they faced the previous day when the online round was going on, due to which they had to scrap it. They asked what could be the reason behind it and what could be the solution. Overall, again the majority of the questions were coding type with C++ concepts like virtual functions, JAVA OOP, and design problems. This round went on for 15-20 minutes past 1 hour or so.

Round: Behavioural Interview
Experience: Finally, after few hours I was called for my last interview round. It was more like a casual round in which the D.E.Shaw associate director was taking my interview. The first thing he said was “I just wanted to meet you once myself” and he asked a few HR questions again. He asked me if I had any higher studies plan, my strengths and 2 weaknesses, why their company, etc. It was a cool round with the atmosphere also easy and it went on for just 20 minutes or so.

Skill Tips: Criteria :Cs/IT/ECE And CGPA min of 7.0[CSE] .For ECE =7.5
D. E. Shaw generally prefers computer science branch students but they’re not as strict as Amazon or Google and for for CS students it was only 7.0 . Luckily, my CGPA was above the cutoff and I was allowed to sit for the process.
Skills: C++, Java, DBMS, OOP
College Name: BITS PILANI

Skills evaluated in this interview

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a team lead
Why are women still asked such personal questions in interview?
I recently went for an interview… and honestly, m still trying to process what just happened. Instead of being asked about my skills, experience, or how I could add value to the company… the questions took a totally unexpected turn. The interviewer started asking things like When are you getting married? Are you engaged? And m sure, if I had said I was married, the next question would’ve been How long have you been married? What does my personal life have to do with the job m applying for? This is where I felt the gender discrimination hit hard. These types of questions are so casually thrown at women during interviews but are they ever asked to men? No one asks male candidates if they’re planning a wedding or how old their kids are. So why is it okay to ask women? Can we please stop normalising this kind of behaviour in interviews? Our careers shouldn’t be judged by our relationship status. Period.
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Interview questions from similar companies

I appeared for an interview in Aug 2016.

Interview Preparation Tips

Round: Test
Experience: The questions were tricky. We were given a paragraph and after reading it, a statement was given to us and we were asked to say if it is true, false or cannot say. The structure of the statement put us into a a tough place. So practice of such kind of questions is necessary.

For data interpretation questions a good hand on basic statistical mathematics is needed. One has to be quick because of the time crunch. The questions were approachable

Round: Technical Interview
Experience: In this round my resume was scanned and I was required to speak about myself, my projects and explain certain areas of my resume. The interviewer picked up one of my basic project, surprisingly, and asked me to elaborate on it. He asked me how I can improve the project. And I had to write a code to make that change. Basically, one should have a good idea about the projects they've done/ mentioned in their resume. And know it in detail.

Few questions on data structures. Prepare well for coding type questions and data structures.

Round: Puzzle Interview
Experience: The interviewer asked me two puzzles. They were moderate level. And also luckily he was helpful whenever I got stuck.

Round: HR Interview
Experience: HR round was good. Basic questions like " tell me more about yourself", brief information about my past history, college life, extra curricular activities. In the end she asked me, "should we hire you?" And I lightly answered " why not!" So it was a good interview overall.

Skills: Coding Skills, Team Working Ability, Project management
College Name: Visvesvaraya National Institute Of Technology

I appeared for an interview in Aug 2017.

Interview Questionnaire 

3 Questions

  • Q1. Tell me something about yourself
  • Ans. 

    I am a passionate software developer with experience in Java, Python, and web development.

    • Experienced in Java, Python, and web development

    • Passionate about coding and problem-solving

    • Strong communication and teamwork skills

    • Always eager to learn and adapt to new technologies

  • Answered by AI
  • Q2. Questions on data structures
  • Q3. Questions on algorithms

Interview Preparation Tips

Round: Technical + HR Interview
Experience: it took half-an-hour

Skills: Technical Skill, Technical Analysis, Speaking Skills
College Name: NIT Bhopal

I applied via Naukri.com and was interviewed in May 2019. There was 1 interview round.

Interview Questionnaire 

4 Questions

  • Q1. How MVC works for data flow?
  • Ans. 

    MVC separates data flow into three components: Model, View, and Controller.

    • Model represents data and business logic

    • View displays data to the user

    • Controller handles user input and updates the model and view accordingly

    • Data flows from the model to the view through the controller

    • Changes in the view are communicated to the controller, which updates the model and view

  • Answered by AI
  • Q2. What are mvc layers
  • Ans. 

    MVC stands for Model-View-Controller. It is a software design pattern that separates an application into three interconnected components.

    • Model: Represents the data and business logic of the application

    • View: Displays the data to the user and handles user input

    • Controller: Acts as an intermediary between the Model and View, handling user input and updating the Model and View accordingly

  • Answered by AI
  • Q3. Get and post methods
  • Q4. Servlet life cycle

Interview Preparation Tips

Interview preparation tips for other job seekers - Do your homework for string data structures problems

Skills evaluated in this interview

I applied via Naukri.com and was interviewed before May 2020. There were 5 interview rounds.

Interview Questionnaire 

1 Question

  • Q1. Questions were related to your technology on which you are good, it starts with basic that identifies you worked in your technology and good knowledge over workflow and your coding standard.

Interview Preparation Tips

Interview preparation tips for other job seekers - Working hard and prepare yourself to achieve your goal where you are satisfy with your job. There is no shortcut, you have to face the challenges. Be prepare yourself
Are these interview questions helpful?

I appeared for an interview in Jan 2021.

Interview Questionnaire 

1 Question

  • Q1. One Program with c#
  • Ans. 

    A C# program to demonstrate basic concepts like variables, loops, and conditionals.

    • Use 'int' for integers: int number = 5;

    • Implement loops: for (int i = 0; i < 5; i++) { Console.WriteLine(i); }

    • Use conditionals: if (number > 0) { Console.WriteLine('Positive'); }

  • Answered by AI

Interview Preparation Tips

Interview preparation tips for other job seekers - Wasting of time i feel when I joined interview with him. One Program he asked when i answered it properly/not he said done his interview

Skills evaluated in this interview

I applied via Naukri.com and was interviewed in Apr 2020. There were 5 interview rounds.

Interview Questionnaire 

2 Questions

  • Q1. I have got questions about vsam files and about SQL queries.
  • Q2. What is my previous work and project roles and responsibilities.?

Interview Preparation Tips

Interview preparation tips for other job seekers - Prepare with basics clear with your project,your work,and your roles and responsibilities and be good to make them understand what you willing to answer.

Interview Questionnaire 

1 Question

  • Q1. Java and oops concepts

Interview Preparation Tips

Interview preparation tips for other job seekers - Be good in java and oops concepts

DE Shaw Interview FAQs

How many rounds are there in DE Shaw Software Developer interview for freshers?
DE Shaw interview process for freshers usually has 1-2 rounds. The most common rounds in the DE Shaw interview process for freshers are Technical, Coding Test and Resume Shortlist.
How to prepare for DE Shaw Software Developer interview for freshers?
Go through your CV in detail and study all the technologies mentioned in your CV. Prepare at least two technologies or languages in depth if you are appearing for a technical interview at DE Shaw. The most common topics and skills that interviewers at DE Shaw expect are Administration Management, Analytical Chemistry, Computer Science, Direct Marketing and IT Infrastructure.
What are the top questions asked in DE Shaw Software Developer interview for freshers?

Some of the top questions asked at the DE Shaw Software Developer interview for freshers -

  1. What is the difference between primary key and unique k...read more
  2. What is the difference between default and copy construct...read more
  3. What is the difference between Truncate and Dele...read more

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DE Shaw Software Developer Salary
based on 31 salaries
₹26.3 L/yr - ₹44.8 L/yr
248% more than the average Software Developer Salary in India
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DE Shaw Software Developer Reviews and Ratings

based on 5 reviews

2.7/5

Rating in categories

3.2

Skill development

3.0

Work-life balance

3.2

Salary

3.0

Job security

3.3

Company culture

3.0

Promotions

3.0

Work satisfaction

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