HSBC Group Technology Analyst Interview Questions and Answers

Round duration - 60 minutes
Round difficulty - Easy

This was a technical round with questions on DSA and OOPS.

Q1. What is an AVL Tree?
Ans. 
An AVL tree is a self-balancing binary search tree where the heights of the two child subtrees of any node differ by at most one.
• AVL trees are named after their inventors Adelson-Velsky and Landis.

• They are used to maintain sorted data and ensure efficient search, insertion, and deletion operations.

• Balancing in AVL trees is achieved through rotations to maintain the height balance factor.

• Example: Inserting elements 1, 2...read more
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Q2. Why is the time complexity of Binary Search O(Log n)?
Ans. 
Binary Search halves the search space in each iteration, leading to a time complexity of O(Log n).
• Binary Search divides the array into two halves and compares the target value with the middle element.

• If the target value is less than the middle element, it searches in the left half; otherwise, it searches in the right half.

• This process continues until the target value is found or the subarray size becomes 0.

• Since each c...read more
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Q3. 
Implementing a Priority Queue Using Heap
Ninja has been tasked with implementing a priority queue using a heap data structure. However, he is currently busy preparing for a tournament and has requested yo...read more
Ans. 
Implement a priority queue using a heap data structure by completing the provided class functions.
• Implement push(), pop(), getMaxElement(), and isEmpty() functions in the given class structure.

• Use a heap data structure to maintain the priority queue.

• Handle different types of queries (push, pop, getMaxElement, isEmpty) as per the given instructions.

• Ensure the functions return the correct values based on the type of quer...read more
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Q4. 
Sum of Digits Problem Statement
Given an integer 'N', continue summing its digits until the result is a single-digit number. Your task is to determine the final value of 'N' after applying this operation ...read more
Ans. 
Given an integer, sum its digits until a single-digit number is obtained. Determine the final single-digit integer.
• Iteratively sum the digits of the integer until a single-digit number is obtained

• Output the final single-digit integer for each test case

• Handle multiple test cases efficiently

• Ensure the final value is less than 10
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Q5. What is the difference between HashMap and HashSet?
Ans. 
HashMap is a collection of key-value pairs, while HashSet is a collection of unique elements.
• HashMap allows duplicate values but keys must be unique

• HashSet does not allow duplicate elements

• HashMap uses key-value pairs for storing data, while HashSet only stores individual elements

• Example: HashMap<String, Integer> map = new HashMap<>(); HashSet<String> set = new HashSet<>();
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Q6. What is the difference between an abstract class and an interface in Object-Oriented Programming?
Ans. 
Abstract class can have both abstract and non-abstract methods, while interface can only have abstract methods.
• Abstract class can have constructors, fields, and methods, while interface cannot have any implementation.

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

• Abstract classes are used to define common characteristics of subclasses, while interfaces are used to define a contract fo...read more
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Q7. Why are virtual destructors needed?
Ans. 
Virtual destructors are needed to ensure proper cleanup of resources in derived classes when using polymorphism.
• Virtual destructors are necessary to ensure that the destructor of the most derived class is called when deleting a base class pointer to a derived class object.

• Without virtual destructors, only the base class destructor would be called, leading to memory leaks and resource leaks in the derived class.

• Virtual ...read more
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Round duration - 60 minutes
Round difficulty - Medium

This was a technical round with questions on OS and OOPS. A design question was also discussed.

Q1. What is the Round Robin Algorithm?
Ans. 
Round Robin Algorithm is a CPU scheduling algorithm where each process is assigned a fixed time slice in a cyclic manner.
• Each process is given a small unit of time to execute, called a time slice or quantum.

• Once a process's time slice expires, it is moved to the end of the ready queue.

• The scheduler then moves to the next process in the queue and allocates it the CPU for its time slice.

• This continues until all processes...read more
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Q2. How would you design a system where users can subscribe to specific topics, and receive messages whenever a new message is posted related to those topics?
Ans. 
Design a system for users to subscribe to topics and receive notifications for new messages.
• Create a user profile where they can select topics of interest to subscribe to.

• Implement a messaging system that sends notifications to users when new messages are posted related to their subscribed topics.

• Allow users to manage their subscriptions and preferences easily.

• Utilize a database to store user subscriptions and messages...read more
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Q3. How is memory allocation handled in recursion?
Ans. 
Memory allocation in recursion involves creating a new stack frame for each recursive call.
• Each recursive call creates a new stack frame to store local variables and function parameters.

• Memory is allocated on the stack for each stack frame, which can lead to stack overflow if too many recursive calls are made.

• Once a recursive call returns, its stack frame is deallocated to free up memory.

• Example: Factorial function rec...read more
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Q4. Why are threads needed?
Ans. 
Threads are needed to allow a program to perform multiple tasks concurrently, improving performance and responsiveness.
• Threads allow for parallel execution of tasks, utilizing multiple CPU cores efficiently.

• Threads can improve responsiveness in applications by handling multiple tasks simultaneously.

• Threads are essential for implementing features like background processing, multitasking, and handling user input concurre...read more
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Round duration - 45 minutes
Round difficulty - Easy

This was a group activity round.

Round duration - 30 minutes
Round difficulty - Easy

HR round with typical behavioral problems.

Q1. Be clear with your basics
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Q1. Maven basics, Design Patterns
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