Motorola Software Engineer Interview Questions and Answers

Round: Test
Experience: Only a few students will get shortlisted who do all the questions correctly.

Round: Other Interview
Experience: First 4 rounds on day 1 and this are just to shortlist for more rounds on some other day.
Tips: They will focus on almost all the concepts of computer science.You need to practice a lot and start it right now. Should be easy if you have prepared well enough. Use your holidays to start preparing for placements.

General Tips: Sooner you start, better your placement will be as lack of practice & last day study works only for exams but never for interviews. You'll get enough time to prepare for interviews once you get shortlisted. Focus on it even if you are placed already.
Skill Tips: They will focus on almost all the concepts of computer science.
Skills: C , Aptitude
College Name: NIT SURATHKAL

Round: Technical Interview
Experience: On-site interview (5 hours).

4 back-to-back 45-minute coding interviews, followed by a design interview, with a lunch break with a Googler in the middle.

The first coding interview was a set of (surprisingly) trivial (no algorithms needed) incremental coding questions.

The two next coding interviews were problems straight from the "Cracking the coding interview" book. Even though I divulged that I'd solved pretty much exactly the same problem before, they didn't give me an alternative problem and I quickly coded up a general and optimal solution for the problems. Follow-up in-depth questions were minimal and not hard.

The last coding question was a pure algorithm question related to search trees/tries. No coding required, spent the whole time reasoning about the most effective algorithm. This was a bit of a brain twister.

The design question was related to high-level system design (not OO design) for storage and search in geographic data. Focus was effective search as well as scalability both in traffic and data volumes.

Tips: Read "Cracking the coding interview" or other similar literature. Solve all the problems and you should be good to go. If you solve a bunch of problems at HackerRank (or similar) as well, you'll have the added bonus of training on how to generalize the algorithms.

Round: Test
Experience: The test was conducted through Cocubes. It was moderately difficult. Some of the questions are time taking. We need to be decisive in attempting such questions.
Tips: Need to manage time properly. Should assess and choose which questions to attempt and which ones to leave.
Duration: 1 hour
Total Questions: 30

Round: Test
Experience: The three questions are of three different levels.

1. You will be given two numbers. The first one is the starting point and the second one is the ending point of a range of integers. You have to count the number of integers in that range which are divisible by the first number.

Ex : INPUT : 3 18
OUTPUT : 6

2. You will be given a number. You have to find the sum of the digits. If the sum exceeds 9, you have to add the digits of the sum recursively until you a get a single digit sum.

EX : INPUT : 9999
OUTPUT : 9

Explanation: 9999 => 9 +9+9+9=36 => 3+6 =9

3. You will be given an array of characters which include ( L, R , or a number in the range '0' to '9'). A ball is kept on a line of integers initially kept at zero. The ball has to execute the instructions sequentially as follows:
(i) If an 'L' character is encountered, the ;position of the ball has to be decremented.
(ii) If an 'R' character is encountered, the position of the ball has to be incremented.
(iii) If an integer (in the range '0' to '9) is encountered , we have to go to that index in the array and execute the instruction present in that index.

Finally, after all the instructions are executed, you have to print the final position of the ball.

EX : INPUT :
Number of instruction : 5
Instructions: LR1R2

OUTPUT : 3

Explanation :
(i) Initially, the ball is at 0. Since the 0th index in the array is 'L' , the ball moves to 0-1= -1 position.
(ii) The 1st index is 'R' hence, the position of the ball is -1 +1 = 0 position.
(iii) The 2nd index is '1', hence we have to go to index 1 in the array which is 'R', hence the new position is 0+1 =1.
(iv) The 3rd index is 'R', hence the new position is 1 +1 =2.
(v) The 4th index is '2' , hence we have to go to 2nd index is '1' , hence we have to go again to 1st index , which is 'R' hence the final position is 2+1 =3.

Tips: We need to solve all the three the problems to have better chances of clearing this round.
Duration: 1 hour
Total Questions: 3

Round: Technical Interview
Experience: The interview was focussed majorly on coding. It went for about 45min with around 10 coding problems given to solve. Some basics of Computer networking are also tested in this round.
Tips: Be prepared with some basics of networking. As the company's main focus is on Telecom, good knowledge in telecom and networking would be a big advantage.

Round: Technical Interview
Experience: This round was focused on the aptitude and reasoning skills. Some puzzles were given in this round. These puzzles are of moderately complex and are more common ones in interviews. Like the (find the heavier ball among three balls using a balance in min no. of attempts).
Tips: Sometimes the interviewer tries to confuse. You need to be confident with your answers and explaination.

Round: HR Interview
Experience: The interview was more of a traditional HR round. Majorly concentrated on the final year project, personal strengths and weaknesses.

Skills: Coding Skills, Computer Networking, C Language Basics
College Name: G Pulla Reddy College of Engineering & Technology

Round: Test
Experience: There were 40 aptitude questions of variable difficulty. More questions revolved around topics like time and work, distance, speed, time, profit loss, age etc.
Tips: A regular and prior preparation will go a long way in determining a good test score.
Use tricks to solve the questions and calculations should be fast.
Duration: 30 minutes
Total Questions: 40

Round: Test
Experience: The questions weren't that tough when it came to programming. An example would be conversion of temperature from Celsius to Fahrenheit and vice versa. This was a question in my paper. So I'm hoping the difficulty would be more or less the same.
Tips: Do certified programming courses. They help you a lot in cracking good jobs.
Duration: 45 minutes
Total Questions: 3

Round: Puzzle Interview
Tips: This can be tough if you can't imagine scenarios and situations. So make sure you inculcate critical problem solving thinking in your everyday life. I feel that's the best way to do things in this round.

Round: Technical Interview
Experience: This was a short interview so not much happened.
Tips: Whatever you do just know your stuff properly.

Round: HR Interview
Experience: It was a simple interview. Basic questions and their basic answers helped me get through it.
Tips: The tip would be to stay positive in your approach while answering the questions

Skills: Technical Skills, Interpersonal Communication, Aptitude
College Name: VIT Vellore

Round: Test
Experience: There were 40 aptitude questions of variable difficulty. More questions revolved around topics like time and work, distance, speed, time, profit loss, age etc.
Tips: A regular and prior preparation will go a long way in determining a good test score.
Use tricks to solve the questions and calculations should be fast.
Duration: 30 minutes
Total Questions: 40

Round: Test
Experience: The questions weren't that tough when it came to programming. An example would be conversion of temperature from Celsius to Fahrenheit and vice versa. This was a question in my paper. So I'm hoping the difficulty would be more or less the same.
Tips: Do certified programming courses. They help you a lot in cracking good jobs.
Duration: 45 minutes
Total Questions: 3

Round: Puzzle Interview
Tips: This can be tough if you can't imagine scenarios and situations. So make sure you inculcate critical problem solving thinking in your everyday life. I feel that's the best way to do things in this round.

Round: Technical Interview
Experience: This was a short interview so not much happened.
Tips: Whatever you do just know your stuff properly.

Round: HR Interview
Experience: It was a simple interview. Basic questions and their basic answers helped me get through it.
Tips: The tip would be to stay positive in your approach while answering the questions

Skills: Technical Skill, Interpersonal Communication, Aptitude
College Name: VIT Vellore

Round: Test
Experience: There were 40 aptitude questions of variable difficulty. More questions revolved around topics like time and work, distance, speed, time, profit loss, age etc.
Tips: A regular and prior preparation will go a long way in determining a good test score.
Use tricks to solve the questions and calculations should be fast.
Duration: 30 minutes
Total Questions: 40

Round: Test
Experience: The questions weren't that tough when it came to programming. An example would be conversion of temperature from Celsius to Fahrenheit and vice versa. This was a question in my paper. So I'm hoping the difficulty would be more or less the same.
Tips: Do certified programming courses. They help you a lot in cracking good jobs.
Duration: 45 minutes
Total Questions: 3

Round: Puzzle Interview
Tips: This can be tough if you can't imagine scenarios and situations. So make sure you inculcate critical problem solving thinking in your everyday life. I feel that's the best way to do things in this round.

Round: Technical Interview
Experience: This was a short interview so not much happened.
Tips: Whatever you do just know your stuff properly.

Round: HR Interview
Experience: It was a simple interview. Basic questions and their basic answers helped me get through it.
Tips: The tip would be to stay positive in your approach while answering the questions

Skills: Technical Skill, Interpersonal Communication, Aptitude
College Name: VIT Vellore

Round: Test
Experience: The first consisted of an online test which had an aptitude section which was pretty simply and then a programming section consisting of three different programs. The programs were logical required basic knowledge of array, sorting and a little bit of data structures.

Round: Technical Interview
Experience: Around 13 of us were shortlisted for the interview round, B.Tech and M.Tech included. The interview round was mostly interactive, where we had to mention about the various interns that we went through. A few programming questions were asked based on topics which we were comfortable with.
Tips: Just get used to coding, data structures and basic aptitude. GRE preparation as such helped me.

Round: HR Interview
Experience: Finally there was a HR round in which I was asked as to why I would like to work in Samsung R&D and general things about interests and future plans. On the whole Samsung took 3 B.Tech students and 2 M.Tech students when they came for placements apart from PPOs.

General Tips: Personally I feel that one should apply in only those companies in which they are sure of having job satisfaction. So don't apply to companies which you are not interested in just for the sake of having a backup because once you are placed you do not have a second chance.
Do not get dejected if you do not get through in the first few tries. Keep your hopes up and be confident when ever you get to interview rounds. Try to be assertive when giving answers. It is some times exhausting to go through placements but the moment you get placed you will have the best feeling ever.
Skill Tips: Just chill and take the test. Once you clear the online test, irrespective of your pointer if you have a good profile you can convince the interviewers.
Skills:
College Name: NIT Surathkal

Round: Test
Experience: Written round: One programming question of 3 hours duration.All test cases were to passed.
Duration: 3 hours minutes
Total Questions: 1

Round: Technical Interview
Experience:
There were two rounds : tech PI and HR round.
A.Tech. PI: Firstly,interviewer went through my whole resume.He started asking questions from project done during summer internship.Questions were:
1.What is he project about?
2.Difference between 3G and 4G.
3.What is the aim of this research internship?
4.How much was i able to complete in two months?(I told that i am continuing as major project,since in two months time i could not get desired result).

Then, he went onto programming language i was comfortable. I answered C.
1.sizeof("shubham")
strlen("shubham")
I was asked to write output.Output would be 8 and 7. He asked why. Basic concepts should be clear.
2.Storage Classes in C-asked me concept and gave some questions to write output.
3.Constant pointers and pointers to constant. Asked to write output of snippets he gave.
4.malloc,caloc,realloc,free-syntax
5.Questions on pointers.

Basic concepts of let us C were asked mostly,that book is enough . Also see, GEEKSFORGEEKS, C section.

Operating System: Mutex and Semaphore,critical Section, Scheduling algorithms, Producer-Consumer Problem.
(Data Structures was not asked to me but others.)

Puzzles:
1. Maximum run a batsman can make in 50 overs.
2.There are 10 coins. 5 face head side and 5 as tail. You are blind folded.Make two piles of equal number of coins such that number of head in equal in both the piles.
Assumption:You can flip coin any number of times.

Question: Why do you want to join Samsung ,though placed in other company?

Questions: Any plans of future studies. I answered 'NO' only job.

Last question: Any question I would like to ask them. I asked what work would be doing in R&D. He explained me a lot of things.
Tips: 1.Be thorough with your project(done during internship or training) . You should be able to answer almost all the questions.
2.Study operating system very well if you plan to sit in samsung R&D.
3.Data structures and any one programming language.
4.Prepare puzzles as it can be asked by anyone. See programmerinterview.com etc.
5.Refer samsung archives of GEEKSFORGEEKS . Interview questions were mostly covering those.

Round: HR Interview
Experience: 1.Introduce yourself.
2.How would your friends describe you?
3.Tell the recent experiences of which makes you initiative.(i told that i am initiative,then he asked that question. So be ready with the examples,when u say any of your qualities.)
4.What is your weakness?
5.Puzzles.He asked me to fill the numbers from 1 to 8 in these 8 boxes, one number exactly once, such that no two consecutive elements are
adjacent(diagonally, horizontally or vertically) to each other.

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6.Which places in India have you been?


Skills: Solving Logic Puzzles, Basic C/C++, Data Structures, Operating Systems
College Name: NIT Raipur