PeopleStrong Senior Software Engineer Interview Questions and Answers

Round duration - 60 minutes
Round difficulty - Easy

This was a technical round. The interviewer asked me some programming based questions and some questions on database management systems.

Q1. 
Sum of Maximum and Minimum Elements Problem Statement
Given an array ARR of size N, your objective is to determine the sum of the largest and smallest elements within the array.
Follow Up:
Can you achie...read more
Ans. 
Find the sum of the largest and smallest elements in an array with the least number of comparisons.
• Iterate through the array to find the maximum and minimum elements.

• Keep track of the maximum and minimum elements as you iterate.

• After iterating, sum up the maximum and minimum elements.

• To achieve the task with the least number of comparisons, compare elements in pairs.
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Q2. 
Binary Tree Construction from Parent Array
Construct a binary tree from a given array called parent where the parent-child relationship is determined by (PARENT[i], i), indicating that the parent of node ...read more
Ans. 
Construct a binary tree from a given parent array and perform level-order traversal.
• Iterate through the parent array to create the binary tree using a queue data structure.

• Keep track of the parent-child relationships and construct the tree accordingly.

• Perform level-order traversal to print the nodes in the correct order.
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Q3. Can a unique key be a primary key?
Ans. 
Yes, a unique key can also be a primary key.
• A primary key must be unique, but a unique key does not necessarily have to be the primary key.

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

• Example: In a table of employees, the employee ID can be a unique key and also the primary key.
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Q4. Is it better to use a normalized form for database design, or is it more efficient to store data in a single table or two tables?
Ans. 
Normalized form is better for database design for data integrity and flexibility.
• Normalized form reduces data redundancy and improves data integrity.

• Normalized form allows for easier data updates and maintenance.

• Denormalized form may be more efficient for read-heavy applications with complex queries.

• Consider denormalization for performance optimization after thorough analysis.

• Example: Normalized form for a customer and...read more
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Round duration - 60 minutes
Round difficulty - Medium

The interviewer had good work experience. She was polite and calm. After brief introduction she straight jumped into my current projects and she covered my entire CV.

Round duration - 45 minutes
Round difficulty - Easy

This was a technical round involving questions on OOPS concepts and puzzles.

Q1. What is the total number of squares on a chessboard?
Ans. 
There are 204 squares on a chessboard.
• The chessboard has 64 squares in total.

• Each square can be divided into smaller squares, such as 1x1, 2x2, 3x3, etc.

• The total number of squares can be calculated by adding the squares of all sizes together.
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Q2. What is C++?
Ans. 
C++ is a high-level programming language known for its efficiency, flexibility, and performance.
• C++ is an object-oriented language with features like classes, inheritance, and polymorphism.

• It allows low-level memory manipulation through pointers.

• C++ is used in developing system software, game engines, and high-performance applications.
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Q3. What is the difference between deep copy and shallow copy?
Ans. 
Deep copy creates a new copy of an object with all nested objects also copied, while shallow copy creates a new copy of an object with references to nested objects.
• Deep copy creates a new object and recursively copies all nested objects, resulting in a completely independent copy.

• Shallow copy creates a new object but only copies references to nested objects, so changes in nested objects will reflect in both the origina...read more
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Q4. What are template classes? Can you write a program for the assignment operator '=' for a template class such that it behaves differently for 'int' and 'char *'?
Ans. 
Template classes are classes that can work with any data type. Assignment operator can be overloaded to behave differently for different data types.
• Template classes allow for writing generic classes that can work with any data type.

• Overloading the assignment operator allows for custom behavior based on the data type.

• Example: template <class T> class MyClass { T data; public: MyClass& operator=(const T& ot...read more
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Round duration - 30 minutes
Round difficulty - Easy

This was a 30 minute HR round. The interviewer asked me a number of questions to know more about me.