20+ Karma Management Consultants Interview Questions and Answers

Multi-threaded program to print even and odd numbers up to 100

• Create two threads, one for even numbers and one for odd numbers

• Use a loop to iterate through numbers 1 to 100

• In each iteration, check if the number is even or odd

• Print the number in the corresponding thread

• Join the threads to ensure all numbers are printed in order

I worked on the Observer design pattern

• Observer pattern is used for one-to-many object dependency

• It defines a one-to-many relationship between objects

• When one object changes state, all its dependents are notified and updated automatically

• Example: A weather station that notifies its observers (display devices) when the temperature changes

The 4 pillars of object oriented programming are encapsulation, inheritance, polymorphism, and abstraction.

• Encapsulation: Bundling data and methods that operate on the data into a single unit.

• Inheritance: Creating new classes based on existing classes, allowing for code reuse.

• Polymorphism: The ability for objects of different classes to respond to the same message.

• Abstraction: Hiding the complex implementation details and only showing the necessary features.

To find the second highest number from a list of numbers.

• Sort the list in descending order

• Return the second element in the sorted list

Creating a program to generate a chart from Excel table data

• Use a programming language that has libraries for reading Excel files, such as Python with pandas

• Parse the data from the Excel table and plot it using a charting library like Matplotlib or Plotly

• Handle any errors or missing data in the Excel table gracefully

• Allow for customization of the chart's appearance and labels based on user input

Interview questions for Software Engineer II

• Abstract class is a class that cannot be instantiated and can have both abstract and non-abstract methods. Interface is a blueprint of a class that only has abstract methods.

• OOPs concepts include inheritance, polymorphism, encapsulation, and abstraction. Example: Inheritance - a child class inheriting properties and methods from a parent class.

• SOLID principles are Single Responsibility, Open-Closed, Liskov Substitution, Interface Se...read more

The n+1 problem in Hibernate refers to the issue of making n+1 database queries instead of a single query when fetching related entities.

• Occurs when fetching a collection of entities and then accessing a lazy-loaded association for each entity individually

• Can be resolved by using fetch joins or batch fetching to reduce the number of queries

• Example: Fetching a list of orders and then accessing the customer for each order separately

Design a data pipeline to display hourly activity on a smartwatch for the last 24 hours using SQL queries.

• Create a table to store activity data with columns for timestamp and activity type.

• Use a SQL query to aggregate activity data by hour for the last 24 hours.

• Display the results on the smartwatch using a suitable visualization.

MongoDB is a NoSQL database while SQL is a relational database management system.

• MongoDB is schema-less, allowing for flexible data models.

• SQL databases use structured query language for defining and manipulating data.

• MongoDB is horizontally scalable, while SQL databases are vertically scalable.

• SQL databases are better suited for complex queries and joins.

• MongoDB is commonly used for big data and real-time applications.

• SQL databases are ACID compliant, ensuring data integrity...read more

IOC container is a software design pattern that manages the instantiation and configuration of objects.

• IOC stands for Inversion of Control

• IOC container is used to decouple the execution of a task from its implementation

• It allows for easier testing and maintenance of code by promoting loose coupling

• Examples of IOC containers include Spring Framework's ApplicationContext and Unity Container in .NET

Test case for a phone involves checking various functionalities like calling, texting, internet browsing, camera, etc.

• Test making a phone call

• Test sending a text message

• Test browsing the internet

• Test taking a photo with the camera

• Test playing a video

• Test connecting to Bluetooth device

Sliding window technique is used to solve problems where we need to find a substring of a certain length in a larger string.

• Define the window size and slide it over the string

• Use two pointers to keep track of the start and end of the window

• Examples: Maximum sum subarray of size K, Longest substring with K distinct characters

Redshift is a cloud-based data warehousing solution by AWS. It uses columnar storage and massively parallel processing.

• Redshift is based on PostgreSQL and uses SQL for querying data.

• It uses columnar storage which is optimized for analytical queries.

• Redshift is a massively parallel processing (MPP) system, which means it can distribute queries across multiple nodes for faster processing.

• It uses key-based sharding to distribute data across nodes.

• Redshift supports various types ...read more

Agile testing is a software testing approach that follows the principles of Agile development.

• Agile testing is an iterative and incremental testing process.

• It involves continuous collaboration between developers, testers, and stakeholders.

• Testing is done in parallel with development to ensure early feedback.

• Testers adapt to changing requirements and deliverables.

• Automation plays a crucial role in Agile testing.

• Examples: Scrum, Kanban, Test-driven development (TDD).

Test case for login screen

• Verify that the login screen is displayed correctly

• Verify that the username and password fields are present

• Verify that the login button is enabled only when both fields are filled

• Verify that an error message is displayed for invalid credentials

• Verify that the user is redirected to the home page after successful login

Software test lifecycle is a process that includes planning, designing, executing, and evaluating tests to ensure software quality.

• The lifecycle begins with test planning, where test objectives, scope, and resources are defined.

• Next, test design involves creating test cases and test data based on requirements and specifications.

• Test execution involves running the tests and recording the results.

• After execution, test evaluation is performed to analyze the results and identify ...read more

Reverse a string without using inbuilt functions

• Create a new array to store the reversed string

• Iterate through the original string from end to start and append each character to the new array

• Join the characters in the new array to form the reversed string

Defect life cycle is the process of identifying, reporting, fixing, and verifying software defects.

• Defect is identified by testers during testing phase

• Defect is reported to the development team

• Development team fixes the defect

• Fixed defect is retested by testers

• If defect is not resolved, it goes back to development team

• Once defect is resolved, it is closed

SQL query to find 2nd max and Fibonacci series implementation

• For finding 2nd max, use ORDER BY and LIMIT in SQL query

• For Fibonacci series, use a loop or recursive function

• Fibonacci series starts with 0, 1 and each subsequent number is the sum of the previous two

• Example SQL query: SELECT MAX(column_name) FROM table_name WHERE column_name < (SELECT MAX(column_name) FROM table_name)

• Example Fibonacci series: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144, ...

SDLC stands for Software Development Life Cycle. It is a process used to design, develop, test, and maintain software.

• SDLC is a structured approach to software development.

• It consists of several phases including requirements gathering, design, coding, testing, and maintenance.

• Each phase has specific activities and deliverables.

• SDLC models include Waterfall, Agile, and DevOps.

• It ensures the quality and reliability of software products.

To find the mid of a linked list, use two pointers - one moving at double the speed of the other.

• Initialize two pointers, slow and fast, at the head of the linked list.

• Move the slow pointer by one node and the fast pointer by two nodes until the fast pointer reaches the end of the list.

• The node pointed to by the slow pointer at this point is the mid of the linked list.