Samsung Software Developer Intern Interview Questions, Process, and Tips

Easy Binary search and tree questions were asked

Q1. Binary search on rotated array
Ans. 
Binary search on rotated array involves finding a target element in a sorted array that has been rotated.
• Find the pivot point where the array is rotated

• Determine which half of the array the target element lies in

• Perform binary search on the appropriate half of the array
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Q2. ACID in dbms was asked
Ans. 
ACID is a set of properties that guarantee database transactions are processed reliably.
• ACID stands for Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, Durability.

• Atomicity ensures that all operations in a transaction are completed successfully or none at all.

• Consistency ensures that the database remains in a consistent state before and after the transaction.

• Isolation ensures that multiple transactions can be executed concurrently ...read more
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Round duration - 70 minutes
Round difficulty - Medium

It was held at 7:00 pm. STL functions were not allowed. But STL containers like queues were allowed. One question was easy-medium, one was medium and one was hard. Everyone got different sets of questions. Make sure you solve all the questions from Samsung online Test, as they tend to repeat. Only 2 sample test cases were visible and Other Test Cases were hidden.

Q1. 
Game of Stones Problem Statement
Two players, 'Ale' and 'Bob', are playing a game with a pile of stones. Your task is to determine the winner if both play optimally.
Rules of the Game:
1. On each turn, ...read more
Ans. Game Theory
• It is clear that if the number of stones is ‘1’ then ‘Ale’ wins the game. If ‘2’ then also ‘Ale’ wins the match, and if ‘3’ then ‘Bob’ wins the game.
• So we can observe that, if anyone has a chance to choose a stone from ‘3’ number of stones then another opponent will the game. If ‘Ale’ choosing the stones from ‘3’ number stone then ‘Bob’ will win and vice versa.
• If the number of stones is ‘4’ then ‘Ale’ will w...read more
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Q2. 
Largest Number in Binary Tree
You are provided with a Binary Tree consisting of 'N' nodes, where each node holds an integer value. Your task is to determine the largest possible number that can be formed ...read more
Ans. Sorting
A simple solution would be to store all the node values to the list/array by traversing the whole Binary Tree and the problem now is that given a list of non-negative integers, arrange them such that they form the largest number. To solve this problem, sort the array in descending order, but sorting the list/array does not work here.
 
The idea is to use any of the comparison-based sorting algorithms.
 
1. We...read more
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Q3. 
Bridge in Graph Problem Statement
Given an undirected graph with V vertices and E edges, your task is to find all the bridges in this graph. A bridge is an edge that, when removed, increases the number of...read more
Ans. Brute Force
The brute force approach to find all the bridges in a given graph is to check for every edge if it is a bridge or not, by first not considering current edge is not in given graph and then checking if the vertices that it was connecting are still connected or not, using DFS(DepthFirst Search). Given below is an algorithm that will find all bridges in a graph.
 
Algorithm :
1. Initialise a visited array with fa...read more
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Round duration - 60 minutes
Round difficulty - Easy

The interviewer was very friendly. It started at 10:00 AM and lasted for 60 minutes. It was the only technical interview and NO HR interview was there. The video was kept on with screen sharing.

Q1. 
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. Brute Force Approach
The main idea is to do the sum of digits until it becomes less than 10.
 
Algorithm:
• Add a condition if N is less than 10 then return N.
• Do the sum of all digits.
• Make a recursive call and pass the sum of digits as N.
• Return the answer which you get from a recursive call.
Space Complexity: O(1)Explanation:
O(1).
 
We are using constant space to solve this.
Time Complexity: OtherExplanation:
O(log10(...read more
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Q2. 
Sum of Squares of First N Natural Numbers Problem Statement
You are tasked with finding the sum of squares of the first N natural numbers for given test cases.
Input:
The first line contains an integer ...read more
Ans. Brute Force - Recursive
• Write a recursive solution for adding the sum of the squares of the first ‘N’ natural numbers.
• The base case would be the sum of the first natural number, which is 1.
• Sum up the squares of each number from 1 to ‘N’.
• Finally, return this sum.
Space Complexity: O(1)Explanation:
O(N), where ‘N’ is the given number.
Considering the recursive stack space.
Time Complexity: O(1)Explanation:
O(N), where ‘N’ is...read more
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Q3. 
Binary Tree to Doubly Linked List
Transform a given Binary Tree into a Doubly Linked List.
Ensure that the nodes in the Doubly Linked List follow the Inorder Traversal of the Binary Tree.
Input:
The fi...read more
Ans. Recursive Solution - 1
• If the left subtree exists, recursively convert the left subtree to Doubly Linked List.
• If the right subtree exists, recursively convert the right subtree to Doubly Linked List.
• When in the left subtree, find the inorder predecessor of the root, make this as the previous of the root and its next as the root.
• Similarly, when in the right subtree, find the inorder successor of the root, make this as th...read more
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Round duration - 45 minutes
Round difficulty - Medium

This round was scheduled in the evening hours and all the participants were required to fill a form which was shared 15 minutes prior to the start of the online coding round. This form was filled out probably for the security reasons and to ensure that no one disinterested participant gives the test.

Q1. 
Triplets with Given Sum Problem
Given an array or list ARR consisting of N integers, your task is to identify all distinct triplets within the array that sum up to a specified number K.
Explanation:
A t...read more
Ans. Brute Force
• The most trivial approach would be to find all triplets of the array and count all such triplets whose ‘SUM’ = 'K'.
• We can find the answer using three nested loops for three different indexes and check if the values at those indexes sum up to 'K'.
• Create a set  to keep the track of triplets we have visited. Run first loop from i = 0 to i = ‘N’ - 3, second loop from j = i + 1 to j = ‘N’ - 2 and third loop ...read more
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Q2. 
BST to Greater Tree Conversion
Convert a given binary search tree (BST) with 'N' nodes into a Greater Tree. In this transformation, each node's data is modified to the sum of the original node's data plus...read more
Ans. Using Stack
• Using stack, we can perform the reverse inorder traversal on the BST iteratively.
• Firstly, initialize the temporary variable ‘node’ with the root node, and maintain a variable ‘sum’ with an initial value of 0.
• Loop through until the stack is empty or the node becomes null.
• Now iteratively traverse to the rightmost node of the tree and while traversing push each node onto the stack.
• Now pop an element from the st...read more
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Round duration - 30 minutes
Round difficulty - Medium

Round duration - 50 Minutes
Round difficulty - Medium

This was the only technical round held for shortlisted students. Students were divided in multiple batches and each batch was interviewed by a panel of one Technical and one HR interviewer. This round was scheduled on Samsung's internal video conferencing platform which was accessible through windows machine only. This round was based on data structures, algorithms and computer science subject's questions. My interview was scheduled at 2:00pm. Interviewers were very friendly and overall environment was positive.

Q1. 
Delete a Node from a Linked List
You are provided with a linked list of integers. Your task is to implement a function that deletes a node located at a specified position 'POS'.
Input:
The first line co...read more
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Q2. 
Rotate Matrix by 90 Degrees Problem Statement
Given a square matrix 'MATRIX' of non-negative integers, rotate the matrix by 90 degrees in an anti-clockwise direction using only constant extra space.
Inpu...read more
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Round duration - 10 Minutes
Round difficulty - Easy

In this round, basic HR questions were asked. Questions were behavioural and very easy to answer. It happened via a telephonic call and lasted approximately 10 minutes.

Round duration - 120 minutes
Round difficulty - Medium

The round had 2 coding problems to solve with varying difficulty. Each candidate had a different set of questions. The round was around 2 pm. The webcam was turned on to keep an eye on candidates.

Q1. 
Count Leaf Nodes in a Binary Tree
Count the number of leaf nodes present in a given binary tree. A binary tree is a data structure where each node has at most two children, known as the left child and the...read more
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Q2. 
0-1 Knapsack Problem Statement
You are tasked with determining the maximum profit a thief can earn. The thief is looting a store and can carry a maximum weight 'W' in his knapsack. There are 'N' items, ea...read more
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Round duration - 60 minutes
Round difficulty - Medium

This was my first face to face interview and I was very nervous. It was at 10 am in the morning. However, my interviewer was very friendly and asked for my introduction in the beginning. He also gave me hints whenever I felt stuck.

Q1. 
Longest Increasing Subsequence Problem Statement
Given an array of integers with 'N' elements, determine the length of the longest subsequence where each element is greater than the previous element. This...read more
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Q2. 
Merge Two Sorted Linked Lists Problem Statement
You are provided with two sorted linked lists. Your task is to merge them into a single sorted linked list and return the head of the combined linked list.
...read more
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Round duration - 30 minutes
Round difficulty - Easy

This was my last round and I hoped it to go good just like the other rounds. The interviewer was very straight to point and professional. The interview lasted for 30 minutes.

Round duration - 70 minutes
Round difficulty - Medium

Online Coding Round held on CoCubes Platform 
Duration: 70 mins Camera and Mic enabled

Tip: 1) CoCubes platform does allow to use in-built library functions. So one cannot use even in-built sort function.
2) Make sure you write the most optimal code in terms of time complexity.

Questions were put from a question bank so they were different to each candidate. 
Shortlisting for next round was done based on time taken, code readability and hidden test cases clearance.
Around 6 students were selected for next round.

Q1. 
Ceil Value from BST Problem Statement
Given a Binary Search Tree (BST) and an integer, write a function to return the ceil value of a particular key in the BST.
The ceil of an integer is defined as the s...read more
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Q2. 
Remove BST Keys Outside Given Range
Given a Binary Search Tree (BST) and a specified range [min, max], your task is to remove all keys from the BST that fall outside this range. The BST should remain vali...read more
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Q3. 
Minimum Insertions to Make a String Palindrome
Determine the minimal number of characters needed to insert into a given string STR to transform it into a palindrome.
Example:
Input:
STR = "abcaa"
Outp...read more
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Round duration - 50 minutes
Round difficulty - Medium

Technical Interview held over Skype video call. Interviewer was friendly.
Timing: Around 11 am

I was asked to share my screen and code of any preferred editor.

Q1. 
Merge Sort Linked List Problem Statement
You are given a singly linked list of integers. Your task is to sort the linked list using the merge sort algorithm.
Explanation:
Merge Sort is a divide and conq...read more
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Q2. 
Reverse Linked List Problem Statement
Given a Singly Linked List of integers, your task is to reverse the Linked List by altering the links between the nodes.
Input:
The first line of input is an intege...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
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Q4. 
AVL Tree Insertion Task
Create an AVL tree from scratch. You will be provided with ‘N’ values representing node values you need to insert into the AVL tree. After inserting all values, return the root of ...read more
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Q5. 
Longest Palindromic Substring Problem Statement
You are provided with a string STR of length N. The goal is to identify the longest palindromic substring within this string. In cases where multiple palind...read more
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Q6. What can you tell me about virtual memory and cache implementation?
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Round duration - 32 minutes
Round difficulty - Hard

Technical Interview held over Skype video call. Round stared with "Tell me about yourself ?" question and then the interviewer reviewed my resume and asked some project related question. Then he moved to coding & OOPS related questions.

For coding problems I was asked to share my screen and code in my preferred editor. For each question optimized solution was expected by the interviewer.

Q1. 
Remove Consecutive Duplicates Problem Statement
For a given string str, remove all the consecutive duplicate characters.
Example:
Input:
Input String: "aaaa"
Output:
Expected Output: "a"
Input:
Inp...read more
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Q2. 
Maximum Subsequence Sum Without Three Consecutive Elements
Given an array A of length N consisting of positive integers, your task is to determine the maximum subsequence sum where no three consecutive el...read more
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Q3. 
Longest Substring Without Repeating Characters Problem Statement
Given a string S of length L, determine the length of the longest substring that contains no repeating characters.
Example:
Input:
"abac...read more
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Round duration - 60 minutes
Round difficulty - Easy

The round was taken on Cocubes platform with video enabled . The time I chose was 3:00 P.M.

Q1. 
Maximum Number from Linked List Problem Statement
Given a linked list where each node contains a single digit, your task is to construct the largest possible number using these digits.
Objective:
Print ...read more
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Round duration - 60 Minutes
Round difficulty - Medium

The coding problems were medium and it was held online on Cocubes at 4:00 PM

Q1. 
Maximum Sum Path from Leaf to Root
Given a binary tree with 'N' nodes, identify the path from a leaf node to the root node that has the maximum sum among all root-to-leaf paths.
Example:
All the possibl...read more
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Q2. 
Bipartite Graph Check
Determine if a given graph is bipartite. A graph is considered bipartite if its vertices can be divided into two disjoint sets, 'U' and 'V', such that every edge connects a vertex in...read more
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Round duration - 180 minutes
Round difficulty - Easy

The round had 3 problems to solve. There were multiple sets and each candidate had a different set of problems to solve.
- Timing: Afternoon (2pm - 5 pm)
- Environment: In a college environment with invigilators present to avoid any bad practices.

Q1. 
Find Shortest Path in a Tree
Given a tree with 'N' nodes and 'N - 1' distinct edges, along with two nodes 'N1' and 'N2', find and print the shortest path between 'N1' and 'N2'.
Explanation:
A tree is a ...read more
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Q2. 
Count Leaf Nodes in a Binary Tree
Count the number of leaf nodes present in a given binary tree. A binary tree is a data structure where each node has at most two children, known as the left child and the...read more
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Round duration - 60 minutes
Round difficulty - Medium

It was a pen and a paper round. We were required to solve a problem with pen and paper. Also, we were not allowed to use an inbuilt data structure and algorithm.

Q1. 
Shortest Path in a Binary Maze Problem Statement
Given a maze represented as a binary rectangular matrix of size M*N, where each element can either be 0 or 1, determine the length of the shortest path fro...read more
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Round duration - 20 minutes
Round difficulty - Easy

It was the first and only face to face interview. The round was majorly about Data structures and algorithms. Some people were also asked some standard puzzles.

Q1. 
Power of Two Problem Statement
Determine whether a given integer N is a power of two. Return true if it is, otherwise return false.
Explanation
An integer 'N' is considered a power of two if it can be e...read more
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Q2. 
Reverse the String Problem Statement
You are given a string STR which contains alphabets, numbers, and special characters. Your task is to reverse the string.
Example:
Input:
STR = "abcde"
Output:
"e...read more
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