Squadcast Software Developer Interview Questions and Answers

Round duration - 45 Minutes
Round difficulty - Medium

It was in the mid day and since I applied for a Frontend role the discussion was majorly around data structure and bit of Javascript.
The interviewer was helping and good listener.

Q1. 
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
Ans. 
Merge two sorted linked lists into a single sorted linked list without using additional space.
• Create a dummy node to start the merged list

• Compare the values of the two linked lists and add the smaller value to the merged list

• Move the pointer of the merged list and the pointer of the smaller value list

• Continue this process until one of the lists is fully traversed

• Append the remaining elements of the other list to the me...read more
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Q2. 
Sort 0 1 2 Problem Statement
Given an integer array arr of size 'N' containing only 0s, 1s, and 2s, write an algorithm to sort the array.
Input:
The first line contains an integer 'T' representing the n...read more
Ans. 
Sort an array of 0s, 1s, and 2s in linear time complexity.
• Use three pointers to keep track of 0s, 1s, and 2s while traversing the array.

• Swap elements based on the values encountered to sort the array in-place.

• Time complexity should be O(N) and space complexity should be O(1).
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Round duration - 60 Minutes
Round difficulty - Medium

It was more of a in depth round on the framework I'm working on and problem solving.

Q1. What is the event loop and what is its significance?
Ans. 
The event loop is a mechanism in programming that allows for asynchronous execution of code.
• The event loop is a key component in JavaScript's runtime environment, responsible for handling asynchronous operations.

• It continuously checks the call stack for any pending tasks and executes them in a non-blocking manner.

• The event loop ensures that the program remains responsive by allowing other code to run while waiting for ...read more
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Q2. Can you provide examples of output-based questions in JavaScript that utilize browser APIs?
Ans. 
Output-based questions in JavaScript using browser APIs
• Example 1: Write a script that uses the Geolocation API to display the user's current location on a map

• Example 2: Create a program that uses the Web Audio API to play a sound when a button is clicked

• Example 3: Develop a web page that uses the Canvas API to draw a simple animation
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Q3. How would you design a system to support localization in a mobile app?
Ans. 
Designing a system to support localization in a mobile app
• Use resource files to store localized strings for different languages

• Implement a language selection feature for users to choose their preferred language

• Utilize localization libraries or frameworks to streamline the process

• Consider cultural differences when localizing content, such as date formats and currency symbols
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Round duration - 75 Minutes
Round difficulty - Hard

It was more of a fitment/managerial round.
Didn't had any coding questions, but was asked more on approaches and optimisations.
Discussions on the project you have worked on.

Q1. You need to find the fastest 3 horses out of a group, given that you can only race 5 horses at a time. How would you approach this problem?
Ans. 
To find the fastest 3 horses out of a group with 5 horses racing at a time, we can use a tournament style approach.
• Divide the horses into groups of 5 and race them against each other. This will give you the fastest horse in each group.

• Take the winners from each group and race them against each other. The top 3 horses in this final race will be the fastest 3 overall.

• Keep track of the results and compare the timings to d...read more
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Q2. How do you debug the root cause of lag on a screen?
Ans. 
To debug lag on a screen, analyze code, check for memory leaks, optimize rendering, and use profiling tools.
• Analyze code to identify any inefficient algorithms or operations causing lag.

• Check for memory leaks that could be impacting performance.

• Optimize rendering by reducing the number of draw calls, optimizing shaders, and minimizing overdraw.

• Use profiling tools like Xcode Instruments or Android Profiler to identify p...read more
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Q3. Can you explain the architecture of the app you have recently worked on?
Ans. 
The app I recently worked on is a social media platform for sharing photos and connecting with friends.
• The app follows a client-server architecture, with the client being the mobile app and the server handling data storage and processing.

• The client side is built using React Native for cross-platform compatibility.

• The server side is implemented using Node.js with a MongoDB database for storing user data and photos.

• The a...read more
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Q1. Explain Deadlock?
Ans. 
Deadlock is a situation in computing where two or more processes cannot proceed because each is waiting for the other to release resources.
• Occurs in multi-threaded environments when processes hold resources and wait for others.

• Example: Process A holds Resource 1 and waits for Resource 2, while Process B holds Resource 2 and waits for Resource 1.

• Can lead to system inefficiency and unresponsiveness.

• Deadlock detection and...read more
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Q2. Explain Red Black Tree?
Ans. 
A Red-Black Tree is a balanced binary search tree with specific properties to ensure efficient operations.
• Each node is colored either red or black.

• The root node is always black.

• Red nodes cannot have red children (no two reds in a row).

• Every path from a node to its descendant leaves must have the same number of black nodes.

• This structure ensures O(log n) time complexity for insertion, deletion, and search operations.

• Exa...read more
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Q3. Find local minima in a 1-D array?
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Q4. Find local minima in 2-D array?
Ans. 
Local minima in a 2-D array are elements smaller than their neighbors. We can find them using various algorithms.
• A local minimum is defined as an element that is less than its adjacent elements.

• For example, in the array [[9, 8, 7], [6, 5, 4], [3, 2, 1]], the element 1 is a local minimum.

• To find local minima, iterate through each element and compare it with its neighbors (up, down, left, right).

• Consider edge cases where...read more
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Basic coding only not to worry much

Q1. Tell me about ur self
Ans. 
I am a passionate software developer with experience in Java, Python, and web development.
• Experienced in Java, Python, and web development technologies

• Strong problem-solving skills

• Excellent team player with good communication skills
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Q2. What is ur projects
Ans. 
I have worked on various projects including a web-based inventory management system and a mobile app for tracking fitness goals.
• Developed a web-based inventory management system using React and Node.js

• Created a mobile app for tracking fitness goals using Flutter

• Implemented RESTful APIs for communication between frontend and backend systems
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Round duration - 60 Minutes
Round difficulty - Medium

It has 3 Coding Questions of medium-hard level and the time limit was 1 hour only. I don’t exactly remember the questions but I was able to do only two of them completely.

Q1. 
Biggest Number Formation Problem
Your task is to construct the largest number possible by concatenating each of the provided positive integers in the array exactly once.
Input:
Integer T denoting the nu...read more
Ans. 
Construct the largest number by concatenating positive integers in the array exactly once.
• Sort the array of integers in a way that the concatenation of the numbers forms the largest possible number.

• Use a custom comparator function to sort the numbers based on their concatenated values.

• Join the sorted array elements to form the final largest number.
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Q2. 
Number of Longest Increasing Subsequence Problem Statement
Given an integer array ARR of length N, determine the count of longest increasing subsequences present in the array.
Explanation:
The Longest I...read more
Ans. 
Count the number of longest increasing subsequences in an integer array.
• Identify the longest increasing subsequences in the array

• Count the number of such subsequences

• Consider the constraints while implementing the solution

• Examples: For input [50, 3, 90, 60, 80], the output is 2
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Round duration - 60 Minutes
Round difficulty - Medium

First, the interviewer introduced himself and then asked to introduce myself. Then he asked about the projects I did. After an introductory discussion on projects, he gave me 3 coding questions on their personal live code environment.

He asked me to explain the approach first and then code it down. I had to explain the time complexity of each solution and optimal code if possible with lesser time complexity.

Q1. 
Cache Operations Problem
You are provided with a cache that can hold a maximum of 'N' elements. Initially, this cache is empty. There are two main operations you can perform on this cache:
Explanation:
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Ans. 
Implement a cache with insert, update, and retrieve operations, returning results of retrieve operations in order.
• Create a cache data structure with specified size 'N'.

• Implement insert and update operations based on the given criteria.

• For retrieve operation, return the value associated with the 'U_ID' if present, else return -1.

• Handle cases where the cache is full and least frequently used items need to be removed.

• Retu...read more
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Q2. 
Possible Words from a Phone Number: Problem Statement
Given a string S composed of digits ranging from 2 to 9, determine all possible strings that can be created by mapping these digits to their correspon...read more
Ans. 
Given a phone number, generate all possible words by mapping digits to letters on a T9 keypad.
• Create a mapping of digits to letters on a T9 keypad

• Use recursion to generate all possible combinations of letters for the given phone number

• Sort the resulting strings in lexicographical order
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Q3. 
Shortest Unique Prefix Problem
You are given an array containing N words. Your task is to derive the shortest prefix for each word that uniquely identifies it amongst the other words. For instance, given t...read more
Ans. 
Given an array of words, find the shortest unique prefix for each word.
• Create a Trie data structure to efficiently store and search for prefixes.

• Traverse the Trie to find the shortest unique prefix for each word.

• Return the list of shortest unique prefixes for all words.
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Round duration - 60 Minutes
Round difficulty - Hard

In this round interviewer gave me 2 coding questions and asked me to code on any editor of my choice. I opened VS code to code those problems.

Q1. 
Maximum Subarray Sum Problem Statement
Given an array arr of length N consisting of integers, find the sum of the subarray (including empty subarray) with the maximum sum among all subarrays.
Explanation...read more
Ans. 
Find the sum of the subarray with the maximum sum among all subarrays in a given array.
• Iterate through the array and keep track of the maximum sum subarray seen so far.

• Use Kadane's algorithm to efficiently find the maximum subarray sum.

• Handle cases where all elements are negative by returning the maximum element in the array.

• Consider the sum of an empty subarray as 0.
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Q2. 
LRU Cache Implementation
Design and implement a data structure for the Least Recently Used (LRU) cache, which supports the following operations:
1. get(key) - Return the value associated with the key if ...read more
Ans. 
Implement a Least Recently Used (LRU) cache data structure with get and put operations.
• Use a combination of a hashmap and a doubly linked list to efficiently implement the LRU cache.

• Keep track of the least recently used item and remove it when the cache reaches its capacity.

• Update the position of an item in the cache whenever it is accessed or updated.

• Ensure constant time complexity for both get and put operations by u...read more
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Round duration - 40 Minutes
Round difficulty - Easy

The interviewer was very friendly. He asked me about myself and previous interviews.

The exam duration is one and a half hours.

The total exam time is one and a half hours.

It encompasses all topics related to full stack development.

Q1. Asks questions on SQL
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Q2. Asks question in typical topics
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Q1. Where do you see yourself in two years?
Ans. 
In two years, I see myself as a senior software developer leading a team on innovative projects.
• Advancing to a senior software developer role

• Leading a team on new and innovative projects

• Continuing to enhance my technical skills through ongoing learning and training
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Q1. React JS, coding round, DSA, poly phill, map , shallow copy deep copy, popular JS DSA questions
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Basic React JS clock/ stopwatch

2 coding question one on maximum sum problem and other on tree traversal

Q1. Dbms oops dsa questions are there and one coding question which you have to pseudo code it and dry run it
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Majorily on SQL and Databases

Q1. Align two images in a page with same width and same height
Ans. 
Use CSS to align two images with same width and height on a page
• Set both images to have the same width and height using CSS

• Use flexbox or grid layout to align the images horizontally or vertically

• Adjust margins or padding to fine-tune the alignment
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Q2. Array related question
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Q1. Situation based question
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Q2. Majorily focused on project
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