1000+ Associate Consultant Interview Questions and Answers

ERP is an enterprise resource planning system that integrates business processes and data into a single system.

• ERP helps organizations streamline their operations and improve efficiency

• It provides a centralized database for all business processes

• ERP can automate tasks such as accounting, inventory management, and human resources

• Examples of ERP systems include SAP, Oracle, and Microsoft Dynamics

The probability that two friends will meet at a bar between midnight and 1 am, given that each arrives randomly and waits 10 minutes for the other person before leaving.

• Assume a continuous uniform distribution for the arrival time of each friend.

• The probability of meeting is the area of overlap between the arrival time distributions.

• Calculate the probability using geometric probability or integration.

• The probability can be calculated as 1 minus the probability of not meeting.

A significant number of IIT K students work in non-core sectors. It may not be a problem for society as they contribute to the economy.

• Around 50% of IIT K graduates work in non-core sectors such as consulting, finance, and IT.

• These sectors contribute significantly to the economy and provide employment opportunities.

• Many students also pursue higher education or entrepreneurship, which can also benefit society.

• It is important to have a diverse range of career paths for engineer...read more

I would approach the situation with empathy and tact, while clearly communicating the issue and offering solutions.

• Acknowledge the client's frustration and apologize for any inconvenience caused.

• Explain the issue in a clear and concise manner, without placing blame.

• Offer solutions or alternatives to obtain the missing data, such as requesting it from another source or using estimates.

• Ensure the client understands the impact of missing data on the project and the importance of...read more

Remove strings from an array whose length is less than 3.

• Loop through the array and check the length of each string.

• If the length is less than 3, remove that string from the array.

• Use a for loop or filter method to remove the strings.

• Example: ['cat', 'dog', 'bird', 'elephant'] -> ['cat', 'dog', 'bird', 'elephant']

• Example: ['a', 'to', 'the', 'in'] -> ['the', 'in']

Develop an algorithm to minimize transactions in a group of 5 for an app like Splitwise.

• Create a matrix to represent the debts between individuals

• Find the maximum and minimum debts in the matrix

• Settle the maximum debt by transferring money from the debtor to the creditor

• Repeat the process until all debts are settled or minimized

Lists are used for small collections, linked lists for large or frequently modified collections.

• Use lists for small collections that don't require frequent modifications.

• Use linked lists for large collections or collections that require frequent modifications.

• Linked lists are better for inserting or deleting elements in the middle of the collection.

• Lists are better for accessing elements by index.

• Example: Use a list to store a small list of names, use a linked list to impleme...read more

Fetch data from two tables with a common column without using WHERE keyword.

• Use JOIN keyword to combine the two tables based on the common column.

• Specify the common column in the ON clause of the JOIN statement.

• This will retrieve all the rows where the common column values match in both tables.

Microcontroller is a self-contained system with memory, peripherals and processor, while microprocessor only has a processor.

• Microcontroller has on-chip memory and peripherals, while microprocessor requires external memory and peripherals.

• Microcontroller is used in embedded systems, while microprocessor is used in general-purpose computing.

• Examples of microcontrollers include Arduino, PIC, and AVR, while examples of microprocessors include Intel Pentium, AMD Ryzen, and ARM Co...read more

Firewalls are network security devices that monitor and control incoming and outgoing network traffic. UTM firewalls provide additional security features such as antivirus, intrusion prevention, and content filtering. Stateless inspection examines each packet individually, while stateful inspection tracks the state of connections between packets.

• Firewalls monitor and control network traffic

• UTM firewalls provide additional security features

• Stateless inspection examines each pa...read more

Program to separate even and odd numbers using Java 8.

• Use Java 8 Stream API to filter even and odd numbers

• Create two separate lists for even and odd numbers

• Use lambda expressions to filter the numbers

• Example: List evenNumbers = numbers.stream().filter(n -> n % 2 == 0).collect(Collectors.toList());

• Example: List oddNumbers = numbers.stream().filter(n -> n % 2 != 0).collect(Collectors.toList());

Sensitive information can be removed from serializable interface by implementing custom serialization.

• Create a custom serialization method that excludes sensitive information.

• Use the transient keyword to mark sensitive fields as non-serializable.

• Consider using encryption or hashing to protect sensitive data.

• Test serialization and deserialization to ensure sensitive information is not included.

• Examples: exclude passwords, credit card numbers, and personal identification inform...read more

The estimated number of affordable homes needed in Andhra Pradesh according to the new government project.

• Analyze the current housing situation in Andhra Pradesh

• Consider the population growth rate and demographic trends

• Assess the income levels and affordability of the target population

• Evaluate the government's budget and resources for the project

• Collaborate with local stakeholders and experts for insights and recommendations

Retrieve the SubjectName and HighestSubjectMark for student ABC from the student table using SQL.

• Use a SELECT statement to retrieve data from the student table.

• Filter results using a WHERE clause to specify the student name (ABC).

• Use the MAX() function to find the highest mark for each subject.

• Group results by SubjectName to ensure correct aggregation.

Yes, an array can have elements of different data types.

• An array can have elements of different data types, but it's not recommended.

• It can make the code harder to read and maintain.

• For example, an array can have both strings and numbers: ['apple', 5, 'banana']

I cannot give a star rating without knowing the specific context or criteria being evaluated.

• I would need more information about what is being rated to give an accurate star rating.

• It would be helpful to know the specific criteria or standards being used to evaluate the subject.

• Without context, a star rating would be arbitrary and meaningless.

• For example, if we are discussing a restaurant, I would need to know about the quality of the food, service, atmosphere, etc. before gi...read more

CSRF and XSS are common web security vulnerabilities. E-commerce websites require a multi-layered approach to security.

• CSRF (Cross-Site Request Forgery) is an attack where a user is tricked into performing an action on a website without their knowledge or consent.

• XSS (Cross-Site Scripting) is an attack where malicious code is injected into a website, allowing an attacker to steal sensitive information or take control of the website.

• Approach for e-commerce websites should incl...read more

The correct SQL query to select the top 5 numbers from the given data is 'SELECT TOP 5 number FROM table_name ORDER BY number DESC'.

• Use the 'SELECT' statement to specify the columns you want to retrieve.

• Use the 'TOP' keyword followed by the number of rows you want to select.

• Specify the column name in the 'ORDER BY' clause to sort the data in descending order.

Financial modelling is the process of creating a mathematical representation of a financial situation or decision-making scenario.

• Financial modelling helps in analyzing and forecasting financial performance.

• It is used to make informed business decisions and evaluate investment opportunities.

• Models can be used for budgeting, valuation, risk assessment, and scenario analysis.

• It involves using historical data, assumptions, and mathematical formulas to create projections.

• Examples...read more

The number of airplanes flying in and out of Bangalore varies daily.

• The number of flights depends on factors such as day of the week, time of day, and season.

• On average, Kempegowda International Airport in Bangalore handles around 600 flights per day.

• This includes both domestic and international flights.

• During peak travel times, such as holidays, the number of flights may increase.

• However, during times of inclement weather or other disruptions, the number of flights may decre...read more

BGP is a routing protocol used in large networks. It has attributes that can be manipulated to control traffic flow.

• BGP attributes include AS path, next hop, local preference, and MED.

• AS path is used to prevent loops and determine the shortest path.

• Next hop is used to determine the next router to send traffic to.

• Local preference is used to determine the preferred path for outbound traffic.

• MED is used to influence the path for inbound traffic.

• Traffic can be manipulated by chan...read more

Questions on Spring Boot, Lambda expressions, and performance issues in cloud computing

• Spring Boot annotations and profiling

• Lambda expressions in Java 8

• Performance issues in cloud computing and where to start looking

• Triggering a schedule based on metrics

• Comparing cost of EC2 and Lambda

• When to choose Lambda

SQL query to find and sort students with scores above a threshold

• Use the SELECT statement to retrieve the required data

• Use the WHERE clause to filter students with scores above the threshold

• Use the ORDER BY clause to sort the results by score and then by name

The number of burgers made in a McD outlet varies depending on the location, day of the week, and time of day.

• The number of burgers made in a McD outlet can range from a few hundred to several thousand per day.

• Factors that can affect the number of burgers made include the size of the outlet, the popularity of the location, and the time of day.

• For example, a busy outlet in a popular tourist area may make thousands of burgers per day during peak season, while a smaller outlet i...read more

Yes, I have worked on static routing. AD can be increased by changing the administrative distance value.

• Static routing is a type of routing where the routes are manually configured by the network administrator.

• Administrative distance (AD) is a value assigned to a routing protocol or static route to indicate its trustworthiness.

• To increase AD in static routing, we can change the administrative distance value to a higher number.

• For example, if the current AD value is 1, we can ...read more

Two systems in different VLANs can communicate through a router or layer 3 switch.

• A router or layer 3 switch is required to route traffic between VLANs

• Each system must have a unique IP address within their respective VLANs

• The router or layer 3 switch must have interfaces configured for each VLAN

• The router or layer 3 switch must have a routing table that includes both VLANs

• Firewall rules may need to be configured to allow traffic between VLANs

Java Map is an interface that maps unique keys to values. It works internally using hash table data structure.

• Map interface is implemented by HashMap, TreeMap, LinkedHashMap, etc.

• Keys in a map must be unique and values can be duplicated.

• Hash table data structure is used to store key-value pairs internally.

• Hashing is used to convert keys into indices of an array where values are stored.

• Collision resolution techniques like chaining and open addressing are used to handle collisi...read more