Software Engineer

1000+ Software Engineer Interview Questions and Answers for Freshers

Updated 18 Feb 2025
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Q1. In a dark room,there is a box of 18 white and 5 black gloves. You are allowed to pick one and then you are allowed to keep it and check it outside. How many turns do you need to take in order for you to find a...

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Ans.

You need to take 36 turns to find a perfect pair.

  • You need to pick 19 gloves to ensure a perfect pair.

  • The worst case scenario is picking 18 white gloves and then the 19th glove is black.

  • In that case, you need to pick 17 more gloves to find a black one and complete the pair.

Q2. How can you cut a rectangular cake in 8 symmetric pieces in three cuts?

Ans.

Cut the cake in half horizontally, then vertically, and finally cut each half diagonally.

  • Cut the cake horizontally through the middle.

  • Cut the cake vertically through the middle.

  • Cut each half diagonally from corner to corner.

  • Ensure each cut is made symmetrically to get 8 equal pieces.

  • Example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdGmuCJzQFo

Q3. Split Binary String Problem Statement

Chintu has a long binary string str. A binary string is a string that contains only 0 and 1. He considers a string to be 'beautiful' if and only if the number of 0's and 1'...read more

Q4. Knapsack Problem Statement

There is a potter with a limited amount of pottery clay (denoted as 'K' units) who can make 'N' different items. Each item requires a specific amount of clay and yields a certain prof...read more

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Q5. Nth Element Of Modified Fibonacci Series

Given two integers X and Y as the first two numbers of a series, and an integer N, determine the Nth element of the series following the Fibonacci rule: f(x) = f(x - 1) ...read more

Q6. Reverse Linked List Problem Statement

Given a singly linked list of integers, return the head of the reversed linked list.

Example:

Initial linked list: 1 -> 2 -> 3 -> 4 -> NULL
Reversed linked list: 4 -> 3 -> 2...read more

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Q7. What is the reason that the Iterative Waterfall model was introduced?

Ans.

Iterative Waterfall model was introduced to address the limitations of the traditional Waterfall model.

  • Iterative Waterfall model allows for feedback and changes during the development process.

  • It breaks down the development process into smaller, more manageable stages.

  • It reduces the risk of project failure by identifying and addressing issues early on.

  • It allows for better collaboration between developers and stakeholders.

  • Examples include Rational Unified Process (RUP) and Agil...read more

Q8. Index of First Occurrence Problem Statement

Given two strings A and B, determine the index of the first occurrence of A in B. If A is not present in B, return -1.

Example:

Input:
A = "bc", B = "abcddbc"
Output:...read more

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Q9. Spiral Matrix Path Problem

You are provided with a two-dimensional array named MATRIX of size N x M, consisting of integers. Your task is to return the elements of the matrix following a spiral order.

Input:

Th...read more

Q10. City of Happy People Problem Statement

Imagine a city where the happiness of each resident is described by a numerical value. Ninja, who is visiting this city, is interested in forming groups of people such tha...read more

Ans.

The problem is to find the number of ways to form a group of people such that the overall happiness of the group falls within a given range.

  • Iterate through all possible subsets of the given array/list

  • Calculate the sum of happiness values for each subset

  • Count the number of subsets whose sum falls within the given range

Q11. Sum of Two Numbers Represented as Arrays

Given two numbers in the form of two arrays where each element of the array represents a digit, calculate the sum of these two numbers and return this sum as an array.

E...read more

Q12. Find All Pairs Adding Up to Target

Given an array of integers ARR of length N and an integer Target, your task is to return all pairs of elements such that they add up to the Target.

Input:

The first line conta...read more
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Q13. One question of sorting for a list of people belonging to different cities and states.

Ans.

Sort a list of people by their cities and states.

  • Use a sorting algorithm like quicksort or mergesort.

  • Create a custom comparator function that compares the city and state of each person.

  • If two people belong to the same city and state, sort them by their names.

  • Example: [{name: 'John', city: 'New York', state: 'NY'}, {name: 'Jane', city: 'Boston', state: 'MA'}]

  • Example output: [{name: 'Jane', city: 'Boston', state: 'MA'}, {name: 'John', city: 'New York', state: 'NY'}]

Q14. Common Elements Between Array of Strings Problem Statement

Given two 1-dimensional arrays containing strings of lowercase alphabets, determine and return the elements that are common in both arrays, i.e., the s...read more

Q15. Consonant Counting Problem Statement

Given a string STR comprising uppercase and lowercase characters and spaces, your task is to count the number of consonants in the string.

A consonant is defined as an Engli...read more

Q16. Split the String Problem Statement

You are given a string str consisting of N lowercase alphabets. Your task is to determine if it is possible to divide the string into three non-empty substrings such that one ...read more

Q17. 2 queues q1 and q2 are given.A background process copies elements from q1 to q2.In case an error occurs elements from q2 need to be copied back again to q1.Write this error handling function using foll function...

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Ans.

The error handling function copies elements from q2 back to q1 in case of an error.

  • Use q_len() to get the length of the queues

  • Use q_insert() and q_remove() to manipulate the queues

  • Iterate through q2 and use q_insert() to copy elements back to q1

Q18. Matrix Transformation Problem Statement

Given a 2-dimensional matrix of size NxN containing 0s and 1s, the task is to modify the matrix such that, if an element is 1, set its entire row and column to 1. In the ...read more

Q19. Maximum Sum After Removing K Corner Elements

Given an array arr of 'N' integer elements, your goal is to remove 'K' elements from either the beginning or the end of the array. The task is to return the maximum ...read more

Q20. Prime Numbers Identification

Given a positive integer N, your task is to identify all prime numbers less than or equal to N.

Explanation:

A prime number is a natural number greater than 1 that has no positive d...read more

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Q21. Sum of Two Elements Equals the Third

Determine if a given array contains a valid triplet of integers where two elements sum up to the third. Specifically, find indices i, j, and k such that i != j, j != k, and ...read more

Q22. Merge Overlapping Intervals Problem Statement

Given a specified number of intervals, where each interval is represented by two integers denoting its boundaries, the task is to merge all overlapping intervals an...read more

Q23. Reverse a Singly Linked List

Given a singly linked list of integers, your task is to return the head of the reversed linked list.

Explanation:

Reverse a given singly linked list so that the last element becomes...read more

Q24. Generate All Parentheses Combinations

Given an integer N, your task is to create all possible valid parentheses configurations that are well-formed using N pairs. A sequence of parentheses is considered well-fo...read more

Q25. Generate Binary Strings with No Consecutive 1s

Given an integer K, your task is to produce all binary strings of length 'K' that do not contain consecutive '1's.

Input:

The input begins with an integer 'T', the...read more

Q26. 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.

Input:...read more

Q27. Bubble Sort Problem Statement

Sort the given unsorted array consisting of N non-negative integers in non-decreasing order using the Bubble Sort algorithm.

Input:

The first line contains an integer 'T' represent...read more

Q28. Longest Common Subsequence Problem Statement

Given two strings, S and T with respective lengths M and N, your task is to determine the length of their longest common subsequence.

A subsequence is a sequence tha...read more

Q29. What are seven layers of networking?

Ans.

The seven layers of networking refer to the OSI model which defines how data is transmitted over a network.

  • The seven layers are: Physical, Data Link, Network, Transport, Session, Presentation, and Application.

  • Each layer has a specific function and communicates with the layers above and below it.

  • For example, the Physical layer deals with the physical transmission of data, while the Application layer deals with user interfaces and applications.

  • Understanding the OSI model is imp...read more

Q30. Merge Sort Problem Statement

You are given a sequence of numbers, ARR. Your task is to return a sorted sequence of ARR in non-descending order using the Merge Sort algorithm.

Explanation:

The Merge Sort algorit...read more

Q31. Ways To Make Coin Change

Given an infinite supply of coins of varying denominations, determine the total number of ways to make change for a specified value using these coins. If it's not possible to make the c...read more

Frequently asked in,

Q32. Reverse Words in a String: Problem Statement

You are given a string of length N. Your task is to reverse the string word by word. The input may contain multiple spaces between words and may have leading or trai...read more

Q33. Left View of a Binary Tree Problem Statement

Given a binary tree, your task is to print the left view of the tree.

Example:

Input:
The input will be in level order form, with node values separated by a space. U...read more

Q34. Wildcard Pattern Matching Problem Statement

Implement a wildcard pattern matching algorithm to determine if a given wildcard pattern matches a text string completely.

The wildcard pattern may include the charac...read more

Ans.

The task is to implement a wildcard pattern matching algorithm that checks if a given wildcard pattern matches a given text.

  • The wildcard pattern can include the characters '?' and '*'

  • '?' matches any single character

  • '*' matches any sequence of characters (sequence can be of length 0 or more)

  • The matching should cover the entire text, not partial text

  • Implement a function that takes the wildcard pattern and the text as input and returns True if the text matches the pattern, False...read more

Q35. Idempotent Matrix Verification

Determine if a given N * N matrix is an idempotent matrix. A matrix is considered idempotent if it satisfies the following condition:

M * M = M

Input:

The first line contains a si...read more

Q36. Missing Number Problem Statement

You are provided with an array named BINARYNUMS consisting of N unique strings. Each string represents an integer in binary, covering every integer from 0 to N except for one. Y...read more

Q37. Nth Fibonacci Number Problem Statement

Calculate the Nth term in the Fibonacci sequence, where the sequence is defined as follows: F(n) = F(n-1) + F(n-2), with initial conditions F(1) = F(2) = 1.

Input:

The inp...read more
Frequently asked in, ,

Q38. Topological Sort Problem Statement

You are given a directed acyclic graph (DAG). Your task is to perform topological sorting of the graph and return any valid ordering.

Explanation:

A directed acyclic graph is ...read more

Q39. Water Jug Problem Statement

You have two water jugs with capacities X and Y liters respectively, both initially empty. You also have an infinite water supply. The goal is to determine if it is possible to measu...read more

Q40. Loot Houses Problem Statement

A thief is planning to steal from several houses along a street. Each house has a certain amount of money stashed. However, the thief cannot loot two adjacent houses. Determine the...read more

Q41. Print All Permutations of a String

Given an input string STR, generate and print all possible permutations of the string.

Input:

str

Output:

All permutations of the input string, each on a new line.

Example:

In...read more

Q42. Boolean Matrix Transformation Challenge

Given a 2-dimensional boolean matrix mat of size N x M, your task is to modify the matrix such that if any element is 1, set its entire row and column to 1. Specifically,...read more

Q43. Cycle Detection in a Singly Linked List

Determine if a given singly linked list of integers forms a cycle or not.

A cycle in a linked list occurs when a node's next points back to a previous node in the list. T...read more

Frequently asked in,

Q44. Maximize Expression Value

Given an arithmetic expression EXP containing integer values separated by any of the operators β€˜+’, β€˜-’, and β€˜*’, your task is to place parentheses such that the value of the expressio...read more

Q45. Minimum Number of Platforms Needed Problem Statement

You are given the arrival and departure times of N trains at a railway station for a particular day. Your task is to determine the minimum number of platform...read more

Q46. Left Rotations of an Array

You are given an array consisting of N elements and need to perform Q queries on that array. Each query consists of an integer indicating the number of elements by which the array sho...read more

Q47. Matrix Multiplication Task

Given two sparse matrices MAT1 and MAT2 of integers with dimensions 'N' x 'M' and 'M' x 'P' respectively, the goal is to determine the resulting matrix produced by their multiplicatio...read more

Q48. Sudoku Solver

Given a 9x9 Sudoku board, your task is to fill the empty slots and return the completed Sudoku solution.

A Sudoku is a grid composed of nine 3x3 smaller grids. The challenge is to fill in the numb...read more

Q49. Cube of Matrix Problem Statement

Given a 2D array 'MATRIX' of size M x N, find and return the value (i * i + j * j) for those elements where the sum of the cubes of its digits equals the element itself. Here, '...read more

Q50. Decimal to Octal Conversion Problem Statement

Convert a given decimal number into its equivalent octal representation.

Explanation:

The octal number system is a base-8 system, meaning each digit ranges from 0 t...read more

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