IBM interview experience Real time questions & tips from candidates to crack your interview

SDE - 1

IBM
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3 rounds | 5 Coding problems

Interview preparation journey

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Journey
My journey starts from: > First applying on-campus > Resume screening happens > Revising coding and logical abilities during the interview period > Aptitude and coding test and clearing all approaches
Application story
- I applied through on-campus recruitment at IIT. - Anyone can check the job description on the IBM career page based on the roles. - The process was average; we met and practiced all the questions carefully.
Why selected/rejected for the role?
I was selected because I have a strong aptitude and good coding practices. I learned from this selection that practicing mock interviews is essential. I was selected due to my good and optimized approaches.
Preparation
Duration: 3 months
Topics: Maths, Pointers, FIFO approach, System Design, Algorithms, Dynamic Programming
Tip
Tip

Tip 1: Solve RS Aggarwal's aptitude and problem-solving books.
Tip 2: Practice coding questions on online coding platforms.
Tip 3: Work on communication skills.

Application process
Where: Campus
Eligibility: 7 CGPA
Resume Tip
Resume tip

Tip 1: Highlight skills using bold letters.
Tip 2: List projects on your resume.

Interview rounds

01
Round
Easy
Face to Face
Duration40 minutes
Interview date22 Dec 2022
Coding problem2

- Morning time.
- Environment was good.
- Interviewer was good.

1. Reverse Pairs

Hard
50m average time
90% success
0/120
Asked in companies
IBMMongoDBD.E.Shaw

You are given an array/list say ‘ARR’ of size ‘N’. We call pair (i, j) a Reverse Pair when i < j and 'ARR[i]' > 2 * 'ARR[j]'.

Your task is to find the number of Reverse Pairs present in given 'ARR'.

For example :

For the array [50, 21, 9], if we follow 1-based indexing, the Reverse Pairs are (1, 2), (1, 3) and (2, 3). Thus, the total count i.e. the answer becomes 3.

Note :

A single index of the pair (i, j) can be used multiple times.
Try solving now

2. Maximum of minimum for every window size

Hard
45m average time
50% success
0/120
Asked in companies
MicrosoftIBMDavis Software

You are given an array of ‘N’ integers, you need to find the maximum of minimum for every window size. The size of the window should vary from 1 to ‘N’ only.

For example:

ARR = [1,2,3,4]
Minimums of window size 1 = min(1), min(2), min(3), min(4) = 1,2,3,4
Maximum among (1,2,3,4)  is 4

Minimums of window size 2 = min(1,2), min(2,3),   min(3,4) = 1,2,3
Maximum among (1,2,3) is 3

Minimums of window size 3 = min(1,2,3), min(2,3,4) = 1,2
Maximum among (1,2) is 2

Minimums of window size 4 = min(1,2,3,4) = 1
Maximum among them is 1
The output array should be [4,3,2,1].
Problem approach

s1: The subarrays of size x=1x = 1 are [1], [2], [3], [1], and [2].

s2: Because each subarray only contains 1 element, each value is minimal with respect to the subarray it is in. The maximum of these values is 3. Therefore, the answer is 3.

Try solving now
02
Round
Easy
Video Call
Duration50 minutes
Interview date28 Jan 2023
Coding problem2

- Morning time.
- Environment was good.
- Interviewer was good.

1. Equalize Weights

Moderate
15m average time
85% success
0/80
Asked in company
IBM

You are given an integer ‘N’, denoting the total number of bags. Each bag contains some items, and each item has a value attached to it. Your task is to equalize the total value of all the bags by swapping any two items, and the following rules must be followed :

The number of items in a bag must remain constant before and after swapping.
Any number of swappings is permitted.
It is guaranteed that there is at least one way to make the values of all the bags equal to each other. 
Try solving now

2. Puzzle

Imagine that you have 26 constants labeled A through Z. Each constant is assigned a value as follows: A = 26^1, B = 25^2, C = 24^3, D = 23^2, and so on until Z = 1^26. Find the exact numerical value of the following equation: (Y - A) * (Y - B) * (Y - C) * ... * (Y - Z).

Problem approach

Tip 1: Read Galvin for OS thoroughly.

Tip 2: Practice SQL queries.

 

03
Round
Easy
HR Round
Duration20 minutes
Interview date30 Mar 2023
Coding problem1

- Morning time.
- Environment was good.
- Interviewer was good.

1. Basic HR Questions

  • Describe a time when you experienced conflict with a coworker. How did you handle it?
  • How does this job compare to others you are interviewing for?
  • What interests you most about this role?
  • What critical feedback do you receive most often?
Problem approach

Tip 1: Practice well.
Tip 2: Speak in front of mirror.

Here's your problem of the day

Solving this problem will increase your chance to get selected in this company

Skill covered: Programming

How do you remove whitespace from the start of a string?

Choose another skill to practice
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