IBM interview experience Real time questions & tips from candidates to crack your interview
SDE - Intern
IBM
4 rounds | 8 Coding
problems
Selected Interview preparation journey
Journey
My journey began with a desire to learn and a willingness to start from the very basics. I knew that in order to achieve my goals, I needed to build a strong foundation of knowledge and skills.
I started by reading books and online resources on the topics I was interested in, such as computer programming, machine learning, Oops concepts, etc. I also enrolled in online courses and attended workshops and seminars to further develop my skills.
As I continued to learn, I began working on personal projects to apply my knowledge in a practical setting. I created simple programs and algorithms, and gradually worked my way up to more complex projects. I also participated in online forums and communities to share my work and collaborate with others in the field.
With each new project, I faced new challenges and obstacles. But I persevered, learning from my mistakes and pushing myself to keep improving. As my skills and knowledge grew, I began to feel more confident in my abilities.
Eventually, my hard work paid off, and I was able to land a job interview at a top tech company. I prepared diligently for the interview, studying the company's products and technologies and practicing my coding skills.
When the day of the interview arrived, I felt nervous but also excited for the opportunity to show what I was capable of. The interview was challenging, but I was able to use the skills and knowledge I had gained to answer the questions and solve the problems presented to me.
After the interview, I felt a sense of accomplishment and pride in what I had achieved. But I also knew that my journey was far from over. I would need to continue learning and growing to stay at the forefront of my field and achieve even greater success in the future.
Overall, my journey taught me the importance of starting from the basics, building a strong foundation of knowledge and skills, and persevering through challenges and obstacles. With dedication and hard work, anyone can achieve their goals and reach their full potential.
Application story
I found a job opening I was interested in, I was required to submit an application. This may include submitting a resume, cover letter, and other relevant documents or completing an online application form.
I made sure that my resume conveys my knowledge rightly. As a resume is a crucial tool in the job application process as it serves as a summary of a candidate's education, work experience, skills, and achievements. The importance of a well-crafted resume cannot be overstated.
After submitting an application, I was contacted for further assessments which include tests and a coding challenge and then I got a call for a technical interview and then an HR interview.
Why selected/rejected for the role?
When it comes to being selected for a role, it's important to demonstrate that you have the skills and experience necessary to perform the job duties effectively. I did this by tailoring your resume and cover letter to match the job description, highlighting relevant experience and accomplishments, and showcasing your problem-solving abilities and other relevant skills.
During the interview process, I came prepared with thoughtful responses to common interview questions and asked questions that demonstrate my interest and enthusiasm for the position. Additionally, I was professional, courteous, and engaging during the interview process to demonstrate your suitability for the role.
Preparation
Duration: 6 months
Topics: Data structure and algorithms,DBMS,oops concept,Computer networking,machine learning
Tip 1 : focus on the basics
Tip 2 : solve and practice coding questions as much as possible
Tip 3 : go through the important subjects such as oops, DBMS, etc, and apply this knowledge in building new projects.
Application process
Where: Other
Eligibility: 75% above in 10th and 12th and no backlogs
Tip 1: Keep it concise: A resume should be no more than two pages long and should focus on the most important information about your work experience, skills, and qualifications.
Tip 2: Customize it for the job: Tailor your resume to match the job description and requirements. Highlight the skills and experience that are most relevant to the job you are applying for.
Tip 3: Highlight your achievements: Instead of just listing your job duties, focus on your accomplishments and how you added value to your previous employers.
Interview rounds
01
Round
Medium
Online Coding Interview
Duration45 mins
Interview date11 Aug 2022
Coding problem4
The coding round conducted by the IT company took place in the evening from 3-4pm and was conducted on HackerRank, an online coding platform. The environment was completely virtual, as the candidates were not required to be physically present in a specific location.
During the coding round, candidates were given a set of coding problems to solve within a specified timeframe. The problems covered a range of topics such as algorithms, data structures, and programming languages. The coding environment provided by HackerRank included a compiler, debugger, and test cases to help candidates validate their solutions.
In addition to coding problems, there may have been other significant activities such as multiple-choice questions.
1. DBMS Question
Program to Identify the primary key.
2. Median of two sorted arrays
Hard
25m average time
65% success
0/120
Asked in companies
Given two sorted arrays 'a' and 'b' of size 'n' and 'm' respectively.
Find the median of the two sorted arrays.
Median is defined as the middle value of a sorted list of numbers. In case the length of list is even, median is the average of the two middle elements.
The expected time complexity is O(min(logn, logm)), where 'n' and 'm' are the sizes of arrays 'a' and 'b', respectively, and the expected space complexity is O(1).
Example:
Input: 'a' = [2, 4, 6] and 'b' = [1, 3, 5]
Output: 3.5
Explanation: The array after merging 'a' and 'b' will be { 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 }. Here two medians are 3 and 4. So the median will be the average of 3 and 4, which is 3.5.
Problem approach
Median of Two Sorted Arrays:
The problem of finding the median of two sorted arrays can be solved using a variety of approaches, but one common and efficient approach is to use the binary search algorithm. Here are the steps:
Step 1: Define two pointers (low and high) to mark the range of elements in both arrays that need to be considered.
Step 2: Calculate the mid-point of both arrays by adding the low and high pointers together and dividing by 2.
Step 3: Calculate the partition points for both arrays by subtracting the mid-point from their respective high pointers.
Step 4: Compare the elements at the partition points of both arrays.
If the element in the first array is greater, then move the high pointer for the first array to the left of the partition point, and move the low pointer for the second array to the right of the partition point.
If the element in the second array is greater, then move the low pointer for the first array to the right of the partition point, and move the high pointer for the second array to the left of the partition point.
Step 5: Repeat steps 2-4 until the median is found or the pointers cross each other.
3. SQL Query
write SQL query for finding the second largest highest earning member.
Problem approach
Tip 1: SQL basics should be clear
Tip 2: solve some practice
4. Reverse Words In A String
Easy
10m average time
90% success
0/40
Asked in companies
You are given a string 'str' of length 'N'.
Your task is to reverse the original string word by word.
There can be multiple spaces between two words and there can be leading or trailing spaces but in the output reversed string you need to put a single space between two words, and your reversed string should not contain leading or trailing spaces.
Example :
If the given input string is "Welcome to Coding Ninjas", then you should return "Ninjas Coding to Welcome" as the reversed string has only a single space between two words and there is no leading or trailing space.
Problem approach
Reverse a String:
The problem statement is to reverse a given string. Here are the steps to solve this problem:
Step 1: Convert the string to a character array.
Step 2: Initialize two pointers, one at the beginning of the array and the other at the end of the array.
Step 3: Swap the elements at the beginning and end pointers.
Step 4: Move the beginning pointer to the right and the end pointer to the left.
Step 5: Repeat step 3 and 4 until the beginning pointer is greater than or equal to the end pointer.
Step 6: Convert the character array back to a string.
02
Round
Medium
Online Coding Interview
Duration50 mins
Interview date2 Sep 2022
Coding problem2
just like the first round the second coding round conducted by the company took place in the evening from 3-4pm and was conducted on HackerRank, an online coding platform. The environment was completely virtual, as the candidates were not required to be physically present in a specific location.
During the coding round, candidates were given a set of coding problems to solve within a specified timeframe. The problems covered a range of topics such as algorithms, data structures, and programming languages. The coding environment provided by HackerRank included a compiler, debugger, and test cases to help candidates validate their solutions.
In addition to coding problems, there may have been other significant activities such as multiple-choice questions. . These additional activities may have been used to further evaluate a candidate's technical knowledge, problem-solving skills, or communication abilities.
1. SQL Question
SQL query to connect two tables
Problem approach
Tip 1: practice sql queries
Tip 2: go through the basics
2. Construct Binary Tree From Inorder and Preorder Traversal
Easy
10m average time
90% success
0/40
Asked in companies
You have been given the preorder and inorder traversal of a binary tree. Your task is to construct a binary tree using the given inorder and preorder traversals.
Note:
You may assume that duplicates do not exist in the given traversals.
For example :
For the preorder sequence = [1, 2, 4, 7, 3] and the inorder sequence = [4, 2, 7, 1, 3], we get the following binary tree.
Problem approach
Identify the root node: The first element in the preorder traversal sequence is the root node of the tree.
Locate the root node in the inorder traversal sequence: All elements to the left of the root node in the inorder sequence form the left subtree, while all elements to the right form the right subtree.
Recursively construct the left subtree: Use the left portion of the inorder traversal sequence from step 2 to construct the left subtree using the same steps.
Recursively construct the right subtree: Use the right portion of the inorder traversal sequence from step 2 to construct the right subtree using the same steps.
Return the root node: Return the root node of the constructed tree.
03
Round
Medium
Video Call
Duration60 mins
Interview date11 Sep 2022
Coding problem1
The technical interview was conducted by a technical expert from the company and it involve questions about my previous experience, skills, and knowledge of the domain. The interviewer may ask me to explain certain concepts, solve problems related to the position, and analyze their thought process. The goal of this round was to assess my technical knowledge, communication skills, and ability to solve problems.
1. Quick Sort
Moderate
10m average time
90% success
0/80
Asked in companies
You are given an array of integers. You need to sort the array in ascending order using quick sort.
Quick sort is a divide and conquer algorithm in which we choose a pivot point and partition the array into two parts i.e, left and right. The left part contains the numbers smaller than the pivot element and the right part contains the numbers larger than the pivot element. Then we recursively sort the left and right parts of the array.
Example:
Let the array = [ 4, 2, 1, 5, 3 ]
Let pivot to be the rightmost number.
After the 1st level partitioning the array will be { 2, 1, 3, 4, 5 } as 3 was the pivot. After 2nd level partitioning the array will be { 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 } as 1 was the pivot for the left part and 5 was the pivot for the right part. Now our array is sorted and there is no need to divide it again.
Problem approach
Choose a pivot element from the array. This is usually the first or last element of the array but can be any element.
Partition the array into two sub-arrays. One sub-array should contain all elements less than the pivot, and the other sub-array should contain all elements greater than or equal to the pivot. This can be done using two pointers that move towards each other, swapping elements that are in the wrong sub-array until they meet.
Recursively apply steps 1 and 2 to the two sub-arrays.
Combine the sub-arrays back into a single array.
The sorted array is now the result.
04
Round
Easy
HR Round
Duration60 mins
Interview date14 Sep 2022
Coding problem1
In the HR round, the interviewer ask me questions related to their work experience, motivation, career goals, and behavioral competencies. They also ask about my salary expectations, notice period, and other administrative details.
The HR round is typically less technical and more focused on assessing my personality and cultural fit.
1. Basic HR Questions
Tell me about yourself
Why do you want to work for our company?
How do you handle conflicts at work?".
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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