Top 30 Array Interview Questions with Answers 2025

Array Interview Questions for Experienced

11. Difference between Array and Object.

12. How to get the index of an array element?

•  An element's index can be found using a linear or binary search until it locates the match of the desired element, a linear search function loops through every element in an array. It returns the index once it locates the matching element. Consequently, the linear search's temporal complexity is O(n). Both a sorted and an unsorted array can use linear search.
   
•  Using a binary search, which divides the array in half until the interval mid matches the required element and provides the index, you can find the element's index if the array is sorted.

 mid = low + (high - low)/2;

Consequently, the binary search's temporal complexity is O(log n).

13. What is a Jagged Array in Java?

A jagged array is an array whose elements are arrays, maybe of different sizes. A jagged array is also called an “array of arrays”.

For example : 

int [][] jaggedArray = new int [2][ ];
Initialise the elements like this : 
jaggedArray[0] = new int [3];
jaggedArray[1] = new int [5];

14. Where in the JVM memory is an Array kept?

   JVM has five memory locations, and these memory locations are :

• Heap 
   
• Stack
   
• PC registers 
   
• Execution Engine and
   
• Native method stacks.

In Java, an array is an object. As a result, the Java Virtual Machine stores an array in heap memory. Arrays are reference types, so these are stored in heap areas. 

15. How to sort an array of 0 and 1?

Maintain two indexes (i,j), and set the first index to 0 and the second to n-1, respectively. Continue using the technique below till left < right. Continue increasing the left index while there are 0s at it or decreasing the right index while there are 1s at it.

Exchange arr[left] and arr[right] whenever left < right.

void sort(int arr[], int n)
{
	int i=0; int j=n-1;
	while(i<j)
	{
		while( arr[i]==0 )
		{
			i++;
		}
		while( arr[j]==1 )
		{
			j--;
		}
		if( i<j)
		{
			int temp = arr[i];     //swapping
			arr[i] = arr[j];
			arr[j] = temp;
		}
 	}
}

16. How to cyclically rotate an array by one?

You can also use a two-pointers approach. Initialise two variables pointing to the array's first and last element, respectively. Start swapping arr[i] and arr[j] and keep j fixed and incrementing i moving towards j. Repeat till i is not equal to j. 

Another method is to store the last element of the array in a variable, and then shift all elements to one position ahead. Replace the first element of the array with the variable you declared.

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17. How to move all zeros to the end of the array?

You can use a two-pointer approach. Traverse the array from the first occurrence index of 0. Initialize two variables (i,j). If the element at j index is 0 and element at i index is not 0, swap elements at index i,j. If the element at j index is not 0, then only increment j.

int moveZeroes( int arr[], int n ){
     int j=0;
     for( int i=0; i<n; i++ ){
         if( arr[i]!=0 && arr[j]==0 ){
            swap( arr[i] , arr[j] );
         }
         if( arr[j]!=0 )
            j++;
     }
 }

18. Which is the fastest array sorting algorithm?

Quick-sort is considered the “fastest” sorting algorithm. The time complexity is O(nlog n) in the best case and O(n^2) in the worst case. In quick-sort, we choose a “pivot” and rearrange the array such that all the elements less than pivot are to its left and the elements greater than the pivot are to its         right.

19. What are the features of an ArrayList ?

ArrayList is not a fixed data structure; accordingly, there’s no need to mention the size of the ArrayList. ArrayList can be seen as a vector in C++. ArrayList requires more memory to store the elements. Operations such as indexOf() and remove() can be performed on ArrayList.

Declaring the ArrayList with initial size n : 

    ArrayList<Integer> arrli = new ArrayList<Integer>(n); 

20. How to retrieve the class name of an array?

You can use various ways to retrieve the class name of an array. getSimpleName(), getName(), getTypeName() and getCanonicalName() are the methods. 

Must Read: Ab Initio Interview Questions And Operating System Interview Questions

Array Coding Problems Interview Questions

Here, we will be discussing programming array interview questions.

21. How to check the equality of two arrays?

You will be given two arrays, and your task will be to determine whether or not they are equal.

It would help if you first verified the lengths of the two provided arrays. The matching elements of both arrays are compared when their lengths are equal. The two arrays will be regarded as equal if each pair of elements in every correspondence is equal. This approach is not advised to check the        equality of two arrays if they are large because it will take a lot of time. You can also use the equals() method in the Arrays class. However, this way          will be helpful if the interviewer asks you to compare two arrays without utilizing built-in functions.

Here’s the pseudo code to approach this problem : 

bool equality( int arr1[], int arr2[] ){
    if( arr1.length()!= arr2.length() )
    	return false;
    sort(arr1); sort(arr2);  //sort both arrays
    for( int i=0; i< arr1.length(); i++ )
         if( arr1[i] != arr2[i] )
         	return false;
    return true;  //if all the elements are same
}

22. How to remove a particular element from an array?

Because arrays are fixed sets and their size cannot change, you cannot directly delete elements from the original array. As a result, the interviewer is asking you to propose an alternative solution and handle the problem that the question raises. Making a new array would be the best approach to removing an element. You could duplicate the elements from the first array and only include the element you want to leave out in this array.

Another strategy is to find the target element in the array and then move all the items on the right side back into one position.

Note that we"'ll be only dealing with positive arrays.

Here’s the pseudo code to solve this problem : 

int main(){
	int key,index = -1;
	cin>>key;
	for( int i=0; i< n; i++ ){
     	if( arr[i] == key )
     	{
         	index = i;
        }
     	if(index != -1){
        	for(int i=index; i<n-1 ;i++)
        		arr[i]= arr[i+1];
        	for(int i=0; i<n-1;i++)
        		cout<<arr[i]<<” “;
        	break;
        }	
    }
  	if( index == -1 )
  		cout<<”Element not found”;
}

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23. How to find the missing integer in an array of range 1 to 100?

This question is frequently asked during interviews to gauge your understanding of the array manipulation and troubleshooting techniques that programmers may utilise. This question also showcases your problem-solving ability because the solution may depend on the particular items or array structure. Providing solutions for every scenario might impress the interviewer in addition to demonstrating your adaptability and breadth of expertise.

The sum of the series can be computed by applying the following function: n (n + 1) / 2

This function will work if the array has no duplicates or if more than one integer is missing. If an array has duplicate elements, you can sort the array to see if any elements are equal.

24. Compare Arrays with Linked Lists.

Must Read Difference between ArrayList and LinkedList

25. Which algorithm is used to find the largest subarray sum from a given array of integers ?

You can use Kadane’s Algorithm to find the largest sub-array sum. This algorithm is used to solve the issue in linear time. 

Initialise: curr_max=0; global_max= INT_MIN;

While traversing through the array :

curr_max = curr_max+arr[i] 

Whenever we will get a positive sub-array sum, compare it with the global_max and update the global_max variable if the curr_max is greater than it. If the sub-array sum is negative, we must reset the curr_max  to zero because we will never take that element for the next sub-arrays. Finally, return the global_max.

Here’s the code to implement Kadane’s algorithm: 

long long Kadanes(int arr[], int n)
{
    long long curr_max=0; long long global_max= 0;
    for( int i=0 ;i<n ;i++ ){
        curr_max+=arr[i];
        if( global_max < curr_max)
            global_max = curr_max;
        if(curr_max < 0)
            curr_max=0;
    }
    return global_max;
}

26. How do you perform binary search in a given array?

The binary search technique works efficiently on sorted arrays and follows the divide-and-conquer approach. Calculate the mid of the array -

     mid = beg + (end-beg)/2; 

The array is divided into halves, and the element is compared with the middle element of the array. If the match is found, return the middle element's location. Here’s the code to implement binary search : 

int binarySearch( int arr[], int num ){
	int beg = 0;
	int end = size-1;
	while( beg <= end ){
        	mid = beg + (end-beg)/2;
        	if( arr[mid] == num ){
        		return mid+1;  
        	}
        	else if( arr[mid] > num ){
        		end =mid-1;
        	}
        	else if( arr[mid] < num ){
        		beg = mid+1;
        	}
	}
	return -1;   //if the element does not exist
}

The time complexity in the worst case is O(logn).

27. How to convert a byte array to a string in Java?

The process of converting a byte array to a String is called decoding. You can use the String class constructor with byte[] as the constructor argument. 

This problem can also be solved by providing “UTF-8” as character encoding. Java provides another overloaded constructor in the String class, which accepts character encoding.

28. How do you find a triplet with the given sum in an array?

Firstly sort the given array. Now traverse the array and fix the first element of the possible triplet arr[i]. Use two pointer technique, and initialise two pointers (x,y), one at i+1 and the other at n-1, respectively. Look at the target sum.

1. If the sum exceeds the required sum, increment the x pointer.
2. Else, if the sum is greater, decrement y pointer.
3. Otherwise, if the sum of elements at two pointers equals the target sum, then return the triplet and break.  

29. How will you efficiently calculate the frequency of all the elements in a limited range array?

•  Create a count array equal to the size of the given array to store the count of all array elements. Traverse through the array and update the frequency of each element in the count array. Now iterate the array to print frequencies.
• You can also traverse the given array and, for each different element of the array, store its frequency in a HashMap.

30. How to find a pair with a given sum in an array?

You can use Two pointer techniques to approach this problem. 

Firstly sort the array. Now take two pointers (i,j) which mark the array's beginning and end respectively. Traverse the array if the sum is greater than the sum of those elements at index i and j decrement the j pointer. If the sum exceeds the target value, increment the i pointer.

Here’s the pseudo code : 

void findPairSum( int arr[], int n, int targetSum ){
	sort( arr, arr+n);
	int i=0; int j= n-1;
	while(i<j){
        	if( arr[i]+arr[j] == targetSum ){
        		cout<<arr[i]<<” ”<<arr[j]<<endl;
        		return;
        	}
        	else if( arr[i]+arr[j] < targetSum )
        		i++;
        	else
        		j--;
    	}
    cout<<"Given sum is not found";
}

 You can also use Binary search methods. Then traverse the array elements and perform a binary search for (target-a[i]) for the remaining part.

Must Read Array of Objects in Java

Array MCQ Questions

1. Which of the following statements about arrays in Java is correct?

A) Arrays in Java are dynamically sized.

B) Arrays in Java can hold elements of different data types.

C) Arrays in Java are fixed in size once declared.

D) Arrays cannot be initialized with values.

Answer: C) Arrays in Java are fixed in size once declared.

2. What will be the output of the following Java code?

int[] arr = new int[3];
System.out.println(arr[0]);

A) 0

B) null

C) Compilation error

D) ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException

Answer: A) 0

3. Which of the following array declarations is correct in Java?

A) int[] arr = new int[];

B) int arr[] = new int(10);

C) int arr[] = new int[10];

D) int[] arr = new int(10);

Answer: C) int arr[] = new int[10];

4. How do you declare a two-dimensional array in Java?

A) int[][] arr;

B) int arr[][];

C) Both A and B

D) int[2] arr[];

Answer: C) Both A and B

5. What is the default value of elements in a newly created integer array in Java?

A) null

B) 0

C) -1

D) Undefined

Answer: B) 0

6. Which method is used to get the length of an array in Java?

A) length()

B) size()

C) getSize()

D) length

Answer: D) length

7. What is the size of the array created by the following code?

int[] arr = new int[5];

A) 5
B) 4
C) 6
D) 0

Answer: A) 5

8. Which of the following will cause an ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException in Java?

A) Accessing an array element with an index that is within bounds.

B) Accessing an array element with a negative index.

C) Accessing an array element with an index equal to the length of the array.

D) All of the above

Answer: D) All of the above

9. What is the correct syntax to declare an array of strings in Java?

A) String[] arr = {"a", "b", "c"};

B) String[] arr = new String[];

C) String arr[] = {"a", "b", "c"};

D) Both A and C

Answer: D) Both A and C

10. What will be the output of the following code?

int[] arr = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5};
System.out.println(arr[3]);

A) 1

B) 3

C) 4

D) Compilation error

Answer: C) 4

11. Which of the following statements about arrays in Java is false?

A) Arrays in Java can hold elements of different types.

B) Arrays can be passed as arguments to methods.

C) Arrays are reference types in Java.

D) Arrays have a fixed size once created.

Answer: A) Arrays in Java can hold elements of different types.

12. How do you create a 3x3 matrix (2D array) in Java?

A) int[][] matrix = new int[3][3];

B) int matrix[][] = new int[3][3];

C) Both A and B

D) int matrix[] = new int[3][3];

Answer: C) Both A and B

13. What is the index range of an array with 5 elements in Java?

A) 1 to 5

B) 0 to 5

C) 0 to 4

D) -1 to 4

Answer: C) 0 to 4

14. Which of the following can be used to iterate over an array in Java?

A) For loop

B) For-each loop

C) While loop

D) All of the above

Answer: D) All of the above

15. What is the result of the following code?

int[] arr = {10, 20, 30, 40};
arr[1] = 100;
System.out.println(arr[1]);

A) 10

B) 20

C) 30

D) 100

Answer: D) 100

Conclusion

In this article, we have extensively discussed Array Interview Questions.

We also have courses and articles on well-liked interview questions like these Array Interview Questions, which will assist you in clearing the interview round. Just keep practicing more and more questions.

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