Samsung R&D Noida

1. 1

   Coding test

   Hand-written algorithm design test on a probing puzzle
   60 min1 questionsofflinehardeliminatory

   search with limited probes · unreliable query interface · decreasing jump sizes · egg-drop style reasoning

   Pen and paper; 60 min in two accounts, 30 in one. Pseudocode or approach, not full code. Candidates may ask the invigilators for clarification. About 5 of 40 solved it per one account; many found the idea in the last 10 minutes.

2. 2

   Technical interview

   Pen-and-paper technical interview
   45 minofflineeliminatory

   custom struct with vector operations · hash map internals · vector vs array · struct vs class · FPGA project · graph cycle detection and traversal · trie for autocomplete · OOP overloading and polymorphism · internet protocols · network layers · TCP vs UDP · heaps and heap sort · complete binary tree · doubly linked list deletion · stack using two queues

   In person, 30-45 min. Those clearing the technical round proceeded to HR. Interviewers helped if the thinking was right.

3. 3

   HR interview

   HR round (largely a formality)
   offline

   casual conversation · home city · teams and work · geometry puzzles

   Two accounts say everyone who reached HR was selected. Some candidates got puzzles, one got only casual conversation.

Advice from candidates

26 pieces of advice, in their own words. Names removed.

• The test would be significantly easy but you need to watch for the constraints. Don't spend much time on optimizations if the constraints are larger.

  test · 2024-25

• You have ample time to solve the question. So first write and test your approach on paper and then try to code because you will just have limited upto 10 submissions.

  test · 2024-25

• Keep your approach easy to read and in simple words. Write the time and space complexity of your approach. Write just one approach. Draw a diagram or sample test cases to prove your solution

  Pen Paper Round · 2024-25

• Even if you know the optimized approach, always first give the brute force one and then give the best one.

  interview · 2024-25

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Question patterns reported

The kind of problem, not the problem itself. Our practice questions are written to match these patterns.

• Codingsingle long implementation problem; limited to 10 submissions
• Otherwrite one approach with complexity and a sample case on paper
• Technicalsuffix queries over a dictionary using a reverse trie
• Technicalrange queries solved first by brute force then by segment tree
• Codingfind where a block of letters starts using at most 150 probes, probe stops working after two hits
• Technicaltype-ahead contact search design using a prefix tree
• Technicaldelete a node given only a pointer in a doubly linked list
• Technicalbuild a stack from two queues
• Technicalexplain heap insertion and complexities
• HRcut a cake into eight pieces with three cuts
• HRmake the midpoint of a rope between two poles touch the ground
• Codingfind a cycle in a graph and print it in sorted order
• Otherfind first occurrence in two-block sequence with capped query calls