Qualcomm Interview Experience
Preliminary‌ ‌Round‌: This‌ ‌round‌ ‌consists‌ ‌of‌ ‌3‌ ‌Sections‌ ‌which‌ ‌comprises‌ ‌of‌ ‌60‌ ‌questions‌ ‌ ‌
Section‌ ‌1‌ ‌ |
Aptitude‌ ‌Questions‌ ‌ |
20‌ ‌Questions‌ ‌ |
Section‌ ‌2‌ ‌‌ |
Programming‌ ‌Questions‌ ‌ |
20‌ ‌Questions‌ |
Section‌ ‌3‌ |
Technical‌ ‌Questions‌ ‌ |
20‌ ‌Questions‌ |
I‌ ‌managed‌ ‌to‌ ‌solve‌ ‌around‌ ‌40+‌ ‌questions.‌ ‌
‌Round‌ ‌1 ‌(Technical‌ ‌Round):‌ ‌ The‌ ‌Interview‌ ‌was‌ ‌conducted‌ ‌on‌ ‌10th‌ ‌Sept‌ ‌in‌ ‌Microsoft‌ ‌teams‌ ‌and‌ ‌I‌ ‌started‌ ‌the‌ ‌conversation‌ ‌with‌ ‌the‌ ‌interviewer‌ ‌by‌ ‌greeting‌ ‌him‌ ‌and‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌meanwhile,‌ ‌he‌ ‌opened‌ ‌my‌ ‌resume‌ ‌and‌ ‌looking‌ ‌at‌ ‌it‌ ‌, and‌ ‌asked‌ ‌me‌ ‌to‌ ‌introduce‌ ‌myself. I‌ ‌introduced‌ ‌myself‌ ‌by‌ ‌throwing‌ ‌light‌ ‌on‌ ‌the‌ ‌projects‌ ‌that‌ ‌I‌ ‌have‌ ‌done‌ ‌and‌ ‌then‌ ‌he‌ ‌asked‌ ‌me‌ ‌the‌ ‌theme‌ ‌and‌ ‌basic‌ ‌details‌ ‌about‌ ‌my‌ ‌project.‌ ‌
After‌ ‌that,‌ ‌he‌ ‌asked‌ ‌me‌ ‌what‌ ‌are‌ ‌your‌ ‌areas‌ ‌of‌ ‌interest‌ ‌and‌ ‌I‌ ‌replied‌ ‌to‌ ‌him‌ ‌by‌ ‌saying‌ ‌Operating‌ ‌systems‌ ‌and‌ ‌Data‌ ‌Structures‌ ‌&‌ ‌Algorithms.‌ ‌
‌He‌ ‌asked‌ ‌me‌ ‌about‌ ‌what‌ ‌is‌ ‌LRU‌ ‌and‌ ‌how‌ ‌to‌ ‌implement‌ ‌and‌ ‌I‌ ‌have‌ ‌given‌ ‌a‌ ‌hacker rank‌ ‌code pair‌ ‌link‌ ‌where‌ ‌i‌ ‌have‌ ‌to‌ ‌write‌ ‌the‌ ‌code, dry‌ ‌run‌ ‌it, execute‌ ‌it‌ ‌and‌ ‌then‌ ‌he‌ ‌asked‌ ‌to‌ ‌optimize‌ ‌it, I‌ ‌was‌ ‌struggling‌ ‌a‌ ‌bit‌ ‌and‌ ‌he‌ ‌gave‌ ‌me‌ ‌a‌ ‌hint‌ ‌and‌ ‌by‌ ‌using‌ ‌that‌ ‌hint‌ ‌I‌ ‌managed‌ ‌to‌ ‌solve‌ ‌the‌ ‌question‌ ‌https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/problems/lru-cache/1
‌He‌ ‌asked‌ ‌me‌ ‌about‌ ‌Process‌ ‌Scheduling, example‌ ‌for‌ ‌the live‌ ‌lock, the difference‌ ‌between‌ ‌scheduler‌ ‌and‌ ‌dispatcher, threading‌ ‌and‌ ‌the‌ ‌point‌ ‌to‌ ‌note‌ ‌here‌ ‌is‌ ‌that‌ ‌these‌ ‌questions‌ ‌were‌ ‌not‌ ‌direct‌ ‌and‌ ‌the‌ ‌interviewer‌ ‌set up‌ ‌an‌ ‌example‌ ‌scene‌ ‌to‌ ‌ask‌ ‌this‌ ‌type‌ ‌of‌ ‌question‌ ‌
‌He‌ ‌asked‌ ‌me‌ ‌how‌ ‌much‌ ‌are‌ ‌you‌ ‌comfortable‌ ‌with‌ ‌computer‌ ‌organization‌ ‌and‌ ‌I‌ ‌replied‌ ‌by‌ ‌saying‌ ‌I’m‌ ‌comfortable‌ ‌with‌ ‌OS‌ ‌rather‌ ‌than‌ ‌CO‌ ‌Instead‌ ‌he‌ ‌asked‌ ‌me‌ ‌what‌ ‌is‌ ‌interrupt‌ ‌and‌ ‌how‌ ‌it‌ ‌is‌ ‌been‌ ‌served‌ ‌and‌ ‌what‌ ‌happens‌ ‌actually‌ ‌when‌ ‌an‌ ‌interrupt‌ ‌is‌ ‌raised, he‌ ‌asked‌ ‌me‌ ‌about‌ ‌DMA‌ ‌
‌He‌ ‌asked‌ ‌me‌ ‌about‌ ‌structure‌ ‌lining‌ ‌and‌ ‌padding‌ ‌which‌ ‌I‌ ‌don’t‌ ‌know‌ ‌‌ ‌concept‌ ‌later‌ ‌he‌ ‌explained‌ ‌it‌ ‌to‌ ‌me‌ ‌and‌ ‌asked‌ ‌to‌ ‌write‌ ‌code‌ ‌for‌ ‌it‌ ‌and‌ ‌I‌ ‌managed‌ ‌to‌ ‌solve‌ ‌the‌ ‌problem‌ ‌by‌ ‌using‌ ‌arithmetic‌ ‌operators‌ ‌he‌ ‌was‌ ‌satisfied‌ ‌and‌ ‌asked‌ ‌me‌ ‌to‌ ‌use‌ ‌bit‌ ‌operators‌ ‌to‌ ‌solve‌ ‌the‌ ‌same‌ ‌problem‌ ‌where‌ ‌I‌ ‌didn’t‌ ‌get‌ ‌the‌ ‌logic.‌ ‌
(Sorry‌ ‌I‌ ‌couldn’t‌ ‌find‌ ‌the‌ ‌link‌ ‌to‌ ‌the‌ ‌problem)‌ ‌
‌This‌ ‌process‌ ‌went‌ ‌around‌ ‌90‌ ‌mins‌ ‌and‌ ‌then‌ ‌he‌ ‌asked‌ ‌me‌ ‌do‌ ‌I‌ ‌have‌ ‌any‌ ‌questions‌ ‌then‌ ‌I ‌asked‌ ‌
- What‌ ‌type‌ ‌of‌ ‌opportunities‌ ‌does‌ ‌a‌ ‌fresher‌ ‌get‌ ‌in‌ ‌QUALCOMM?‌
- ‌I‌ ‌mentioned‌ ‌to the‌ ‌interviewer‌ ‌that‌ ‌I‌ ‌have‌ ‌gone‌ ‌through‌ ‌his‌ ‌LinkedIn‌ ‌profile‌ ‌and‌ ‌asked‌ ‌about his‌ ‌journey‌ ‌with‌ ‌QUALCOMM‌ ‌
Round‌ ‌2 (Technical‌ ‌Round)‌‌: ‌This‌ ‌was‌ ‌a‌ ‌relatively‌ ‌easy‌ ‌round‌ ‌for‌ ‌me‌ ‌when‌ ‌compared‌ ‌to‌ ‌round‌ ‌1‌. This‌ ‌time‌ ‌the‌ ‌interviewer‌ ‌greeted‌ ‌me‌ ‌and‌ ‌introduced‌ ‌himself‌ ‌and‌ ‌opened‌ ‌my‌ ‌resume‌ ‌and‌ ‌shared‌ ‌the‌ ‌screen‌ ‌and‌ ‌asked‌ ‌me‌ ‌to‌ ‌tell‌ ‌me‌ ‌about‌ ‌myself‌ ‌and‌ ‌like‌ ‌in the‌ ‌previous‌ ‌round,‌ ‌I‌ ‌focused‌ ‌on‌ ‌explaining‌ ‌my‌ ‌projects.‌ ‌
He‌ ‌asked‌ ‌me‌ ‌about‌ ‌what‌ ‌language‌ ‌do‌ ‌i‌ ‌prefer‌ ‌to‌ ‌write‌ ‌code‌ ‌and‌ ‌I‌ ‌replied‌ ‌C++‌ ‌
He‌ ‌then‌ ‌asked‌ ‌me‌ ‌bit‌ ‌manipulation‌ ‌questions‌ ‌
- https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/problems/check-whether-k-th-bit-is-set-or-not/0‌ ‌
- https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/problems/power-of-2/0‌ ‌
- https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/problems/swap-all-odd-and-even-bits/0‌ ‌
- https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/problems/reverse-bits/0‌ ‌
Surprisingly‌ ‌all‌ ‌these‌ ‌questions‌ ‌were‌ ‌present‌ ‌in‌ ‌must-do‌ ‌GeeksforGeeks: ‌https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/must-do-coding-questions-for-companies-like-amazon-microsoft‌-adobe/‌.
I‌ ‌managed‌ ‌to‌ ‌solve‌ ‌these‌ ‌questions‌ ‌and‌ ‌then‌ ‌he‌ ‌asked‌ ‌me‌ ‌that‌ ‌am‌ ‌i‌ ‌comfortable‌ ‌with‌ ‌co‌ ‌or‌ ‌OS ‌then‌ ‌i‌ ‌replied‌ ‌OS
He‌ ‌asked‌ ‌me‌ ‌about‌ ‌scheduling‌ ‌algorithms‌ ‌
- What‌ ‌is‌ ‌the‌ ‌convoy‌ ‌effect?‌ ‌
- Why‌ ‌is‌ ‌SJF‌ ‌is‌ ‌practically‌ ‌not‌ ‌implementable‌ ‌
- What‌ ‌happens‌ ‌if‌ ‌time‌ ‌quantum‌ ‌in‌ ‌Round‌ ‌robin‌ ‌is‌ ‌very‌ ‌less‌ ‌and‌ ‌very‌ ‌large‌ ‌
- He‌ ‌then‌ ‌asked‌ ‌me‌ ‌about‌ ‌disk‌ ‌scheduling‌ ‌algorithms‌ ‌and‌ ‌I‌ ‌listed‌ ‌them‌ ‌then‌ ‌ ‌
- He‌ ‌asked‌ ‌me‌ ‌what‌ ‌is‌ ‌the‌ ‌most‌ ‌practical‌ ‌disk‌ ‌scheduling‌ ‌algorithm‌ ‌and‌ ‌I‌ ‌replied‌ ‌to him‌ ‌by‌ ‌saying‌ c-look‌ ‌and‌ ‌justified‌ ‌my‌ ‌answer(Rather‌ ‌I ‌managed‌ ‌it)‌ ‌
- He‌ ‌asked‌ ‌me‌ ‌why‌ ‌Linux‌ ‌systems‌ ‌aren’t‌ ‌prone‌ ‌to‌ ‌viruses‌ ‌and‌ ‌I ‌couldn’t‌ ‌answer‌ ‌it‌ ‌properly(he‌ ‌asked‌ ‌me‌ ‌this‌ ‌because‌ ‌I‌ ‌mentioned‌ ‌Linux‌ ‌in‌ ‌my‌ ‌resume).‌ ‌
Finally,‌ ‌he‌ ‌asked‌ ‌me‌ ‌about‌ ‌divide‌ ‌two‌ ‌numbers‌ ‌without‌ ‌using‌ ‌/‌ ‌operator‌ ‌which‌ ‌in‌ ‌turn‌ ‌I‌ ‌have‌ ‌heard‌ ‌this‌ ‌question‌ ‌but‌ ‌don’t‌ ‌know‌ ‌the‌ ‌logic, I‌ ‌tried‌ ‌the brute‌ ‌force‌ ‌method‌ ‌by‌ ‌repeated‌ ‌subtraction‌ ‌and‌ ‌he‌ ‌seems‌ ‌satisfied‌ ‌
He‌ ‌then‌ ‌asked‌ ‌me‌ ‌do‌ ‌I‌ ‌have‌ ‌any‌ ‌questions‌ ‌and‌ ‌I ‌asked‌ ‌the‌ ‌same‌ ‌questions‌ ‌that‌ ‌I‌ ‌have‌ ‌mentioned‌ ‌in‌ ‌round‌ ‌1‌ ‌
‌Round‌ ‌3 (HR‌ ‌Round)‌: ‌I‌ ‌think‌ ‌this‌ ‌is‌ ‌a‌ ‌formality‌ ‌round‌ ‌the‌ ‌interviewer‌ ‌greeted‌ ‌me‌ ‌and‌ ‌asked‌ ‌about‌ ‌the‌ ‌feedback‌ ‌of‌ ‌previous‌ ‌interviews‌ ‌and‌ ‌then‌ ‌she‌ ‌asked‌ ‌
- Tell‌ ‌me‌ ‌about‌ ‌yourself?‌ ‌
- Where‌ ‌do‌ ‌you‌ ‌see‌ ‌yourself‌ ‌in‌ ‌5‌ ‌years?‌ ‌
- What’s‌ ‌your‌ ‌plan‌ ‌B‌ ‌if‌ ‌not‌ ‌QUALCOMM?‌ ‌
- What‌ ‌are‌ ‌your‌ ‌strengths?‌ ‌
- Explain‌ ‌to‌ ‌me‌ ‌a‌ ‌situation‌ ‌where‌ ‌you‌ ‌showcase‌ ‌your‌ ‌leadership‌ ‌abilities?‌ ‌
- She‌ ‌then‌ ‌quickly‌ ‌asked‌ ‌about‌ ‌my‌ ‌projects‌ ‌and‌ ‌asked‌ ‌about‌ ‌a‌ ‌difficult‌ ‌situation‌ ‌that‌ ‌I‌ ‌have‌ ‌faced‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌project?‌ ‌‌
My‌ ‌Suggestions‌‌:
- Always‌ ‌smile‌ ‌and‌ ‌be‌ ‌honest‌ ‌with‌ ‌your‌ ‌replies.‌ ‌
- Attempt‌ ‌the‌ ‌question‌ ‌in‌ ‌a‌ ‌way‌ ‌such‌ ‌that‌ ‌if‌ ‌you‌ ‌know‌ ‌the‌ ‌answer‌ ‌your‌ ‌answer‌ ‌should‌ ‌be‌ ‌crisp‌ ‌and‌ ‌straight‌ ‌to‌ ‌the‌ ‌point‌ ‌and‌ ‌if‌ ‌you‌ ‌don’t‌ ‌know‌ ‌the‌ ‌answer‌ ‌tell‌ ‌the‌ ‌interviewer‌ ‌about‌ ‌all‌ ‌the‌ ‌related‌ ‌concept‌ ‌that‌ ‌you‌ ‌know‌ ‌which‌ ‌revolves‌ ‌around‌ ‌the‌ ‌topic, this‌ ‌helped‌ ‌me‌ ‌a‌ ‌lot‌ ‌because‌ ‌i‌ ‌don’t‌ ‌know‌ ‌much‌ ‌CO‌ ‌but‌ ‌i‌ ‌managed‌ ‌to‌ ‌get‌ ‌the‌ ‌answers‌ ‌with‌ ‌this‌ ‌strategy.‌ ‌
- If‌ ‌you‌ ‌are‌ ‌completely‌ ‌unfamiliar‌ ‌with‌ ‌the‌ ‌topic‌ ‌then‌ ‌say‌ ‌to‌ ‌the‌ ‌interviewer‌ ‌that‌ ‌you‌ ‌are‌ ‌not‌ ‌comfortable‌ ‌with‌ ‌the‌ ‌topic‌ ‌
- Be‌ ‌in‌ ‌communication‌ ‌with‌ ‌the‌ ‌interviewer‌ ‌throughout‌ ‌the‌ ‌entire‌ ‌process‌ ‌and‌ ‌share‌ ‌your‌ ‌approach‌ ‌with‌ ‌the‌ ‌interviewer‌ ‌because‌ ‌it‌ ‌will‌ ‌help‌ ‌you‌ ‌to‌ ‌figure‌ ‌out‌ ‌whether‌ ‌you‌ ‌are‌ ‌going‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌right‌ ‌direction‌ ‌or‌ ‌not‌ ‌and‌ ‌even‌ ‌the‌ ‌interviewer‌ ‌will‌ ‌give‌ ‌you‌ ‌hints‌ ‌if‌ ‌you‌ ‌communicate‌ ‌
- If‌ ‌you‌ ‌know‌ ‌the‌ ‌interviewer‌ ‌to‌ ‌whom‌ ‌you‌ ‌are‌ ‌scheduled‌ ‌to‌ ‌then‌ ‌make‌ ‌an‌ ‌effort‌ ‌to‌ ‌know‌ ‌about‌ ‌him‌ ‌on‌ ‌LinkedIn.‌ ‌
- Know‌ ‌about‌ ‌the‌ ‌company, its‌ ‌products, recent‌ ‌works‌ ‌
- If‌ ‌you‌ ‌did‌ ‌any‌ ‌project‌ ‌then‌ ‌explain‌ ‌it‌ ‌to‌ ‌the‌ ‌interviewer‌ ‌using‌ ‌the STAR‌ ‌approach(Situation, tasks, action, result)‌ ‌
Recommended‌ ‌for‌ ‌last-minute‌ ‌preparation‌:
- OS‌‌:‌ ‌‌https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/last-minute-notes-operating-systems/‌ ‌
- DBMS‌‌:‌ ‌‌https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/last-minute-notes-dbms/‌ ‌
- CN‌:‌ ‌‌https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/last-minute-notes-computer-network/‌ ‌
Last Updated :
10 Sep, 2021
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