78 questions from 15 interviews · updated from reports 2017-2024
About
Newgen Software is an Indian software company that provides a low-code platform for business process automation, content services, and customer communication management. In India, it is commonly seen hiring Software Engineers, Software Design Engineers, and Associate Software Engineers for product development and implementation work.
The roles that come up most are Software Engineer, Software Design Engineer and Associate Software Engineer. This covers 15 candidate interviews reported from 2017 to 2024. Most sat it at entry level (14 of 15 that recorded a level), with 1 internship interviews alongside. Among the 14 that recorded either route, arrivals split between campus drives (12, 86%) and off-campus applications (2, 14%). Most questions fall under CS fundamentals and DSA.
Ans. Reverse a linked list by iterating through it and changing each node’s next pointer to point to the previous node. Keep three pointers: previous, current, and next, so you do not lose the rest of the list. At the end, previous is the new head. Time complexity is O(n), space complexity is O(1).
Ans. Use a frequency map to count how many times each character appears, then report the characters whose count is greater than one. Traverse the string once, updating counts in a hash map or fixed-size array for known character sets. This takes O(n) time and O(k) space, where k is the character set size.
Ans. Perform inorder traversal by visiting the left subtree, then the current node, then the right subtree. Use recursion, or use an explicit stack to simulate recursion if an iterative approach is required. Each node is processed once, so the time complexity is O(n), and the space complexity is O(h) for tree height.
Ans. Use two pointers, one at the start of the string and one at the end, and compare characters while moving inward. If any pair differs, it is not a palindrome; if the pointers meet or cross, it is. This uses no extra data structure and runs in O(n) time with O(1) space.
Ans. A stack removes the most recently added item first, while a queue removes the earliest added item first. This is usually called LIFO for stack and FIFO for queue. Stacks are used for function calls, undo, or parsing. Queues are used for scheduling, buffering, and breadth first search.
Ans. A super key is any set of columns that uniquely identifies a row. A candidate key is a minimal super key, with no unnecessary columns. A primary key is the chosen candidate key used as the main row identifier. A foreign key is a column that refers to a primary or candidate key in another table.
Ans. Merge sort is a divide and conquer sorting algorithm that splits the array into halves, sorts each half recursively, then merges the sorted halves. The key step is merging by comparing the smallest remaining elements. It runs in O(n log n) time and usually needs O(n) extra space.
Ans. Use a singly linked list and treat the head node as the top of the stack. To push, create a new node and link it before the current head. To pop, remove the head and return its value. Peek reads the head value. Push, pop and peek are O(1); space is O(n).
Ans. BFS visits a graph level by level using a queue, while DFS goes as deep as possible along a path using recursion or a stack. Both need a visited set to avoid cycles and repeated work. For adjacency lists, each traversal runs in O(V + E) time and uses O(V) extra space.
Ans. Use a min-heap of size k: insert each element, and whenever the heap grows beyond k, remove the smallest. After processing the array, the heap root is the k-th largest element. This takes O(n log k) time and O(k) space, and handles duplicates naturally.
Ans. System testing and unit testing are done to find defects and prove that software works as expected at different levels. Unit testing checks small pieces of code in isolation, usually by developers. System testing checks the complete application against requirements, including how components work together, before release.
Ans. JDBC connectivity steps are: import java.sql package, load/register the driver, create a Connection using DriverManager.getConnection(url, user, password), create Statement or PreparedStatement, execute the SQL, process the ResultSet, then close ResultSet, Statement and Connection. The most important detail is to use PreparedStatement to avoid SQL injection and handle parameters safely.
Ans. REVOKE will remove the specified privileges, but it will not affect the changes already saved by COMMIT. COMMIT makes the transaction permanent, so any inserted, updated, or deleted data remains stored. REVOKE only changes access permissions for a user or role, and in some databases it may also cause an implicit commit.
Ans. BFS visits a graph level by level using a queue, while DFS goes as deep as possible using recursion or a stack. Implement both with an adjacency list and a visited set to avoid cycles and repeated work. Start from a source node, mark visited, then process neighbours. Both run in O(V + E) time.
Ans. Merge Sort is a divide and conquer sorting algorithm that splits the array into two halves, recursively sorts each half, then merges the sorted halves. Its time complexity is O(n log n) in best, average, and worst cases. The key cost is merging, which processes each element at every level.
Ans. Data is recovered by restoring the latest consistent backup, then replaying transaction logs to bring the database forward to the point of failure. The key detail is write-ahead logging: changes are recorded before being applied, so committed transactions can be redone and incomplete transactions can be undone.
Ans. JDBC is Java’s standard API for connecting to relational databases, sending SQL, and reading results. Java loads a database driver, obtains a Connection through DriverManager or DataSource, creates a Statement or PreparedStatement, executes queries or updates, and reads a ResultSet. The key detail is to use PreparedStatement and close resources properly.
Ans. JavaScript fundamentals for frontend development include variables, types, functions, scope, closures, objects, arrays, DOM manipulation, events, modules, and asynchronous programming with promises and async/await. The most important detail is understanding the event loop, because UI updates, user interactions, timers, network requests, and rendering all depend on non-blocking execution.
Ans. Light rope A at both ends and rope B at one end. Rope A finishes in 30 minutes, because both burning fronts consume its one hour of burn time together. At that moment, light the other end of rope B. It has 30 minutes of burn left, now burned from both ends, so it finishes after 15 more minutes. Total: 45 minutes.
Ans. Use SELECT with WHERE to filter rows, JOIN to combine related tables, GROUP BY with aggregate functions for summaries, and INSERT, UPDATE, or DELETE to change data. The key detail is choosing the right join condition and filtering before aggregation where possible. With proper indexes, lookups are usually logarithmic; full scans are linear.
Ans. Polymorphism is the ability to use one interface while different types provide different behaviour. Compile-time polymorphism is implemented with method or operator overloading, where the compiler chooses the function by signature. Run-time polymorphism is implemented with inheritance and overriding, using a base-class reference or pointer and virtual dispatch. Dispatch is typically constant time.
Ans. A database stores organised data so it can be queried, updated, and managed reliably. In coursework, the key ideas are relational tables, primary and foreign keys, SQL queries, normalisation to reduce redundancy, indexes to speed lookups, and transactions with ACID properties to keep data correct during concurrent operations.
Ans. Select the target column from the table, sort it in ascending order, and return only the first two rows. The key detail is whether duplicates count: use distinct values if you need the two smallest unique values, otherwise the result may contain the same minimum value twice. This runs in sorting time.
Ans. SQL joins combine rows from two tables using a related column, usually a primary key and foreign key. An inner join returns matching rows only, a left join returns all left table rows plus matches, and a right or full join keeps unmatched rows from one or both sides. Use aliases and qualify columns to avoid ambiguity.
Ans. Use a map from account ID to account object holding the current balance. Deposit adds a positive amount, withdraw first checks sufficient funds and then subtracts, and check balance returns the stored value. Validate account existence and non-negative amounts. Each operation takes O(1) average time with a hash map.
Ans. Turn on switch 1 for a few minutes, then turn it off. Turn on switch 2 and leave switch 3 off. Enter the room once. The lit bulb is controlled by switch 2. Of the two unlit bulbs, the warm one is controlled by switch 1, and the cold one by switch 3.
Ans. Pick one fruit from the box labelled “mix”. Since every label is wrong, that box cannot be mixed, so the fruit tells you its true contents. If it is an apple, that box is apples. The box labelled oranges must then be mix, and the box labelled apples is oranges. Reverse this if you pick an orange.
Ans. Use per-account state and validate every operation before applying it. Store balance, initial deposit, today’s withdrawn, today’s deposited, today’s balance-check count, current day, and current month balance snapshot. Reset daily counters when the date changes. On the 1st, cap withdrawals at 80% of monthly balance. Each operation is O(1).
Ans. Use an Account object stored in a map by account id, process each CSV row sequentially, validate the requested operation against the account state, then update balances and counters only if valid. Store balance, initial deposit, monthly balance, per-day transaction count, per-day balance-check count, and current date. Each operation is O(1), total O(n).
Ans. Bubble sort repeatedly scans the array, compares adjacent elements, and swaps them if they are in the wrong order. After each full pass, the largest unsorted element moves to its final position. Stop after no swaps occur, or after n minus 1 passes. It sorts in place, with O(n²) time and O(1) space.
Ans. Database commands are commonly grouped into DDL, DML, DQL, DCL and TCL. DDL defines structure, such as CREATE and ALTER. DML changes data, such as INSERT and UPDATE. DQL reads data using SELECT. DCL controls permissions, such as GRANT. TCL manages transactions, such as COMMIT and ROLLBACK.
Ans. In SQL Server, rename a database using ALTER DATABASE with MODIFY NAME, specifying the old name and the new name. The key detail is that this is database-specific: MySQL does not support a simple rename database statement, so you usually create a new database and migrate or dump and restore the data.
Ans. DML manipulates data, DDL defines database structure, and DCL controls access permissions. DML includes SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE. DDL includes CREATE, ALTER, DROP, and TRUNCATE. DCL includes GRANT and REVOKE. The key difference is that DML affects rows, DDL affects schema, and DCL affects user privileges.
Ans. The Waterfall Model steps are requirements analysis, system design, implementation, testing, deployment, and maintenance. Each phase is completed before the next begins, with outputs from one phase feeding the next. The key point is that it is a linear process, so late changes can be expensive and difficult.
Ans. Use a pseudo random number generator with a seed, such as a linear congruential generator, to produce each next number from the previous one. Store only the current seed value, so no extra data structure is needed. Each generated number takes O(1) time and O(1) space.
Ans. C is a procedural language, while C++ is largely a superset of C with object oriented and generic programming features. C++ adds classes, inheritance, polymorphism, templates, exceptions, references, function overloading and the standard library. The most important difference is abstraction: C gives low level control, while C++ supports higher level design without losing that control.
Ans. Arrays store elements in contiguous memory and allow fast index-based access, while linked lists store elements as separate nodes connected by pointers. Arrays have O(1) random access but costly insertions or deletions in the middle. Linked lists have O(n) access but can insert or delete efficiently when the node is known.
Ans. Use a two-pointer approach to remove duplicates in place. Keep one pointer at the position for the next unique element, scan with the other, and copy only when the current value differs from the last kept value. This uses no extra data structure, runs in O(n) time, and O(1) space.
Ans. Scan the string left to right and use a stack to ensure every closing bracket matches the most recent unmatched opening bracket. Push opening brackets, pop and compare on closing brackets, and fail if the stack is empty or mismatched. The string is balanced only if the stack is empty at the end. Time complexity is O(n).
Ans. A linked list is a linear data structure where each node stores data and a reference to the next node, and sometimes the previous one. Basic operations are traversal, insertion, deletion and search. Insertion or deletion is constant time when the node position is known, but searching usually takes linear time.
Ans. Exception handling in Java lets a program deal with runtime errors without crashing, using try, catch, finally, throw, and throws. For example, reading a file may throw a checked IOException, so it must be caught or declared. Dividing by zero may throw an unchecked ArithmeticException. finally is used for cleanup, such as closing resources.
Ans. Use a hash set to track values already seen, and build a result array by adding each element only the first time it appears. This preserves the original order of first occurrences. The time complexity is O(n), and the extra space complexity is O(n).
Ans. The iterative model builds software through repeated cycles, adding or improving features each time, while the prototype model builds an early working sample to clarify requirements before full development. The key difference is that iteration evolves the real product, whereas prototyping mainly explores and validates what users need.
Ans. SQL JOINs combine rows from related tables: INNER JOIN returns only matching rows, LEFT JOIN returns all left rows plus matches, RIGHT JOIN returns all right rows plus matches, and FULL OUTER JOIN returns all rows from both sides. CROSS JOIN returns every pair of rows. The join condition usually uses matching key columns.
Ans. An RDBMS is a database system that stores data in related tables with rows, columns, keys, and SQL for querying. SQL joins combine rows from tables using related columns. Inner join returns matching rows. Left join returns all left rows plus matches. Right join returns all right rows plus matches. Full join returns all rows from both sides.
Ans. Scan the array once while keeping two values: the largest and the second largest seen so far. For each element, update the largest and move the old largest to second largest, or update only the second largest if it lies between them. This uses constant space and runs in O(n) time.
Ans. An RDBMS is software that stores data in related tables with rows, columns, keys and SQL for querying. SQL joins combine rows from tables using matching columns. Inner join returns matches only. Left and right joins keep all rows from one side. Full outer join keeps all rows from both sides. Cross join returns all combinations.
Ans. The ternary operator is a shorthand conditional expression: condition ? valueIfTrue : valueIfFalse. It evaluates the condition first, then returns only one of the two expressions. It is best used for simple assignments or return values, not complex logic. Nested ternary operators work, but reduce readability and should usually be avoided.
Ans. SQL commands are grouped by purpose: DDL defines database structure, DML changes or reads data, and DCL controls permissions. DDL includes CREATE, ALTER, DROP and TRUNCATE. DML includes SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE and DELETE. DCL includes GRANT and REVOKE. Related TCL commands include COMMIT, ROLLBACK and SAVEPOINT for transaction control.
Ans. A stack is a linear data structure that stores items in last in, first out order, so the most recently added item is removed first. Its basic operations are push to add an item, pop to remove the top item, peek to read the top item, and isEmpty to check whether it has items.
Ans. Common sorting complexities are: bubble, selection and insertion sort are O(n²) on average, merge sort and heap sort are O(n log n), and quicksort is O(n log n) average but O(n²) worst case. The key detail is whether the algorithm repeatedly compares pairs, divides the input, or depends on pivot quality.
Ans. DELETE removes selected rows and can use a WHERE clause, while TRUNCATE removes all rows from a table. DELETE is usually row logged, can fire delete triggers, and is slower for large tables. TRUNCATE deallocates data pages, is faster, often resets identity values, and cannot be used when referenced by foreign keys.
Ans. Common sorting complexities are: bubble, insertion and selection sort take O(n²) on average, merge sort and heap sort take O(n log n), and quicksort takes O(n log n) on average but O(n²) worst case. Counting or radix sort can be O(n) when keys have a limited range or fixed size.
Ans. Use a SELECT statement with an ORDER BY clause and a row limiting clause to return 50 rows. In MySQL, PostgreSQL, and SQLite, use LIMIT 50. In SQL Server, use TOP 50. The important detail is to define “top” with ORDER BY, otherwise the returned rows are not deterministic.
Ans. Create a parent class Animal with a method makeSound, then create child classes Dog and Cat that extend Animal and override makeSound. In main, store Dog and Cat objects in an Animal array or list and call makeSound on each. This demonstrates inheritance and runtime polymorphism. Time complexity is O(n).
Ans. Select the employee columns from the employees table, order the rows by salary in descending order, and return only the first 10 rows. The key detail is using a limit clause, such as LIMIT 10 in MySQL or PostgreSQL, or FETCH FIRST 10 ROWS ONLY in standard SQL.
Ans. Identify the rule before choosing an answer. Compare items for changes in number, position, size, direction, colour, order or relationship. Test one pattern at a time and use elimination. For deductions, separate facts from assumptions, follow only what must be true, and check that the conclusion is fully supported.
Ans. Break the problem into known values, required value, and the formula needed. For percentages, convert to fractions or decimals. For profit and loss, use cost price, selling price, profit percentage, or loss percentage. For time and work, use rate of work per unit time, then combine rates carefully.
Ans. Use a structured approach: read the question carefully, identify what is being asked, note the given data, and choose the right formula or logic pattern. For quantitative problems, simplify step by step and check units. For reasoning problems, use tables, diagrams, or elimination. Verify the answer against the options.
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Candidate interviews most often cover CS fundamentals (61%) and DSA (32%).
Candidate interviews show an average of 3.9 rounds per experience, with a typical sequence of Online test → Online test → Technical → HR. Individual interview paths can vary.
Among questions with a recorded difficulty, the mix is easy 73%, medium 27%, hard 0%.
