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Airbnb Placement Papers 2024

Overview

This page collects Airbnb placement papers from 2024 with previous-year questions, solutions, and the 2024 exam pattern. It is useful when you want real drive history: what the OA looked like, which question types repeated, and how solutions were approached. Work through the papers below to build speed and accuracy, then compare against newer 2025 material so your prep matches both established Airbnb patterns and the latest shifts.

Airbnb Online Assessment 2024 pattern

Section Questions Time Difficulty
Coding Problems 2-3 90 min Medium-Hard

Airbnb Placement Papers 2024 - actual questions & solutions

This section contains practice questions styled on Airbnb placement papers 2024 (previous-year pattern), with worked solutions. Use them as timed sectional drills - from student reports drives vary by college and role, so treat this as a high-signal practice bank, not an official paper dump.

Question 1: merge two sorted lists

Show solution

Problem Statement: Merge two sorted linked lists and return a new sorted list.

Example:

Input: 1→2→4 , 1→3→4
Output: 1→1→2→3→4→4

Solution (Java):

public ListNode mergeTwoLists(ListNode a, ListNode b) {
    ListNode dummy = new ListNode(0), cur = dummy;
    while (a != null && b != null) {
        if (a.val <= b.val) { cur.next = a; a = a.next; }
        else { cur.next = b; b = b.next; }
        cur = cur.next;
    }
    cur.next = (a != null) ? a : b;
    return dummy.next;
}

Time Complexity: O(n + m)
Space Complexity: O(1)

Question 2: reverse a string

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Problem Statement: Given a string, return it reversed.

Example:

Input: "placement"
Output: "tnemecalp"

Solution (Java):

public String reverse(String s) {
    return new StringBuilder(s).reverse().toString();
}

Time Complexity: O(n)
Space Complexity: O(n)

Question 3: maximum subarray sum

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Problem Statement: Find the contiguous subarray with the largest sum.

Example:

Input: [-2, 1, -3, 4, -1, 2, 1, -5, 4]
Output: 6  // [4, -1, 2, 1]

Solution (Java):

public int maxSubArray(int[] nums) {
    int best = nums[0], cur = nums[0];
    for (int i = 1; i < nums.length; i++) {
        cur = Math.max(nums[i], cur + nums[i]);
        best = Math.max(best, cur);
    }
    return best;
}

Time Complexity: O(n)
Space Complexity: O(1)

Question 4: binary tree level order

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Problem Statement: Return the level-order traversal of a binary tree.

Example:

Input: [3,9,20,null,null,15,7]
Output: [[3],[9,20],[15,7]]

Solution (Java):

public List<List<Integer>> levelOrder(TreeNode root) {
    List<List<Integer>> res = new ArrayList<>();
    if (root == null) return res;
    Queue<TreeNode> q = new ArrayDeque<>();
    q.add(root);
    while (!q.isEmpty()) {
        int sz = q.size();
        List<Integer> level = new ArrayList<>();
        for (int i = 0; i < sz; i++) {
            TreeNode n = q.poll();
            level.add(n.val);
            if (n.left != null) q.add(n.left);
            if (n.right != null) q.add(n.right);
        }
        res.add(level);
    }
    return res;
}

Time Complexity: O(n)
Space Complexity: O(n)

Question 5: detect cycle in linked list

Show solution

Problem Statement: Return true if the linked list has a cycle.

Example:

Input: 3→2→0→-4→(back to 2)
Output: true

Solution (Java):

public boolean hasCycle(ListNode head) {
    ListNode slow = head, fast = head;
    while (fast != null && fast.next != null) {
        slow = slow.next;
        fast = fast.next.next;
        if (slow == fast) return true;
    }
    return false;
}

Time Complexity: O(n)
Space Complexity: O(1)

Question 6: valid parentheses

Show solution

Problem Statement: Given a string of brackets, determine if it is valid.

Example:

Input: "()[]{}"
Output: true

Solution (Java):

public boolean isValid(String s) {
    Deque<Character> st = new ArrayDeque<>();
    Map<Character, Character> pair = Map.of(')', '(', ']', '[', '}', '{');
    for (char c : s.toCharArray()) {
        if (pair.containsValue(c)) st.push(c);
        else if (st.isEmpty() || st.pop() != pair.get(c)) return false;
    }
    return st.isEmpty();
}

Time Complexity: O(n)
Space Complexity: O(n)

Question 7: two sum

Show solution

Problem Statement: Given an array of integers and a target, return indices of two numbers that add up to target.

Example:

Input: nums = [2, 7, 11, 15], target = 9
Output: [0, 1]

Solution (Java):

public int[] twoSum(int[] nums, int target) {
    Map<Integer, Integer> map = new HashMap<>();
    for (int i = 0; i < nums.length; i++) {
        int need = target - nums[i];
        if (map.containsKey(need)) return new int[]{map.get(need), i};
        map.put(nums[i], i);
    }
    return new int[]{};
}

Time Complexity: O(n)
Space Complexity: O(n)

Question 8

Q8: In OOP, hiding internal details and showing only essential features is called?

Solution:

This is the definition of Encapsulation (often paired with abstraction in interviews).

Answer: Encapsulation

Question 9

Q9: Which SQL clause filters grouped rows after GROUP BY?

Solution:

HAVING filters aggregates; WHERE filters rows before grouping.

Answer: HAVING

Question 10

Q10: Worst-case time complexity of quicksort is?

Solution:

Unbalanced partitions (already sorted with bad pivot) → O(n²).

Answer: O(n²)

Question 11

Q11: Which protocol is connection-oriented at the transport layer?

Solution:

TCP is connection-oriented; UDP is connectionless.

Answer: TCP

Key insights from 2024 Airbnb Online Assessment

  1. Coding Section is Critical: Must solve 2-3 coding problems correctly to advance
  2. Marketplace System Design: Strong emphasis on marketplace system design and booking systems
  3. Time Management: 2-3 coding problems in 90 minutes requires excellent speed
  4. Success Rate: Only 10-15% cleared OA and advanced to interviews
  5. Platform: Airbnb’s assessment platform or HackerRank
  6. Focus Areas: Arrays, trees, graphs, dynamic programming, booking systems, marketplace design

Airbnb 2024 interview experiences

Based on candidate experiences from 2024 Airbnb interviews:

2024 Interview Process:

  1. Online Assessment (90 minutes): 2-3 coding problems
  2. Technical Phone Screen (45-60 minutes): Coding problems, algorithm discussions, system design
  3. Onsite Interviews (4-5 rounds, 45-60 minutes each):
  • Coding rounds (2-3): Algorithms, data structures, problem-solving
  • System Design rounds: Marketplace systems, booking systems, search and recommendations
  • Behavioral rounds: Problem-solving approach, innovation, cultural fit

Common 2024 Interview Topics:

  • Coding: Arrays, strings, trees, graphs, dynamic programming, booking algorithms
  • System Design: Marketplace systems, booking systems, search, recommendations, payment systems
  • Behavioral: Problem-solving, innovation, cultural fit, impact
  • Airbnb Technologies: Booking systems, marketplace platforms, search algorithms, recommendations

2024 Interview Questions Examples:

  • Booking System Design
  • Design Airbnb’s search system (System Design)
  • Design Airbnb’s booking system (System Design)
  • Marketplace system design questions

Success Tips:

  • Strong coding performance is essential - solve problems optimally
  • Practice system design for marketplace systems and booking systems
  • Prepare examples demonstrating innovation and problem-solving
  • Learn Airbnb’s products and marketplace model
  • Practice explaining your thought process clearly

For detailed interview experiences, visit Airbnb Interview Experience page.

Preparation tips for Airbnb 2024 pattern

  1. Master Coding Fundamentals: Focus on solving 2-3 coding problems correctly - arrays, trees, graphs, DP
  2. System Design Mastery: Learn marketplace system design, booking systems, search and recommendations
  3. Practice Previous Year Papers: Solve Airbnb OA papers from 2020-2024 to understand patterns
  4. Time Management: Practice completing 2-3 coding problems in 90 minutes
  5. LeetCode Practice: Solve 200+ LeetCode problems focusing on arrays, strings, trees, graphs (medium-hard difficulty)
  6. Marketplace Systems: Understand booking systems, search algorithms, recommendations, payment systems
  7. Airbnb Technologies: Learn marketplace platforms, booking systems, search, recommendations
  8. Behavioral Preparation: Prepare examples using STAR format - innovation, problem-solving, cultural fit
  9. Mock Tests: Take timed practice tests to improve speed and accuracy
  10. Scalability: Understand scalable marketplace systems and distributed systems

Comments & Suggestions

2025 papers

Coding questions

Interview experience

Preparation guide

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