Coding questions
Barclays Online Assessment
Overview
Here is how public prep guides and student write-ups describe the Barclays online assessment. This is not an official company brochure.
RISES values are a recurring interview theme.
Usual selection rounds
Rounds students usually mention: Online assessment → PPT → Technical / tech+HR interviews
| Item | From student reports |
|---|---|
| Platform | Online (HackerRank cited in related Medium FTE write-ups) |
| Online test summary | MCQs + coding; ~60-90 minutes depending on drive. |
| Eligibility notes | ≥60% across 10th/12th/semesters in 2024 DAVV account; no active backlogs |
| Branches (reported) | CS, IT, ETC in that drive |
Online test sections
| Section | Questions | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| MCQ + coding | - | ~60-90 min | - |
Extra notes from sources
- Check your college placement email for the platform, section order, and timing.
Sample practice question styles
These are practice questions for speed - not claimed to be from a real Barclays live paper.
Coding Q1: Maximum subarray sum (Kadane)
Problem: Given an integer array, find the contiguous subarray with the largest sum and return that sum. Example: [-2,1,-3,4,-1,2,1,-5,4] → 6 (from [4,-1,2,1]).
Approach: Keep a running sum. If the running sum drops below 0, reset it to 0 before taking the next element (or track the best ending-here value). Track the global maximum as you scan once from left to right.
Complexity: O(n) time, O(1) extra space
Barclays tip: Restate the problem, sketch a brute-force idea, then tighten it. Call out edge cases (empty input, single element, overflow) before you write code.
Coding Q2: Reverse a string in place
Problem: Given a mutable character array representing a string, reverse it in place without allocating another array of the same size.
Approach: Use two pointers at the start and end. Swap characters, then move inward until the pointers meet. Watch empty and single-character inputs.
Complexity: O(n) time, O(1) extra space
Barclays tip: Restate the problem, sketch a brute-force idea, then tighten it. Call out edge cases (empty input, single element, overflow) before you write code.
Coding Q3: Check prime
Problem: Write a function that returns true if n is prime and false otherwise. Handle n < 2 correctly.
Approach: Return false for n < 2. Trial-divide from 2 to floor(sqrt(n)). If any divisor divides n evenly, it is composite; otherwise prime.
Complexity: O(√n) time
Barclays tip: Restate the problem, sketch a brute-force idea, then tighten it. Call out edge cases (empty input, single element, overflow) before you write code.
Coding Q4: Valid parentheses
Problem: Given a string containing only ‘()[]’, decide whether the brackets are balanced and correctly nested.
Approach: Scan left to right with a stack. Push opening brackets. On a closing bracket, the stack top must be the matching opener. At the end the stack must be empty.
Complexity: O(n) time, O(n) space
Barclays tip: Restate the problem, sketch a brute-force idea, then tighten it. Call out edge cases (empty input, single element, overflow) before you write code.
Prep tips from those student reports
- Know RISES with examples
- Projects + SQL
- Honest resume
Sources
- Barclays Interview Experience for Intern 2025 On Campus - GFG (gfg)
- Barclays Internship On-Campus 2024 - GFG (gfg)
These notes come from public reports and can differ by campus, year, and role. If your college placement email or the official careers/notification PDF says something different, follow that.
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