2025 papers
CRED Placement Papers 2024
Overview
This page collects CRED 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 CRED patterns and the latest shifts.
CRED Online Assessment 2024 pattern
| Section | Questions | Time | Difficulty | Focus Areas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coding Problems | 2-3 | 90 min | Medium-Hard | Arrays, trees, graphs, DP |
Total: 2-3 problems, 90 minutes
Platform: HackerRank or similar
Languages Allowed: Python, Java, JavaScript
Success Rate: ~15-20% cleared OA and advanced to interviews
CRED Placement Papers 2024 - actual questions & solutions
This section contains practice questions styled on CRED 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: binary tree level order
Show solution
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 2: longest common prefix
Show solution
Problem Statement: Find the longest common prefix string amongst an array of strings.
Example:
Input: ["flower","flow","flight"]Output: "fl"Solution (Java):
public String longestCommonPrefix(String[] strs) { if (strs.length == 0) return ""; String pref = strs[0]; for (int i = 1; i < strs.length; i++) { while (!strs[i].startsWith(pref)) { pref = pref.substring(0, pref.length() - 1); if (pref.isEmpty()) return ""; } } return pref;}Time Complexity: O(S)
Space Complexity: O(1)
Question 3: maximum subarray sum
Show solution
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: climbing stairs
Show solution
Problem Statement: You can climb 1 or 2 steps. How many distinct ways to climb n stairs?
Example:
Input: n = 4Output: 5Solution (Java):
public int climbStairs(int n) { if (n <= 2) return n; int a = 1, b = 2; for (int i = 3; i <= n; i++) { int c = a + b; a = b; b = c; } return b;}Time Complexity: O(n)
Space Complexity: O(1)
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: trueSolution (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: reverse a string
Show solution
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 7: check palindrome
Show solution
Problem Statement: Return true if the string reads the same forward and backward (ignore case).
Example:
Input: "Level"Output: trueSolution (Java):
public boolean isPalindrome(String s) { s = s.toLowerCase(); int i = 0, j = s.length() - 1; while (i < j) { if (s.charAt(i++) != s.charAt(j--)) return false; } return true;}Time Complexity: O(n)
Space Complexity: O(1)
Question 8
Q8: Which normal form removes transitive dependency?
Solution:
1NF: atomic values. 2NF: no partial dependency. 3NF: no transitive dependency.
Answer: 3NF
Question 9
Q9: 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 10
Q10: Which SQL clause filters grouped rows after GROUP BY?
Solution:
HAVING filters aggregates; WHERE filters rows before grouping.
Answer: HAVING
Question 11
Q11: Time complexity of binary search on a sorted array of n elements is?
Solution:
Each step halves the search space → O(log n).
Answer: O(log n)
Key insights from 2024 CRED Online Assessment
- Coding Section is Critical: Must solve 2-3 coding problems correctly to advance
- DSA Focus: Strong emphasis on arrays, strings, trees, graphs, and dynamic programming
- Time Management: 2-3 problems in 90 minutes requires excellent speed and accuracy
- Fintech Focus: Problems often relate to credit card rewards, payment systems, gamification
- System Design: Asked for SDE-1/2 roles, fintech system design for credit/rewards roles
- Success Rate: Only 15-20% cleared OA and advanced to interviews
- Platform: HackerRank or CRED’s internal platform
- Focus Areas: Arrays, trees, graphs, dynamic programming, fintech systems, gamification
CRED 2024 interview experiences
Based on candidate experiences from 2024 CRED interviews:
2024 Interview Process:
- Online Assessment (90 minutes): 2-3 coding problems
- Technical Phone Screen (45-60 minutes): Coding problems, algorithm discussions, fintech concepts
- Onsite Interviews (4-5 rounds, 45-60 minutes each):
- Coding rounds (2-3): Algorithms, data structures, problem-solving
- System Design rounds: Credit card rewards systems, payment processing, gamification platforms
- Behavioral rounds: Problem-solving approach, innovation, impact
Common 2024 Interview Topics:
- Coding: Arrays, strings, trees, graphs, dynamic programming, fintech algorithms
- System Design: Credit card rewards systems, payment processing, gamification platforms, fintech architecture
- Behavioral: Problem-solving, innovation, teamwork, impact
- CRED Technologies: Credit card rewards, payment systems, gamification, fintech platforms
2024 Interview Questions Examples:
- Longest Common Subsequence
- Design CRED’s rewards system (System Design)
- Design CRED’s payment processing system (System Design)
- Gamification algorithm problems
Success Tips:
- Strong coding performance is essential - solve problems optimally
- Understand credit card rewards and fintech concepts
- Practice system design for rewards systems and payment processing
- Prepare examples demonstrating innovation and problem-solving
- Learn CRED’s products and fintech technologies
- Practice explaining your thought process clearly
For detailed interview experiences, visit CRED Interview Experience page.
Preparation tips for CRED 2024 pattern
- Master Coding Fundamentals: Focus on solving 2-3 coding problems correctly - arrays, trees, graphs, DP
- Fintech Knowledge: Strong understanding of credit card rewards, payment processing, gamification
- Practice Previous Year Papers: Solve CRED OA papers from 2020-2024 to understand patterns
- Time Management: Practice completing 2-3 coding problems in 90 minutes
- LeetCode Practice: Solve 200+ LeetCode problems focusing on arrays, strings, trees, graphs (medium-hard difficulty)
- Fintech Focus: Practice problems related to credit card rewards, payment systems, gamification
- System Design Mastery: Learn rewards system design, payment processing, gamification platforms
- CRED Technologies: Learn credit card rewards, payment systems, gamification, fintech platforms
- Behavioral Preparation: Prepare examples using STAR format - innovation, problem-solving, impact
- Mock Tests: Take timed practice tests to improve speed and accuracy

