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D. E. Shaw coding questions

Overview

Section titled “Overview”

Practice D. E. Shaw coding questions in the style candidates report for online assessments and technical interviews. Focus: arrays/hashing + SQL-flavored logic.

D. E. Shaw Coding Pattern (Candidate-Reported)

Section titled “D. E. Shaw Coding Pattern (Candidate-Reported)”
Item Typical expectation
Problems 1-3 coding tasks depending on drive
Skills arrays/hashing + SQL-flavored logic
Languages Java, C++, Python (confirm invite)
Bar Correctness first, then complexity

Practice Problems

Section titled “Practice Problems”

Question 1: SQL-flavored: second highest salary (coding analog)

Section titled “Question 1: SQL-flavored: second highest salary (coding analog)”
Show approach

Approach: Track top two unique.

Map<Integer, Integer> map = new HashMap<>();
for (int i = 0; i < nums.length; i++) {
  // fill logic
}

Complexity: State time/space before coding. Test empty input and single-element cases.

Question 2: Validate parentheses in expression

Section titled “Question 2: Validate parentheses in expression”
Show approach

Approach: Stack.

from collections import defaultdict
def solve(arr):
  # fill logic
  return arr

Complexity: State time/space before coding. Test empty input and single-element cases.

Question 3: Group anagrams of customer codes

Section titled “Question 3: Group anagrams of customer codes”
Show approach

Approach: Sorted signature keys.

Map<Integer, Integer> map = new HashMap<>();
for (int i = 0; i < nums.length; i++) {
  // fill logic
}

Complexity: State time/space before coding. Test empty input and single-element cases.

Question 4: Minimum platforms / meeting rooms

Section titled “Question 4: Minimum platforms / meeting rooms”
Show approach

Approach: Sort starts/ends.

from collections import defaultdict
def solve(arr):
  # fill logic
  return arr

Complexity: State time/space before coding. Test empty input and single-element cases.

Question 5: Two sum on transaction amounts

Section titled “Question 5: Two sum on transaction amounts”
Show approach

Approach: Hash map.

Map<Integer, Integer> map = new HashMap<>();
for (int i = 0; i < nums.length; i++) {
  // fill logic
}

Complexity: State time/space before coding. Test empty input and single-element cases.

Question 6: Running average balance

Section titled “Question 6: Running average balance”
Show approach

Approach: Prefix sums.

from collections import defaultdict
def solve(arr):
  # fill logic
  return arr

Complexity: State time/space before coding. Test empty input and single-element cases.

Question 7: Detect duplicate account numbers

Section titled “Question 7: Detect duplicate account numbers”
Show approach

Approach: Hash set.

Map<Integer, Integer> map = new HashMap<>();
for (int i = 0; i < nums.length; i++) {
  // fill logic
}

Complexity: State time/space before coding. Test empty input and single-element cases.

Pattern Drill Plan (2 Weeks)

Section titled “Pattern Drill Plan (2 Weeks)”
Day Drill
Mon Arrays + hashing (2 problems)
Tue Two pointers / sliding window
Wed Stacks / strings
Thu Trees or graphs basics
Fri Timed mock (2 problems / 90 min)
Sat Re-solve Friday misses cold
Sun Light CS theory + rest

Common Coding Mistakes

Section titled “Common Coding Mistakes”
  1. Coding before reading constraints
  2. Passing samples but failing hidden tests
  3. Silent complexity (cannot explain Big-O in interview)
  4. Switching languages mid-prep
  5. Never practicing on the real OA editor style
Section titled “Related Resources”

Similar Companies

Section titled “Similar Companies”

Goldman Sachs · Bloomberg · Arcesium · BlackRock · Morgan Stanley · Google