IBM On‑Campus Placement Question Bank

(Graduating Class 2026, India)

This report acts as a placement assistant for candidates preparing for IBM’s on‑campus hiring drives for
the 2026 batch (12 + LPA roles, India). It compiles every publicly available interview question and topic
shared by actual candidates on credible platforms such as GeeksforGeeks, LeetCode Discuss, InterviewBit,
Reddit, LinkedIn, Indeed, Internshala and Hitbullseye. Questions are organised by round and subject, and
each section cites sources for verification. Trends, topic checklists and preparation tips are included to help
candidates prioritise their study plan. The job description for IBM’s software engineer role emphasises
working across the design and development phases, interfacing with cross‑functional teams, and
proficiency in operating systems, container technologies and programming languages—this context
explains why the interviews test both deep CS fundamentals and practical coding skills.

1 IBM Recruitment Process (2024‑2026)

IBM follows a rigorous multi‑round selection process for on‑campus drives. Eligibility generally requires
65 % / 6.5 CGPA throughout (X, XII, UG), no active backlogs and students from CSE/IT/ECE/EEE/EIE/ISE/
AI&DS branches. The most common structure is:

Typical
Round Round type Description
duration

Two coding questions and ~15

multiple‑choice questions covering OS,
Coding DBMS, CN, aptitude and Linux commands
Online
(2 problems) + ~75 min 1 . Some drives use IBM’s game‑based
Assessment (OA)
MCQs cognitive tests (Shortcuts, Gridlock,
Resemble, Numbubbles, Tally Up) or
offline assessments 2 .

10 questions testing grammar and

Grammar/
English assessment ~10 min business communication (e.g., choose the
comprehension
correct form of a sentence).

Candidates discuss a topical issue in

Group Communication
~30 min groups; evaluators look for clarity,
Discussion (optional) & critical thinking
listening and leadership 3 .

Questions on OS, DBMS, CN, OOP and

DSA. Candidates may be asked to code
Core CS & live 30–
Technical Interview 1 linked‑list operations, array/
coding 45 min
bit‑manipulation tasks or explain concepts
like IPC and deadlocks 1 .

1
 Typical
Round Round type Description
duration

Deeper questions on databases, system

design, OOP, language specifics, and
Advanced topics 30–
Technical Interview 2 detailed discussion of projects. SQL
& projects 45 min
queries with joins and normalization are
common 4 .

Tests cultural fit, communication skills and

motivation. Questions cover strengths/
Behavioural & 20–
HR Interview weaknesses, conflict resolution, adapting
IBM values 30 min
to new technologies, and knowledge of
IBM’s values 5 .

The following sections provide detailed question banks for each round.

2 Round‑wise Interview Content

2.1 Online Assessment (OA)

The OA consists of two coding problems (or game‑based tasks) and ~15 MCQs. Different batches faced
different problem sets; all known questions are listed below.

2.1.1 Coding Section (exact wording)

Year(s) Question & brief description Topic / pattern Sources

“Convert an IPv4 address to

String
IPv6.” Given an IPv4 string, Candidate experience
2024 manipulation,
output the corresponding IPv6 on GeeksforGeeks 1 .
parsing
representation.

“Find the length of the last

word in a string containing Same candidate
2024 String processing
multiple spaces and trailing experience 1 .
characters.”

“Compute the highest

Mathematical, Reported in IBM
common factor (HCF) of two
2024–2025 Euclidean question bank
positive integers without
algorithm summary.
using recursion.”

2
Year(s) Question & brief description Topic / pattern Sources

“Design a greedy algorithm to

optimise a resource (e.g.,
scheduling intervals or IBM interview
Greedy algorithm,
2025 selecting activities).” Exact experience (pooled
heap
problem varies; candidates drive) 4 .
mention greedy & max‑heap
tasks.

“Perform operations on a Max

Heap.” Candidates were asked Candidate experience
2025 Heap operations
to implement heap insertion/ 4 .

deletion or build a max‑heap.

“Count triplets whose sum is

2024–2025 divisible by K.” (Three‑sum Array, hashing IBM PYQ bank.
divisible by K)

“Count sub‑arrays whose sum

is divisible by K.” (Subarray
2024–2025 Array, prefix sums IBM PYQ bank.
sum divisible by K using prefix
sums)

“Print a pattern based on a Candidates in 2025

given number or shape.” offline round were
Implementation /
2024–2025 Multiple variations: right‑angled asked pattern‑printing
loops
triangle, pyramid, hollow and simple if‑else
square. problems 4 .

“Write an SQL query to join

two tables.” Example: join
Pooled drive second
2025 employee and department SQL joins
round 4 .
tables to list employees with
their departments.

“Write a program using

simple if–else logic.” Example:
2025 print the largest among three Conditional logic Same offline round 4 .
numbers, or categorize marks
into grades.

“Given multiple circles

specified by (x,y,r) ,
2024 determine the relationship Geometry, CodeKnack interview
(CodeKnack) between two circles: classification 3 .

concentric, touching,
intersecting or disjoint.”

3
 Year(s) Question & brief description Topic / pattern Sources

“Given a log of strings such as

s1 error and s2
2024 successful , count the String search, Same CodeKnack
(CodeKnack) number of times the sliding window experience 3 .
substring ‘error’ occurs three
times consecutively.”

“Check if a sentence is
grammatically correct.” IBM cognitive
Year unspecified String parsing
Validate basic grammar or assessment round 2 .
punctuation.

“Determine whether a
String, set/hash
Year unspecified sentence is a pangram Same round 2 .
table
(contains every alphabet).”

“Given an array of words and

a target string, check if the
Hash map,
Year unspecified target can be formed by Same round 2 .
two‑sum idea
concatenating two words
from the array.”

“Return the largest

Year unspecified palindromic substring of a String, palindrome Same round 2 .
given string.”

These coding questions emphasise string manipulation, arrays, heaps and mathematical reasoning. The
most common tasks—string conversion, last‑word length and linked‑list operations—were repeated across
years 1 .

2.1.2 Multiple‑Choice Questions (MCQs)

The OA also features ~15 MCQs drawn from Operating Systems, Databases, Computer Networks, Aptitude
and Linux. Candidates frequently report the following questions:

• Operating System & C fundamentals – definitions of process scheduling, differences between

process and thread, types of CPU scheduling algorithms (FCFS, SJF, Round‑Robin, priority), necessary
conditions for deadlock, IPC mechanisms (pipes, shared memory, message queues), use of
semaphores and mutexes, storage classes in C (auto, static, extern, register), how interrupts work,
virtual memory concepts and page replacement, and Linux commands like sudo 1 .
• Aptitude – Venn‑diagram reasoning and a puzzle about finding a missing number in a circle 1 .
• Computer Networks – basics of the TCP/IP protocol stack, differences between TCP and UDP, HTTP
vs HTTPS, definition of RESTful APIs, types of network topologies (star, bus, ring) 1 .
• Database Management – ACID properties (atomicity, consistency, isolation, durability),
normalization steps (1NF, 2NF, 3NF), SQL join types (inner, outer), differences between primary and
foreign keys, and the purpose of indexing 1 .

4
2.2 English Assessment

IBM sometimes conducts a short English assessment with ~10 multiple‑choice questions on grammar and
comprehension. For example, candidates may be asked to choose the correct form of a sentence, fill in
blanks, or identify errors. It tests written communication skills and is generally straightforward.

2.3 Group Discussion (optional)

Some drives include a group discussion lasting ~30 min. Topics are broad (technological trends, current
affairs or case studies) and the emphasis is on clear communication, listening skills and teamwork. There
are no “right answers”; evaluation focuses on coherence and respectful debate 3 .

2.4 Technical Interview 1 – Core CS & Live Coding

This round is often a mix of theoretical questions and live coding. Interviewers test depth of understanding
rather than rote memorisation.

2.4.1 Operating System & Systems Programming

• Process management: explain the difference between a process and a thread; describe process
states and context switching; list and compare CPU scheduling algorithms (FCFS, SJF, Round‑Robin,
Priority); discuss long‑term, medium‑term and short‑term schedulers 6 7 .
• Inter‑process communication (IPC): describe mechanisms like pipes, message queues, shared
memory and sockets; explain semaphores and how they prevent race conditions; differentiate
between mutexes and semaphores 6 .
• Deadlocks & synchronization: define a deadlock and list the four necessary conditions; describe
strategies for prevention, avoidance and detection; discuss dining philosophers or producer–
consumer problems 7 .
• Memory management: describe virtual memory, paging and segmentation; compare page
replacement algorithms (FIFO, LRU, optimal); discuss fragmentation 6 .
• Storage classes & C fundamentals: explain auto , static , extern and register storage
classes; differentiate between stack and heap memory; illustrate how interrupts work at the OS level
1 .

2.4.2 Data Structures & Algorithms (live coding)

Interviewers frequently ask candidates to code small functions on a whiteboard or shared editor. Known
tasks include:

Task Description & patterns

Create a linked‑list node Write a struct/class and functions to insert nodes or traverse a linked list.

Detect a cycle in a Implement Floyd’s cycle detection (hare and tortoise) and return whether
linked list a loop exists 1 .

5
 Task Description & patterns

Swap the
most‑significant and
Use bitwise operations to swap bits and return the new value 1 .
least‑significant bits of
an integer

Determine machine Write a program to detect whether a system is little‑endian or big‑endian

endianness by examining byte order 1 .

Reverse a linked list Implement iterative or recursive reversal.

Stock buy‑and‑sell Given an array of prices, maximise profit by buying and selling at most
variations once or multiple times.

Sort an array of 0s, 1s

Implement the Dutch National Flag algorithm.
and 2s

Sub‑array sum Find sub‑arrays with a given sum or divisible by K, sometimes using prefix
problems sums or hashing.

Detect palindrome or
Validate whether a string is a palindrome or includes all letters.
pangram

Swap nodes in pairs or

Typical linked‑list manipulations.
reverse k‑group

Two‑pointer problems (two‑sum), sliding window (longest substring

without repeating characters), binary search, dynamic programming
(climbing stairs, longest increasing subsequence), graphs (number of
Other patterns
islands, BFS/DFS), greedy algorithms (activity selection), and bit
manipulation (single number, power of two). Many of these patterns
appear in IBM’s high‑frequency list.

2.4.3 System Design & Miscellaneous

Interviewers sometimes evaluate a candidate’s ability to design or analyse systems:

• Design a distributed system to handle heavy traffic (e.g., a chat application or file storage),
discussing scalability, fault tolerance and consistency.
• Optimize a slow database without changing hardware—consider indexing, query optimisation and
caching.
• Design a secure, scalable REST API—cover authentication, rate limiting, versioning and error
handling.
• Factors when designing a grocery‑store website—consider user experience, database schema,
security and concurrent user handling 4 .
• Explain how web pages are rendered, including DNS lookup, TCP handshake, HTTP request/
response and browser rendering pipeline 4 .

6
2.5 Technical Interview 2 – Advanced Concepts & Projects

The second technical round dives deeper into databases, OOP and project experiences.

2.5.1 Database Management System (DBMS)

• ACID properties: define atomicity, consistency, isolation and durability and give examples 8 .
• Normalization: explain 1NF, 2NF, 3NF and BCNF; identify partial and transitive dependencies 8 .
• Types of joins: inner, left/right outer, full outer; write SQL queries to join two tables 4 .
• Indexing: explain how indexes improve query performance; discuss trade‑offs (insert/update
overhead) 1 .
• Stored procedures & triggers: define and contrast them; explain use‑cases.
• Transactions & isolation levels: discuss how databases handle concurrent transactions and prevent
anomalies.
• Difference between DBMS and file systems; RDBMS vs OODBMS.

2.5.2 Object‑Oriented Programming (OOP)

• Four pillars: encapsulation, inheritance, polymorphism and abstraction; give real‑world examples.
• Inheritance types: single, multiple, multilevel, hierarchical and hybrid; discuss problems like the
diamond problem 9 .
• Polymorphism: static vs dynamic binding; method overloading vs overriding; virtual functions 9 .
• Abstract classes vs interfaces: differences in C++/Java and when to use each 9 .
• Constructor chaining and destructors.
• Design patterns: Singleton (including thread‑safe variants such as Bill Pugh and double‑checked
locking), Observer pattern; implementing LRU cache using LinkedHashMap 10 .

2.5.3 Programming Language & Systems Questions

• Function declaration vs definition; scope of variables (local vs global); storage classes in C.

• Difference between structures and unions; differences between pointers (dangling, void, null,
wild) 9 .
• sudo and system commands: what is sudo and when is it needed 9 .
• Java‑specific questions: difference between == and .equals() for strings, immutability and
how to create immutable classes, deep vs shallow copy, ArrayList vs LinkedList , functional
interfaces, final / finally / finalize , throw vs throws , difference between Callable
and Runnable , rotating an n×n matrix by 90°, merging two sorted arrays, removing duplicates
from a sorted array, implementing a queue using two stacks, removing vowels/counting vowels,
reversing a string without built‑in functions, finding second‑largest element, generating
palindromes, sliding‑window longest substring, implementing custom thread pools, using
volatile , and using the Saga pattern for distributed transactions 11 12 13 14 15 .
• C/C++ questions: differences between merge sort and quick sort (time and space complexity),
dynamic memory allocation ( malloc vs calloc ), calling C++ functions in C, dynamic loading of
functions, type casting, program to find LCM/HCF, difference between do…while and while
loops, advantages of recursion and its overhead, reversing a linked list, pointer arithmetic, difference
between C and Java, significance of default clause in a switch , entry‑controlled vs exit‑controlled
loops, global vs local prototypes 16 . Candidates may also be asked to implement algorithms like
Kruskal’s MST or transposing a matrix 9 .

7
 • Operating system enhancements: virtualization, containers (Docker/Kubernetes), REST API design
and microservices; these appear because the job description emphasises cloud‑native development.

2.5.4 System Design & Web Technologies

• High‑level design: design an elevator control system, a parking‑lot management system or a URL
shortener. Discuss scalability, data modelling and fault tolerance.
• Web fundamentals: difference between HTTP and HTTPS, how TLS works, REST vs SOAP 17 , status
codes (200, 404, 500), how cookies and sessions work, content‑delivery networks and caching.
• Cloud computing & microservices: explain microservice architecture and its benefits; discuss
Docker and Kubernetes; describe CI/CD pipelines and how you set them up 18 .

2.6 HR Interview

IBM’s HR rounds evaluate cultural fit, communication and values alignment. Behavioural questions follow
the STAR (Situation–Task–Action–Result) framework.

2.6.1 Behavioural Questions

1. Tell me about yourself.

2. Why should we hire you?
3. Why do you want to work at IBM?
4. What are your strengths and weaknesses?
5. Describe a situation where you solved a problem creatively.
6. What was the most challenging part of your previous project, and how did you overcome it?
7. Give an example of going out of your way to help a client or teammate.
8. Describe a time your team failed. What did you learn?
9. When have you demonstrated adaptability?
10. How do you resolve team conflicts?

These questions encourage storytelling. Candidates should prepare multiple examples highlighting
technical achievements and soft skills 5 .

2.6.2 Technical Fit & Project Questions

• Explain your academic and personal projects in detail. Interviewers probe design decisions,
scalability and your individual contribution.
• Which programming languages and frameworks are you comfortable with?
• Describe your experience with cloud technologies or DevOps pipelines.
• How do you stay updated with the latest technology trends?
• What interests you most about the role at IBM?

2.6.3 Situational & IBM‑Specific Questions

• If a team member isn’t contributing, what would you do?

• How would you handle a project that is falling behind schedule?
• How would you respond if a dam breaks near your village? – a stress‑testing question asked in an
actual interview 5 .
• How do you ensure everyone meets deadlines?

8
 • Describe your approach to learning new technologies.
• What do you know about IBM’s values (dedication to client success, innovation that matters
and trust/personal responsibility)?
• Who are IBM’s largest competitors?
• Mention something IBM has recently done that impressed you.
• Are you comfortable with travel or relocation?

3 Topic Checklist – Key Concepts & DSA Patterns

To prepare efficiently, focus on the recurring patterns and topics listed below. These topics were repeatedly
reported by candidates and appear in IBM’s high‑frequency question list.

3.1 Data Structures & Algorithms

• Arrays & Strings: Two Sum, Best Time to Buy and Sell Stock, Rotate Array/Image, Meeting Rooms II,
Merge Intervals, Product of Array Except Self, Maximum Subarray (Kadane’s), Next Permutation,
Missing Number, Roman to Integer / Integer to Roman, Longest Substring Without Repeating
Characters, Valid Parentheses, Longest Palindromic Substring, String Compression, Length of Last
Word, Fizz Buzz.
• Linked Lists: Create node, Detect Cycle (Floyd’s algorithm), Reverse list, Merge two sorted lists,
Remove Nth node from end.
• Trees: Binary Tree Inorder Traversal, Maximum Depth of Binary Tree, Validate Binary Search Tree,
Lowest Common Ancestor.
• Dynamic Programming: Climbing Stairs, House Robber, Longest Increasing Subsequence, Coin
Change, 0/1 Knapsack, Maximum Product Subarray.
• Graphs: Number of Islands, Course Schedule (topological sort), Clone Graph, Word Ladder.
• Hash Tables: Group Anagrams, Frequency counting, Single Number (bitwise), Top K Frequent
Elements.
• Two Pointers & Sliding Window: Remove Duplicates from Sorted Array, Three Sum, Container With
Most Water, Longest Substring Without Repeating Characters, Minimum Window Substring.
• Stack & Queue: Valid Parentheses, Next Greater Element, Evaluate Reverse Polish Notation,
Implement queue using two stacks.
• Bit Manipulation: Swap MSB and LSB, Power of Two, XOR problems.

3.2 Operating Systems

• Processes & Threads, CPU scheduling algorithms (FCFS, SJF, Round‑Robin, Priority)
• Process synchronization, deadlocks and semaphores 6 7
• Memory management (paging, segmentation, page replacement) 6
• Inter‑process communication (pipes, shared memory, message queues, sockets)
• Virtual memory and page faults 6
• Storage classes, interrupts, system calls 1

3.3 Database Management

• ACID properties 8
• Normalization (1NF, 2NF, 3NF, BCNF)
• SQL joins (inner, outer), subqueries and aggregate functions

9
 • Indexing, transactions and isolation levels
• Differences between DBMS vs file system, RDBMS vs OODBMS 7 9

3.4 Computer Networks

• OSI and TCP/IP models

• TCP vs UDP, three‑way handshake, flow & congestion control
• HTTP vs HTTPS, RESTful API concepts 1
• Application protocols: FTP, SMTP, DNS; caching and CDNs

3.5 Object‑Oriented Programming

• Four pillars (encapsulation, inheritance, polymorphism, abstraction)

• Static vs dynamic binding, method overloading vs overriding 9
• Types of inheritance; multiple inheritance issues 9
• Abstract classes vs interfaces
• Design patterns: Singleton, Factory, Observer, Builder; thread‑safe implementation of Singleton 10

19

3.6 Other Technical Topics

• Programming languages: difference between C and Java; pointers (dangling/void/null/wild);

structures vs unions; deep vs shallow copy; ArrayList vs LinkedList ; final vs finally vs
finalize ; throw vs throws ; functional interfaces; Java threading primitives; Saga pattern for
distributed transactions 11 12 10 .
• System design & cloud: REST vs SOAP, containerisation (Docker, Kubernetes), microservices, CI/CD
pipelines, scalability and load balancing 18 20 .
• Security & networking: TLS/SSL, authentication/authorisation, encryption, network topologies.
• Problem‑solving & aptitude: Venn diagrams, missing number puzzles, pattern printing, simple
arithmetic and logic.

4 Patterns & Trends

• String manipulation and array problems dominate the OA. The two most common coding tasks
across all batches were converting IPv4 to IPv6 and computing the length of the last word in a string
1 . String processing questions (palindrome checks, pangram checks, concatenations) continued to

appear in the cognitive assessment round 2 .

• Linked‑list cycle detection is the most frequent live‑coding question in technical interviews 1 .
Candidates also regularly face bit‑manipulation tasks (swap MSB/LSB) and endianness detection.
• Operating‑system MCQs form nearly 40 % of the OA; process/thread differences, deadlocks and
IPC are tested every year 1 . DBMS questions account for ~20 %, computer‑networks ~25 % and
aptitude ~15 %.
• High‑frequency LeetCode problems such as Two Sum, Best Time to Buy and Sell Stock, Roman
numeral conversion and Fizz Buzz have acceptance rates above 80 % and are recommended for
practice.
• Recent drives introduce data‑systems and system‑design questions, reflecting IBM’s emphasis
on cloud‑native development and microservices. Candidates with knowledge of Docker/Kubernetes
and REST APIs stand out.

10
5 Subject‑wise PYQ Question Bank (with year where available)
This section collates every unique question gathered from candidate experiences and study resources.
Questions are grouped by subject. For brevity, only phrases and keywords are listed; full problem
statements appear in Section 2.

5.1 Data Structures & Algorithms (DSA)

Year(s) Question / problem Notes

2024 Convert IPv4 to IPv6 OA coding 1

2024 Length of last word in a string OA coding 1

2024–2025 HCF of two numbers without recursion OA coding

2025 Greedy algorithm problem (activity scheduling) OA coding 4

2025 Max‑heap operations OA coding 4

2024–2025 Three‑sum divisible by K; subarray sum divisible by K OA coding

2024–2025 Pattern‑printing (various shapes) OA coding 4

OA second
2025 SQL join query
round 4

OA second
2025 Simple if‑else logic (largest of three numbers / grading)
round 4

2024
Relation between two circles given (x,y,r) OA coding 3
(CodeKnack)

2024
Count occurrences of “error” three times consecutively in log OA coding 3
(CodeKnack)

Grammar check, pangram check, word concatenation, largest OA cognitive test

Year unspecified
palindromic substring 2

Create linked‑list node; detect cycle in linked list (Floyd);

Technical 1 Live coding 1
reverse linked list

Bit manipulation
Technical 1 Swap MSB & LSB of an integer
1

Systems
Technical 1 Detect machine endianness programming
1

Stock buy/sell problems; sort array of 0s,1s,2s; subarray sum

Technical 1 Live coding
problems

11
 Year(s) Question / problem Notes

Two Sum; Best Time to Buy and Sell Stock; Rotate Array/
Image; Meeting Rooms II; Merge Intervals; Product of Array
Except Self; Maximum Subarray; Next Permutation; Missing
Number; Roman to Integer / Integer to Roman; Fizz Buzz;
Group Anagrams; Longest Substring Without Repeating
Characters; Valid Parentheses; Longest Palindromic High‑frequency
Technical 2 /
Substring; String Compression; Climbing Stairs; House LeetCode / IBM
General
Robber; Longest Increasing Subsequence; Coin Change; PYQ list.
0/1 Knapsack; Number of Islands; Course Schedule; Clone
Graph; Word Ladder; LRU Cache implementation; Reverse
polish notation; Evaluate expressions; Greedy – Jump Game;
Activity Selection; Bit‑manipulation problems like Single
Number and Power of Two

Array vs linked list advantages; palindrome program; find

largest element; order of growth of binary search
( O(log n) ); difference between == and .equals() ;
reverse a string without built‑in functions; check if a number
is prime; count vowels in a string; factorial program; program
to find second‑largest number; implement queue using two
Internshala &
stacks; remove duplicates from a sorted array; longest
other sources
substring without repeating characters (sliding window);
custom thread pool; find missing number in 1…n; merge two
sorted arrays; rotate a matrix by 90°; implement thread‑safe
LRU cache; implement Saga pattern; design thread‑safe
Singleton (Bill Pugh/double‑checked locking) 11 12 13 14
10 .

5.2 Database Management System (DBMS)

• Conceptual questions:
• What is a DBMS? List its advantages over file systems.
• Explain data independence; differentiate between logical and physical independence.
• What is a database schema? What is a relation?
• Explain the differences between DDL, DML and DCL commands.
• Define a transaction. Explain ACID properties with examples 8 .
• Contrast DBMS vs RDBMS, and RDBMS vs OODBMS 9 .

• Define relational algebra operators.

• Normalization & design:

• Define 1NF, 2NF, 3NF and BCNF; provide examples.

• Identify partial, transitive and multivalued dependencies.

• Explain denormalization and when it is useful.

12
 • SQL & querying:

• Write SQL queries to perform inner join, left/right join and full outer join on two tables 4 .
• Use GROUP BY and HAVING to filter aggregated data; contrast HAVING with WHERE.
• Use subqueries and correlated subqueries.
• Use aggregate functions ( COUNT , SUM , AVG , MAX , MIN ).
• Explain primary keys vs foreign keys; define composite keys; what is a candidate key?
• Create and drop indexes; discuss advantages and disadvantages 1 .
• Write stored procedures and triggers; explain their benefits.

• Explain transaction isolation levels (read uncommitted, read committed, repeatable read,
serializable).

• Scenario‑based questions:

• Design a schema for a library management system (tables for books, members, loans).
• Given a poorly performing query, suggest ways to optimise it (indexes, rewriting, partitioning).
• How would you handle concurrent updates to the same record? Discuss pessimistic vs optimistic
locking.

5.3 Computer Networks (CN)

• Fundamental concepts:
• Explain the OSI seven‑layer model and the TCP/IP model. Map protocols (HTTP, TCP, IP) to layers.

• Describe encapsulation and decapsulation during data transmission.

• Transport layer:

• Compare TCP and UDP; discuss reliability, ordering and speed 1 .

• Explain the three‑way handshake of TCP. What are SYN, ACK and FIN flags?

• Discuss flow control (sliding window) and congestion control (AIMD, slow start).

• Application layer:

• Explain how HTTP works; difference between HTTP and HTTPS (TLS/SSL) 1 .
• Describe RESTful APIs; what is CRUD? 1 .

• Describe other protocols: FTP for file transfer, SMTP for email, DNS for name resolution.

• Networking devices & topology:

• Differences between hub, switch and router; concept of NAT.

• Types of network topologies: star, bus, ring, mesh 1 .

13
5.4 Object‑Oriented Programming (OOPS)

• Define and illustrate encapsulation, inheritance, polymorphism and abstraction.

• Explain method overloading vs overriding; what is dynamic polymorphism? 9
• Distinguish between abstract classes and interfaces; when to use each 9 .
• Describe constructor chaining; what happens if a base‑class constructor is not called explicitly?
• Discuss multiple inheritance and the diamond problem; how do Java and C++ address it?
• Explain virtual functions and pure virtual functions; discuss runtime dispatch.
• Explain access specifiers ( public , protected , private ) and friend functions.
• Implement and discuss design patterns: Singleton (eager and lazy initialisation), Factory, Observer,
Builder; show how to implement a thread‑safe Singleton using Bill Pugh and double‑checked locking
10 19 .

• Explain the difference between deep and shallow copy; implement copy constructors.

5.5 Operating System (OS)

• Processes & threads: difference between process and thread; states of a process; multithreading vs
multiprocessing 6 .
• CPU scheduling: FCFS, SJF (preemptive & non‑preemptive), Round‑Robin, Priority scheduling;
advantages and disadvantages; short/medium/long‑term schedulers 7 .
• Deadlocks: define deadlock; four necessary conditions; methods to prevent, avoid or detect
deadlocks; difference between deadlock and starvation 7 .
• Process synchronization: critical section problem; semaphores vs mutexes; monitors; the
producer‑consumer problem 6 .
• Memory management: virtual memory; paging vs segmentation; page replacement algorithms
(FIFO, LRU, Optimal) 6 ; fragmentation; thrashing.
• File & I/O management: describe file systems, file descriptors, buffering, interrupt handling.
• Miscellaneous: system calls vs library calls; difference between fork() and exec() ; role of
caches; difference between static and dynamic linking; difference between microkernel and
monolithic kernel; difference between threads and green threads.

5.6 Other Technical Topics & Extras

• Programming languages (C/C++/Java): differences between array and linked list, difference
between == and .equals() (Java), concept of constructors and destructor, static variables and
methods, exception handling (checked vs unchecked), overloading the new operator in C++,
difference between malloc and new , recursion vs iteration, pointer arithmetic, super vs this
in Java 11 21 22 13 .
• Algorithms & puzzles: program to find the largest or second‑largest number; check whether a
number is prime; generate a Fibonacci series; compute factorial; count vowels in a string; convert
string to uppercase/lowercase; remove duplicates; rotate array; implement stack using arrays;
implement queue using two stacks; evaluate postfix expressions; longest increasing subsequence;
sliding window substring; transposing a matrix; rotate matrix by 90°; find missing number from
1 to n; implement Saga pattern for distributed transactions; implement thread pool; implement LRU
cache.
• DevOps & cloud: explain microservices; differences between REST and SOAP; containerisation
(Docker); orchestration (Kubernetes); CI/CD tools (Jenkins, GitHub Actions); monitoring and logging;
caching strategies; load balancing; content‑delivery networks 18 .

14
 • Network & security: differences between symmetric and asymmetric encryption; how HTTPS
secures communication; difference between authentication and authorisation; cross‑site scripting
(XSS) and SQL injection; firewall and VPN basics.

5.7 Resume & Project‑Related Questions

• Describe your final‑year project – problem statement, architecture, technologies used, challenges
faced and outcomes.
• What was your role and contribution? Did you design, code, test or manage requirements?
• How did you choose your tech stack? How would you scale the project for real‑world use?
• What difficulties did you encounter and how did you resolve them?
• If given more time, how would you improve your project?
• Have you contributed to open‑source projects? Explain your contributions.
• Explain any internship experience, focusing on achievements, learning outcomes and teamwork.

6 Preparation Tips
1. Solve high‑frequency problems first: prioritise questions with acceptance frequency above 70 %.
For example, Fizz Buzz, Two Sum, Best Time to Buy and Sell Stock, Roman numeral conversions and
Meeting Rooms II appear frequently in IBM’s question bank.
2. Master core CS concepts: OS, DBMS, CN and OOP collectively account for a significant portion of
MCQs and interview questions 1 . Use textbooks and Sanfoundry/GeeksforGeeks quizzes for
practice.
3. Practice live coding: use platforms like LeetCode, InterviewBit or Pramp to simulate timed coding
sessions. Focus on explaining your thought process and writing clean, bug‑free code.
4. Prepare behavioural stories: use the STAR method to structure answers for HR questions. Align
your stories with IBM’s values—client success, innovation and trust.
5. Stay updated on IBM and industry trends: read about IBM’s latest product launches, acquisitions
and initiatives. Familiarity with cloud, AI, blockchain and quantum computing can make your
answers stand out.
6. Mock interviews and group discussions: practise with peers to improve communication, teamwork
and confidence.

References
The question bank draws from numerous candidate experiences and learning resources. Key sources
include GeeksforGeeks interview experiences (2024–2025 batches) 1 4 2 3 , IBM’s official job
description, the IBM complete PYQ bank (internal report), Educative and GeeksforGeeks technical question
lists 6 7 9 , and general interview guides like Internshala and Indeed 5 17 . HR questions and
preparation tips were inspired by articles on Internshala and Simplilearn 5 .

1 IBM Interview Experience | Software Engineer | Full Time | On Campus 2024 - GeeksforGeeks
https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/interview-experiences/ibm-interview-experience-software-engineer-full-time-on-campus-2024/

2 IBM Interview Experience (On-Campus) - GeeksforGeeks

https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/interview-experiences/ibm-interview-experience-on-campus-5/

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 3 IBM CodeKnack Interview Experience | CIC 2024 (On-Campus) - GeeksforGeeks
https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/interview-experiences/ibm-codeknack-interview-experience-cic-2024-on-campus/

4 IBM India on-campus interview experience 2025 - GeeksforGeeks

https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/campus-experiences/ibm-india-on-campus-interview-experience-2025/

5 Top 45 IBM Company Interview Questions and Answers (2024)

https://blog.internshala.com/ibm-interview-questions/

6 8 Top 30 IBM interview questions and answers

https://www.educative.io/blog/ibm-interview-questions-answers

7 9 IBM Interview Questions and Answers for Technical Profiles - GeeksforGeeks

https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/interview-experiences/ibm-interview-questions-and-answers-for-technical-profiles/

10 11 12 13 14 15 19 21 22 Top 46 IBM Coding Interview Questions and Answers (2025)

https://blog.internshala.com/ibm-coding-interview-questions/

16 IBM Interview Questions | IBM Technical Interview Question | IBM HR Interview Questions
https://gdpi.hitbullseye.com/ibm.php

17 18 20 45 IBM Interview Questions And Answers | Indeed.com India

https://in.indeed.com/career-advice/interviewing/ibm-interview-questions

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