A Data science career is a lucrative opportunity with many young professionals opting for it. With the easy accessibility to data science courses, the number of professionals pursuing it is rising. There is a huge demand for expertise in this area and it has been voted as the best career by Glassdoor in the United States.
Though there is a need for professionals in this field, it is often not easy to get into. Organizations look for problem-solving and analytical skills in their potential employees and judge them based on creative and logical reasoning ability.
Having a different approach towards a problem and solving it in a unique way can help one stand out from the crowd. It isn't a cakewalk to master these abilities. One has to practice and try to improve their skills. Solving puzzles is a way to test the individual’s ability to think out of the ordinary and also puts to test problem-solving skills.
The interviewers while hiring fresher especially give them puzzles to solve during their interviews. Due to the pandemic, many companies now have a stricter policy when it comes to choosing the right candidate for the job. It is challenging and the chances of selection are less compared to earlier.
Some are even assessing the candidates based on their coding skills. To provide an insight into what is in store for the candidates, below mentioned are some of the commonly asked puzzles during a data science job interview.
- There are 4 boys A, B, C, and D who are supposed to cross a rope bridge. It is very dark and they have just one flashlight. It is difficult to cross the bridge without the flashlight and the rope bridge can only stand 2 people at once. The 4 boys take 1, 2, 5, and 8 minutes each. What is the minimum time required for the four boys to cross the rope bridge?
Sol:
This is a question that is most repeated and has an easy solution. A and B are the fastest boys and can cross the rope bridge first. They take 2 minutes. B stands on one side and A returns with the flashlight in 1 minute. So the total time taken is 3 minutes. After that, C and D have to cross the rope bridge. They have taken 5 and 8 minutes each. The total time taken is 8 minutes.
When we add the time taken by all, it is 3+8 which equals 11 minutes. C and D stand on the other side and B takes 2 minutes to return. Hence the total time that is taken by all is 11+2 which equals 13 minutes. At last, A and B will cross the rope bridge and will take 2 minutes and that adds the total time to 13+2 which is 15 minutes. So the time required by all the 4 to cross is 15 minutes.
- A person is in a room with the lights turned off. There is a table. A total of 50 coins have been kept on the table. Out of the 50, 10 coins are in the head position while the other 40 are in the tails position. The person has to segregate the coins into 2 different sets in a way that both sets have equal numbers of coins that are in the tails position.
Sol:
Segregate the coins into two groups, one with 10 coins and the other with 40 coins. Turnover the coins of the group that has 10 coins
- A bike has 2 tyres and a spare one. Each tyre can only cover a distance of 5 kilometers. What is the maximum distance the scooter will complete?
Sol:
To simplify the problem, we will name the tyres X, Y and Z respectively.
X runs 5 kms
Runs 5 kms
Z runs 5 kms
Initially, the bike can cover a distance of 2.5 kms with tyres X and Y
X=2.5 kms, Y=2.5 km, and Z=5 kms
Take off tyre X and ride the bike with YZ another 2.5 kms
Remaining X= 2.5, Y=0 and Z=2.5
Take off tyre Y and ride the bike with XZ another 2.5 kms
Remaining X=0, Y=0 and Z=0.
Hence, the total distance covered by the bike is 2.5+2.5+2.5 = 7.5 kms
The more an individual practices such puzzles, the better the chances of landing a data science job.
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