Samsung R&D - interview guide

Samsung R&D interview questions - a complete guide

At Samsung R&D (SRI), the coding round carries the most weight - reports say sometimes every test case of a question must pass. Here is complete preparation for it.

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About Samsung R&D

Samsung R&D Institute India (SRI) - in cities such as Bengaluru and Noida - does software and research work for Samsung. Freshers usually join as software engineers, with strong coding skills.

This guide covers 13 Samsung R&D interview questions with answers - what each question checks and how to answer it - plus the Samsung R&D interview process, round by round, a 7-day preparation plan for freshers, tips and the mistakes to avoid.

Samsung R&D hiring process

  1. Step 1: Coding test

    A proctored online test - reports mention 3 questions in 70 minutes, or one question over a longer time where every test case must pass.

  2. Step 2: Technical interviews

    DSA, OS, OOP and projects - sometimes with a senior leader.

  3. Step 3: HR

    Background and fit.

Samsung R&D does not publish its fresher hiring process in detail (as of our check). This information is based on candidate reports and varies by role, city and drive - read the official job posting before you apply.

Sources (checked 16 October 2026): Samsung Research (SRI-B). Hiring processes change - read the official notice before you apply.

Samsung R&D interview questions and answers

Coding test

Don't rely on partial marks - think through every edge case.

  1. 1.Find the shortest path in a grid with obstacles.

    What they're checking
    BFS - common in Samsung-style problems.
    How to answer
    BFS with (row, col, distance) in the queue; a visited array; check the four directions. Return the distance on reaching the destination, otherwise -1.

  2. 2.Solve a backtracking problem like N-Queens.

    What they're checking
    Recursion + pruning.
    How to answer
    Place a queen row by row; if safe, go on, otherwise go back (backtrack). Keep sets for columns and diagonals.

  3. 3.Count the set bits in a number.

    What they're checking
    Bit manipulation.
    How to answer
    n & (n-1) removes the lowest set bit each time - the number of loop runs is the number of set bits.

  4. 4.How do you make every test case pass?

    What they're checking
    What makes the Samsung test special.
    How to answer
    Read the constraints carefully (int vs long overflow), think of edge cases (empty input, one element, maximum size), and run your own tests before submitting.

Technical interview

  1. 5.Describe the CPU scheduling algorithms.

    What they're checking
    OS.
    How to answer
    FCFS, SJF, Round Robin, Priority - a one-line pro/con for each; Round Robin with a time slice.

  2. 6.What is a virtual function in C++ (and how is it resolved)?

    What they're checking
    Depth in OOP.
    How to answer
    Calling the child's method through a base class pointer (runtime polymorphism). It works through the vtable.

  3. 7.Where can binary search be used?

    What they're checking
    Recognising patterns.
    How to answer
    Searching a sorted array, and 'binary search on the answer' - such as the minimum capacity that gets the job done.

  4. 8.What was the hardest technical problem in your project?

    What they're checking
    Depth.
    How to answer
    The problem, the approaches you tried, the final solution and what you learned.

HR

  1. 9.Why Samsung?

    What they're checking
    Motivation.
    How to answer
    The mix of devices and software, research work - whatever you genuinely like.

  2. 10.Will you work in any team (mobile, AI, multimedia)?

    What they're checking
    Flexibility.
    How to answer
    Share your interest, but stay flexible.

More questions

  1. 11.Pick one element from each of two arrays with the minimum difference.

    What they're checking
    Sorting + two pointers.
    How to answer
    Sort both, use two pointers - move the smaller one forward and update the difference at each step.

  2. 12.When do you use Dijkstra's algorithm?

    What they're checking
    Depth in graphs.
    How to answer
    For the shortest paths from one node to all nodes in a graph with positive weights - with a min-heap.

  3. 13.How do processes and threads share memory?

    What they're checking
    Depth in OS.
    How to answer
    Threads share their process's memory (heap, globals), but each thread has its own stack.

7-day preparation plan for the Samsung R&D interview

  1. Day 1: BFS/DFS grid problems - four questions.
  2. Day 2: Backtracking - subsets, permutations, N-Queens.
  3. Day 3: Bit manipulation and maths.
  4. Day 4: A 3-hour mock - one hard question, every test case.
  5. Day 5: OS - scheduling, memory, deadlock.
  6. Day 6: OOP (C++/Java) and your project.
  7. Day 7: Revision and HR.

Preparation tips

  • Practise BFS, DFS and backtracking problems the most.
  • Watch for overflow - use long when needed.
  • Run your own edge-case tests before submitting.
  • Use whichever of C++ or Java you are faster in.

Mistakes to avoid

  • Treating one failed test case as minor - full marks may be needed here.
  • Forgetting integer overflow.
  • Getting the base case wrong in recursion.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Samsung R&D coding test like?

Reports differ - sometimes 3 questions in a short time, sometimes one question over a longer time where every test case must pass.

Is the GSAT for Samsung R&D?

According to reports, the GSAT is mostly for other Samsung roles; for R&D the coding round matters most.

What is asked in the Samsung R&D technical interview?

DSA, OS, OOP and projects - as commonly reported.

Which language is best for the Samsung R&D test?

The one you are fast and confident in - C++ and Java are commonly used.

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