Best interview questions require presence of mind to answer them?
Interview questions require presence of mind to answer them?
One of the questions asked during an interview.
Interviewer : There is one scooter which has 2 tyres and one stepney/spare (meaning 3 tyres). Each tyre can run up to max 5 km. How long will the scooter run till?
Candidate: Confused, one thought struck my mind that 5 kms obviously as scooter can't run with one tyre. But if that would be the answer then the question shouldn't be asked in that way. Thought for a while, did some calculations, then gave the answer as 7.5 kms.
Interviewer : How?
Candidate:
- First run 2.5 km and change the 1st tyre with stepney. Now kms remains in 1st tyre: 2.5 km, 2nd tyre: 2.5 km, Stepney : 5 km
- Again run for 2.5 km and this time change 2nd tyre with 1st tyre: Now kms remains 1st tyre: 2.5 km, 2nd tyre :0 km ,stepney : 2.5 km.
- Now run 2.5 km with remaining 1st tyre and stepney .
QUESTION-2:
I encountered this question at my IIM Lucknow interview at Kolkata. Fortunately I converted call and hence I am posting here.
Q: What is the equation to covert degree Celsius to degree Fahrenheit?
Ans: Well, I don't remember the exact equation. However, I can derive right now.
Q: How would you do that?
Ans: I know that it is a Linear Relationship. Besides, I know two points on the graph.
1) -40 degreeC =-40 degree F ( I could recollect this interesting fact)
2) 37 degreeC =98.6 degree F (Body Temperature)
So from the above mentioned points, I can derive the equation.
The interviewer seemed to be satisfied with the answer.
Moral of the story: It is not important that you 'Remember' everything. Sometimes it is more important how quickly you find any alternative solution.
After a good telephonic interview for a summer internship, I faced this as a closing aptitude test:-
QUESTION-3: Interviewer: Okay Mayank! It was nice talking to you. Now I am putting a hypothetical situation in front of you, let's see how you tackle.Me: Sure ma'am!Interviewer: You are an astronaut and right now at an arbitrary planet. You are in a room with 10 glasses of samples of milk with poison dissolved in one of them and nothing else. You have one rat to test the sample. If the rat drinks the poisonous sample at a given time, it dies 10 hours later. You have 24 hours to find out, which sample is poisonous. How would you do that? And yeah, the gravity there is 1.5 times the gravity of earth.The question seemed easy, but I was not able to relate the role of gravity to inspect the presence of poison in milk. So I decided to just ignore the parts of the question which were related to the astronomical contexts. So then , I was a someone with 10 samples and a rat. With a complete silence of 10 seconds, the idea clicked in my mind.Me: Ma'am, I would let the rat drink each sample of milk at an interval of 1 hour for consecutive 10 hours. Later I will check the time it dies. The sample corresponding to the time 10 hours before the death would be the right sample. And as I would be hungry enough waiting for the whole day, I would drink the other non poisonous milk samples. :-DShe laughed and finally she asked,Interviewer: Seems most of your stipend would go to fill your stomach :-P
The best thing I liked about the question was the astronomical part which was just given to confuse the person for the in prompt attempt.
Astronaut :-P Really?
This happened with my elder brother in campus interview.
QUESTION-4:
HR: Your resume states that you play chess.
He: Yes sir.
HR: How far you have gone in tournaments?
He: State level.
HR: Ok. Imagine you're playing with Vishwanathan Anand. He plays the soldier in front of the Queen 2 blocks forward. What will be your 5th move?
He: Sir, I won't have to think about my 5th move at all.
HR: Why?
He: Vishwanathan Anand would have defeated me in the fourth move itself!
RESULT : SELECTED.
Edit - A few people have pointed out that defeating a state level player within 4 moves is impossible. Yes, it is. But you can't even predict your 5th move on the basis of your opponent's first. And that's where presence of mind was expected.
HR: Your resume states that you play chess.
He: Yes sir.
HR: How far you have gone in tournaments?
He: State level.
HR: Ok. Imagine you're playing with Vishwanathan Anand. He plays the soldier in front of the Queen 2 blocks forward. What will be your 5th move?
He: Sir, I won't have to think about my 5th move at all.
HR: Why?
He: Vishwanathan Anand would have defeated me in the fourth move itself!
RESULT : SELECTED.
Edit - A few people have pointed out that defeating a state level player within 4 moves is impossible. Yes, it is. But you can't even predict your 5th move on the basis of your opponent's first. And that's where presence of mind was expected.
QUESTION-5:
Which way is the bus going?
Answer:
This picture of a bus is missing its door, and therefore the bus must be going left, because the door is on the right side of the bus and there's no door visible on the side that's facing you in the picture.
Of course, depending on which country you're in, the bus could be driving on either side of the road. If you're in Britain or some of the Commonwealth countries, then the bus must be going right, because the door is on the leftside of the bus.
Answer:
This picture of a bus is missing its door, and therefore the bus must be going left, because the door is on the right side of the bus and there's no door visible on the side that's facing you in the picture.
Of course, depending on which country you're in, the bus could be driving on either side of the road. If you're in Britain or some of the Commonwealth countries, then the bus must be going right, because the door is on the leftside of the bus.
QUESTION-6
I had read this article in a magazine.And might be some of you already aware of this interview answer which highly requires presence of mind.
1. Interviewer: So, can you sell this pen to me?
Candidate: If I have impressed you so, does it mean you will select me definitely?
Interviewer: I can give it to you in written.
Candidate: That is why you need this pen to write it down.
2- Interviewer: Can you name three consecutive days without using the words Wednesday, Friday, or Sunday?
Candidate: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.
3. Interviewer: Your mother and wife both are sinking in a river. Whom you save first?
Candidate : To whom I can reach first.
1. Interviewer: So, can you sell this pen to me?
Candidate: If I have impressed you so, does it mean you will select me definitely?
Interviewer: I can give it to you in written.
Candidate: That is why you need this pen to write it down.
2- Interviewer: Can you name three consecutive days without using the words Wednesday, Friday, or Sunday?
Candidate: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.
3. Interviewer: Your mother and wife both are sinking in a river. Whom you save first?
Candidate : To whom I can reach first.
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