Python (Coding): Data Structures Test

The Python Data Structures Test evaluates a candidate's proficiency in implementing and manipulating various data structures using Python. Through a combination of MCQs and coding questions, it assesses understanding of lists, tuples, dictionaries, sets, and advanced structures like stacks, queues, and trees. The test gauges the ability to choose appropriate data structures for different scenarios and optimize code performance.

Covered skills:

Lists
Tuples
Dictionaries
Sets
Arrays
Stacks
Queues
Linked Lists
Trees
Graphs
Hash Tables
Heaps

Test Duration

30 mins

Difficulty Level

Moderate

Questions

5 Python MCQs
1 Python Coding Question

Availability

Ready to use

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About the Python (Coding): Data Structures Assessment Test

The Python (Coding): Data Structures Test helps recruiters and hiring managers identify qualified candidates from a pool of resumes, and helps in taking objective hiring decisions. It reduces the administrative overhead of interviewing too many candidates and saves time by filtering out unqualified candidates at the first step of the hiring process.

The test screens for the following skills that hiring managers look for in candidates:

Demonstrate proficiency in implementing and manipulating various Python data structures
Efficiently utilize lists and tuples for storing and accessing ordered collections of data
Skillfully work with dictionaries to create key-value pair mappings and perform quick lookups
Effectively use sets for managing unique, unordered collections of elements
Implement and navigate complex tree structures, including binary trees and search trees
Design and manipulate graph data structures for representing relationships between objects
Utilize hash tables for efficient data retrieval and storage
Implement and manage stack and queue data structures for specific algorithmic needs
Work with linked lists to create dynamic, memory-efficient data structures
Apply heap data structures for priority queue implementations and sorting algorithms
Optimize data structure choices based on specific problem requirements and performance considerations

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Non-googleable questions

We have a very high focus on the quality of questions that test for on-the-job skills. Every question is non-googleable and we have a very high bar for the level of subject matter experts we onboard to create these questions. We have crawlers to check if any of the questions are leaked online. If/ when a question gets leaked, we get an alert. We change the question for you & let you know.

How we design questions

These are just a small sample from our library of 15,000+ questions. The actual questions on this Python (Coding): Data Structures Test will be non-googleable.

🧐 Question
Hard Signal Network	Solve
A secret communication network is built between cities. Each city sends out signals to others, but signals can only flow forward from a city with a lower signal strength to one with a higher signal strength. You are given: 1. An array "signals" where "signals[i]" represents the strength of city 'i'. 2. A list of "connections" (edges), where each connection [u, v] means a directed link from city 'u' to city 'v'. You must find the longest possible chain of cities where: 1. Each city is connected to the next (via directed edges). 2. The signal strengths are strictly increasing along the chain. Input: 1. An integer n → number of cities 2. An array signals of length n 3. An array of edges (directed connections between cities) Output: Print the length of the longest increasing-signal chain. Example: Input: n = 6 signals = [2, 4, 3, 5, 1, 6] edges = [[0,1], [0,2], [2,3], [1,3], [3,5], [4,0]] Output: 4 Explanation: Optimal path: 4 → 0 → 2 → 3 → 5 Signal strengths (strictly increasing) for the path: 1 → 2 → 3 → 5 → 6 Length: 5
Medium Visitors Count Strings Logic String Parsing Character Counting	Solve
A manager hires a staff member to keep a record of the number of men, women, and children visiting the museum daily. The staff will note W if any women visit, M for men, and C for children. You need to write code that takes the string that represents the visits and prints the count of men, woman and children. The sequencing should be in decreasing order. Example: Input: WWMMWWCCC Expected Output: 4W3C2M Explanation: ‘W’ has the highest count, then ‘C’, then ‘M’. ⚠️⚠️⚠️ Note: - The input is already parsed and passed to a function. - You need to "print" the final result (not return it) to pass the test cases. - If the input is- “MMW”, then the expected output is "2M1W" since there is no ‘C’. - If any of them have the same count, the output should follow this order - M, W, C.

	🧐 Question	🔧 Skill
	Hard Signal Network	30 mins Coding	Solve
A secret communication network is built between cities. Each city sends out signals to others, but signals can only flow forward from a city with a lower signal strength to one with a higher signal strength. You are given: 1. An array "signals" where "signals[i]" represents the strength of city 'i'. 2. A list of "connections" (edges), where each connection [u, v] means a directed link from city 'u' to city 'v'. You must find the longest possible chain of cities where: 1. Each city is connected to the next (via directed edges). 2. The signal strengths are strictly increasing along the chain. Input: 1. An integer n → number of cities 2. An array signals of length n 3. An array of edges (directed connections between cities) Output: Print the length of the longest increasing-signal chain. Example: Input: n = 6 signals = [2, 4, 3, 5, 1, 6] edges = [[0,1], [0,2], [2,3], [1,3], [3,5], [4,0]] Output: 4 Explanation: Optimal path: 4 → 0 → 2 → 3 → 5 Signal strengths (strictly increasing) for the path: 1 → 2 → 3 → 5 → 6 Length: 5
	Medium Visitors Count Strings Logic String Parsing Character Counting	30 mins Coding	Solve
A manager hires a staff member to keep a record of the number of men, women, and children visiting the museum daily. The staff will note W if any women visit, M for men, and C for children. You need to write code that takes the string that represents the visits and prints the count of men, woman and children. The sequencing should be in decreasing order. Example: Input: WWMMWWCCC Expected Output: 4W3C2M Explanation: ‘W’ has the highest count, then ‘C’, then ‘M’. ⚠️⚠️⚠️ Note: - The input is already parsed and passed to a function. - You need to "print" the final result (not return it) to pass the test cases. - If the input is- “MMW”, then the expected output is "2M1W" since there is no ‘C’. - If any of them have the same count, the output should follow this order - M, W, C.

	🧐 Question	🔧 Skill	💪 Difficulty	⌛ Time
	Signal Network	Coding	Hard	30 mins	Solve
A secret communication network is built between cities. Each city sends out signals to others, but signals can only flow forward from a city with a lower signal strength to one with a higher signal strength. You are given: 1. An array "signals" where "signals[i]" represents the strength of city 'i'. 2. A list of "connections" (edges), where each connection [u, v] means a directed link from city 'u' to city 'v'. You must find the longest possible chain of cities where: 1. Each city is connected to the next (via directed edges). 2. The signal strengths are strictly increasing along the chain. Input: 1. An integer n → number of cities 2. An array signals of length n 3. An array of edges (directed connections between cities) Output: Print the length of the longest increasing-signal chain. Example: Input: n = 6 signals = [2, 4, 3, 5, 1, 6] edges = [[0,1], [0,2], [2,3], [1,3], [3,5], [4,0]] Output: 4 Explanation: Optimal path: 4 → 0 → 2 → 3 → 5 Signal strengths (strictly increasing) for the path: 1 → 2 → 3 → 5 → 6 Length: 5
	Visitors Count Strings Logic String Parsing Character Counting	Coding	Medium	30 mins	Solve
A manager hires a staff member to keep a record of the number of men, women, and children visiting the museum daily. The staff will note W if any women visit, M for men, and C for children. You need to write code that takes the string that represents the visits and prints the count of men, woman and children. The sequencing should be in decreasing order. Example: Input: WWMMWWCCC Expected Output: 4W3C2M Explanation: ‘W’ has the highest count, then ‘C’, then ‘M’. ⚠️⚠️⚠️ Note: - The input is already parsed and passed to a function. - You need to "print" the final result (not return it) to pass the test cases. - If the input is- “MMW”, then the expected output is "2M1W" since there is no ‘C’. - If any of them have the same count, the output should follow this order - M, W, C.

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Why you should use Pre-employment Python (Coding): Data Structures Test?

The Python (Coding): Data Structures Test makes use of scenario-based questions to test for on-the-job skills as opposed to theoretical knowledge, ensuring that candidates who do well on this screening test have the relavant skills. The questions are designed to covered following on-the-job aspects:

Implementing and manipulating Python lists efficiently
Creating and using tuples for immutable data
Utilizing dictionaries for key-value pair storage
Working with sets for unique element collections
Implementing arrays using NumPy library
Designing and implementing stack data structures
Creating and managing queue data structures
Implementing singly and doubly linked lists
Understanding basic tree structures and traversals
Implementing simple graph representations and algorithms

Once the test is sent to a candidate, the candidate receives a link in email to take the test. For each candidate, you will receive a detailed report with skills breakdown and benchmarks to shortlist the top candidates from your pool.

What topics are covered in the Python (Coding): Data Structures Test?

Lists: Lists are ordered, mutable sequences in Python. They allow storing multiple items of different data types and provide various methods for manipulation. Proficiency in lists is crucial for efficient data handling and algorithm implementation.

Tuples: Tuples are immutable, ordered sequences in Python. They offer performance benefits over lists for read-only operations and are commonly used for fixed data structures. Understanding tuples is essential for writing memory-efficient and secure code.

Dictionaries: Dictionaries are hash table-based data structures that store key-value pairs. They provide fast lookup and insertion operations, making them ideal for data organization and caching. Mastery of dictionaries is vital for efficient data management in Python.

Sets: Sets are unordered collections of unique elements in Python. They support mathematical set operations and are optimized for membership testing. Proficiency in sets is important for tasks involving unique data and set theory applications.

Arrays: Arrays are fixed-size, homogeneous data structures that offer efficient memory usage and fast access times. While not a built-in type in Python, understanding array concepts is crucial for low-level optimization and working with libraries like NumPy.

Stacks: Stacks are Last-In-First-Out (LIFO) data structures used for managing function calls, parsing expressions, and backtracking algorithms. Implementing and using stacks effectively is a fundamental skill in computer science and programming.

Queues: Queues are First-In-First-Out (FIFO) data structures essential for managing tasks, breadth-first searches, and scheduling algorithms. Proficiency in queue operations is crucial for developing efficient systems and algorithms.

Linked Lists: Linked lists are dynamic data structures consisting of nodes connected by pointers. They offer efficient insertion and deletion operations and are fundamental to understanding more complex data structures. Mastery of linked lists demonstrates strong algorithmic thinking.

Trees: Trees are hierarchical data structures with nodes connected by edges. They are used in various applications, including file systems, decision-making algorithms, and databases. Understanding tree structures and traversals is crucial for advanced algorithm design.

Graphs: Graphs are versatile data structures representing relationships between entities. They are essential for modeling networks, solving optimization problems, and implementing artificial intelligence algorithms. Proficiency in graph algorithms is highly valued in software engineering.

Hash Tables: Hash tables are data structures that provide constant-time average-case complexity for insertion, deletion, and lookup operations. They are fundamental to implementing efficient dictionaries and caches. Understanding hash tables is crucial for optimizing data retrieval in large datasets.

Heaps: Heaps are specialized tree-based data structures that satisfy the heap property. They are used in priority queues, sorting algorithms, and graph algorithms. Proficiency in heap operations is essential for developing efficient algorithms in various domains.

Full list of covered topics

The actual topics of the questions in the final test will depend on your job description and requirements. However, here's a list of topics you can expect the questions for Python (Coding): Data Structures Test to be based on.

List comprehension

Tuple packing

Dictionary methods

Set operations

Array slicing

Stack implementation

Queue operations

Linked list traversal

Binary trees

Graph traversal

Hash functions

Heap operations

List sorting

Tuple unpacking

Dictionary comprehension

Frozensets

Numpy arrays

Deque

Priority queues

Doubly linked lists

AVL trees

Directed graphs

Collision resolution

Min-heap

Max-heap

List manipulation

Named tuples

DefaultDict

Set theory

Multidimensional arrays

LIFO principle

FIFO principle

Circular linked lists

B-trees

Graph algorithms

Linear probing

Heapify algorithm

List methods

Tuple methods

OrderedDict

Set methods

Array broadcasting

Stack applications

Queue implementations

Linked list operations

Red-black trees

Breadth-first search

Depth-first search

Chaining

Heap sort

Heapq module

What roles can I use the Python (Coding): Data Structures Test for?

Python Developer
Data Scientist
Software Engineer
Machine Learning Engineer
Backend Developer
Full Stack Developer
Data Analyst
DevOps Engineer
Artificial Intelligence Engineer
Research Scientist

How is the Python (Coding): Data Structures Test customized for senior candidates?

For intermediate/ experienced candidates, we customize the assessment questions to include advanced topics and increase the difficulty level of the questions. This might include adding questions on topics like

Designing and implementing hash tables
Working with min and max heap structures
Optimizing data structure choice for specific problems
Implementing advanced tree structures (e.g., AVL, Red-Black)
Applying graph algorithms for complex problem-solving
Designing custom data structures for specific use cases
Implementing and using priority queues efficiently
Applying advanced hashing techniques for collision resolution
Optimizing memory usage in large-scale data structures
Implementing concurrent data structures for multi-threading

The coding question for experienced candidates will be of a higher difficulty level to evaluate more hands-on experience.

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Have questions about the Python (Coding): Data Structures Hiring Test?

What is Python (Coding): Data Structures Test?

The Python (Coding): Data Structures Test is designed to evaluate a candidate's understanding and proficiency in using data structures in Python. This test is used by recruiters to identify candidates with strong Python programming skills, particularly in handling data structures.

Can I combine Python (Coding): Data Structures Test with SQL questions?

Yes, recruiters can request a custom test that includes both Python and SQL questions. Check out the Python & SQL Test for more details on assessing SQL skills.

What topics are evaluated in the Python (Coding): Data Structures Test?

This test evaluates knowledge in Lists, Tuples, Dictionaries, Sets, Arrays, Stacks, Queues, Linked Lists, Trees, Graphs, Hash Tables, and Heaps. For senior roles, it also assesses advanced skills like implementing hash tables, working with heaps, and applying graph algorithms.

How to use Python (Coding): Data Structures Test in my hiring process?

We recommend using this test as a pre-screening tool at the start of your hiring process. Add the test link in your job post or directly invite candidates via email.

What are the main coding tests?

Our main coding tests include:

Can I combine multiple skills into one custom assessment?

Yes, absolutely. Custom assessments are set up based on your job description, and will include questions on all must-have skills you specify. Here's a quick guide on how you can request a custom test.

Do you have any anti-cheating or proctoring features in place?

We have the following anti-cheating features in place:

Hidden AI Tools Detection with Honestly
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Screen proctoring
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Read more about the proctoring features.

How do I interpret test scores?

The primary thing to keep in mind is that an assessment is an elimination tool, not a selection tool. A skills assessment is optimized to help you eliminate candidates who are not technically qualified for the role, it is not optimized to help you find the best candidate for the role. So the ideal way to use an assessment is to decide a threshold score (typically 55%, we help you benchmark) and invite all candidates who score above the threshold for the next rounds of interview.

What experience level can I use this test for?

Each Adaface assessment is customized to your job description/ ideal candidate persona (our subject matter experts will pick the right questions for your assessment from our library of 10000+ questions). This assessment can be customized for any experience level.

Does every candidate get the same questions?

Yes, it makes it much easier for you to compare candidates. Options for MCQ questions and the order of questions are randomized. We have anti-cheating/ proctoring features in place. In our enterprise plan, we also have the option to create multiple versions of the same assessment with questions of similar difficulty levels.

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