Bharti Airtel Interview Preparation

55+ telecom, networking, backend and DSA questions with complete solutions.

QuestionAnswerCategory
Q1. Explain OSI model.Physical, Data Link, Network, Transport, Session, Presentation, Application. Each layer has specific functions.Technical
Q2. Difference between TCP and UDP.TCP: reliable, ordered, slower. UDP: fast, connectionless, unreliable. Used in streaming, gaming.Technical
Q3. DSA: Merge sorted arrays.Two pointer technique. Compare elements, add smaller to result.
def merge(arr1, arr2):
    result = []
    i = j = 0
    while i < len(arr1) and j < len(arr2):
        if arr1[i] <= arr2[j]:
            result.append(arr1[i])
            i += 1
        else:
            result.append(arr2[j])
            j += 1
    result.extend(arr1[i:])
    result.extend(arr2[j:])
    return result
Coding
Q4. What is 4G/5G technology?4G: LTE for high-speed mobile data. 5G: ultra-fast, low latency, massive IoT connectivity.Technical
Q5. Longest substring without repeating chars.Sliding window with hashmap for O(n) solution.
def length_of_longest_substring(s):
    char_index = {}
    max_len = 0
    start = 0
    for i, char in enumerate(s):
        if char in char_index:
            start = max(start, char_index[char] + 1)
        char_index[char] = i
        max_len = max(max_len, i - start + 1)
    return max_len
Coding
Q6. REST API design principles.Stateless, client-server, cacheable, uniform interface, use proper HTTP methods/status codes.Technical
Q7. Two Sum problem.HashMap for O(n) solution. Store complement, check if current num is complement.Coding
Q8. Explain DNS.Domain Name System: translates domain names to IP addresses. Hierarchical system with root, TLD, authoritative servers.Technical
Q9. Reverse linked list.Three pointers: prev, curr, next. Reverse links iteratively.
def reverse_list(head):
    prev = None
    curr = head
    while curr:
        next_temp = curr.next
        curr.next = prev
        prev = curr
        curr = next_temp
    return prev
Coding
Q10. Maximum subarray sum (Kadane).Track current sum, reset if negative. Update max at each step.
def max_subarray(arr):
    max_sum = curr_sum = arr[0]
    for num in arr[1:]:
        curr_sum = max(num, curr_sum + num)
        max_sum = max(max_sum, curr_sum)
    return max_sum
Coding
Q11. Database scaling techniques.Replication, sharding, caching, indexing, query optimization, read replicas.Technical
Q12. Check balanced parentheses.Stack: push opening, pop on closing. Empty stack = balanced.Coding
Q13. How does HTTP/HTTPS work.HTTP: stateless, port 80. HTTPS: encrypted with SSL/TLS, port 443. Adds security.Technical
Q14. Find duplicates in array.Floyd cycle detection or hashmap approach. O(n) time.Coding
Q15. Microservices architecture.Independent services, scalable, deployable separately, communicate via APIs or messaging.Technical
Q16. Intersection of two linked lists.Two pointers: when one reaches end, switch to other. Meet at intersection.Coding
Q17. Group anagrams.Use sorted word as key in hashmap. Collect words with same key.Coding
Q18. What is VoIP?Voice over Internet Protocol: transmit voice over internet instead of traditional phone lines.Technical
Q19. Rotate array by k.Slicing or reverse technique. O(n) time, O(1) space with reversal.Coding
Q20. Load balancing strategies.Round-robin, least connections, IP hash, weighted, geographic-based distribution.Technical
Q21. Valid palindrome check.Remove non-alphanumeric, compare with reverse, ignore case.Coding
Q22. Factorial calculation.Iterative or recursive. Base case: fact(0)=1.
def factorial(n):
    if n < 2:
        return 1
    return n * factorial(n-1)
Coding
Q23. What is IP address?Internet Protocol address: unique identifier for devices. IPv4 (32-bit) and IPv6 (128-bit).Technical
Q24. Binary search.Divide search space in half. O(log n) time on sorted array.
def binary_search(arr, target):
    left, right = 0, len(arr) - 1
    while left <= right:
        mid = (left + right) // 2
        if arr[mid] == target:
            return mid
        elif arr[mid] < target:
            left = mid + 1
        else:
            right = mid - 1
    return -1
Coding
Q25. Caching strategies.LRU, LFU, TTL-based, write-through, write-back. Improve performance, reduce DB load.Technical
Q26. Remove duplicates from sorted array.Two pointer technique. Count unique elements.Coding
Q27. String reversal.Slicing or iteration. Return reversed string.
def reverse_string(s):
    return s[::-1]
Coding
Q28. Message queues.Decouple components, async processing. Examples: RabbitMQ, Kafka, SQS.Technical
Q29. Fibonacci series.Each term = sum of previous two. Start: 0, 1.Coding
Q30. What is spectrum?Radio frequency bands used for wireless communication. Allocated by government.Technical
Q31. Tell me about yourself.Education, projects, internships, interests in telecom/networking, why Airtel.HR
Q32. Why Bharti Airtel?Market leader, 5G rollout, innovation, career growth, customer base.HR
Q33. Your strengths.Quick learner, teamwork, problem-solving, communication, analytical.HR
Q34. Weaknesses.Show self-awareness and improvement: perfectionist, building faster decision-making.HR
Q35. Team collaboration.STAR method: situation, task, action, result. Emphasize communication and teamwork.HR
Q36. Missing number in array.Expected sum minus actual sum. XOR approach also works.Coding
Q37. Prime number check.Check divisibility up to sqrt(n). O(sqrt(n)) time.Coding
Q38. Session management.Cookies, tokens (JWT), server-side sessions. Security, scalability considerations.Technical
Q39. Anagram check.Sort both strings and compare, or use character frequency.Coding
Q40. Second largest element.Track first and second largest. O(n) time, O(1) space.Coding
Q41. How do you handle pressure?Prioritize, break problems into chunks, communicate, maintain focus.HR
Q42. Salary expectations.Research telecom sector. Give realistic range with flexibility.HR
Q43. Array intersection.Use hashset. O(n+m) time complexity.Coding
Q44. Number to words.Breaking down into groups of three digits.Coding
Q45. Count character occurrences.Hashmap or counter. O(n) time.
def count_chars(s):
    return {c: s.count(c) for c in set(s)}
Coding
Q46. Rate limiting.Token bucket, sliding window. Prevent API abuse, ensure fair usage.Technical
Q47. Bubble sort.Compare adjacent, swap if wrong order. O(n²) worst case.Coding
Q48. Selection sort.Find minimum in unsorted part, swap with first unsorted. O(n²).Coding
Q49. Career goals in 5 years.Senior developer, team lead, network architect, or specialist role.HR
Q50. Any questions?Ask about projects, team structure, tech stack, growth opportunities, 5G initiatives.HR
Q51. Insertion sort.Build sorted array one item at time. O(n²) worst, O(n) best.Coding
Q52. GCD of two numbers.Euclidean algorithm: gcd(a,b) = gcd(b, a%b).Coding
Q53. LCM calculation.lcm(a,b) = (a*b) / gcd(a,b).Coding
Q54. Authentication vs Authorization.Auth: verify identity. Authz: check permissions. Both essential for security.Technical
Q55. How do you stay updated?Online courses, tech blogs, GitHub, coding platforms, tech podcasts, conferences.HR