IBM Round 2 Physical Coding Assessment Experience

I recently appeared for the IBM Round 2 coding assessment in physical mode .

Question 1: Array-Based Logic

We were given an array of integers. For each element, we had to find the greatest power of 2 less than or equal to the current value, subtract it, and carry the remainder to the next element.

For example:

Input: [13, 25, 12, 6]

13 - 8 = 5 → carry 5 to the next element
25 + 5 = 30
30 - 16 = 14 → carry 14 to the next element
12 + 14 = 26
26 - 16 = 10 → carry 10 to the next element
6 + 10 = 16

The process continues sequentially through the array. The final task was to return the greatest power of 2 encountered during the process, which in this example is 16.

The main challenge was understanding the carry-forward logic and efficiently finding the greatest power of 2 less than or equal to a given number.

_Note: This is my recollection of the question, so the exact wording and final-element handling may differ._

Question 2: Development / Debugging Task – Online Food Ordering App

Since I selected Node.js, I was given an existing codebase involving Express.js and React.js for an online food ordering application.

The task was to implement a delivery-fee rule:

• If the cart subtotal is 50 or more, delivery should be free (0).
• If the cart subtotal is less than 50, the delivery fee should remain 5.

Essentially, the task was to identify the relevant part of the existing codebase and implement the conditional delivery-fee logic correctly.

This question tested practical development skills, understanding an existing codebase, and making a targeted change rather than building an application from scratch.

Overall Experience

The assessment covered two different skill sets:

1. Problem-solving and algorithmic thinking through an array-based question.
2. Practical development skills through a full-stack React.js and Express.js codebase.