Bloomberg Financial Software Development Interview

Hi,
Congrats for clearing online test. I am also applying for the same position but dont know where to start. I am good at C programming, MATLAB Programming and little bit Java, Visual basic.. But , i did not use my software skills for the past one year and forget almost. Could you please let me knoe how your online test went down. I will be grateful if you can provide me some guidance on technical test. Is it advanced / core Java.. Please give me some advice on preparing for online test...
Thank you,
Regards,
Ra

Hi, Congrats for clearing online test. I am also applying for the same position but dont know where to start. I am good at C programming, MATLAB Programming and little bit Java, Visual basic.. But , i did not use my software skills for the past one year and forget almost. Could you please let me knoe how your online test went down. I will be grateful if you can provide me some guidance on technical test. Is it advanced / core Java.. Please give me some advice on preparing for online test... Thank you, Regards, Ra

The questions on mine were all Java related and were all multiple choice. You have three minutes for each question and they say you can use reference materials. Yours might not be in Java if you've told them you have more experience in C; I've heard of others doing their tests in C (might not have been for the same position). There's not really much you can do to prepare for the test because it'd take too long, you just have to have a reasonable knowledge of Java.

Good luck, hope it goes well for you. Let me know how you find it.

For the record, I had my face-to-face interview. It was hard and I didn't get the job. It started with two guys that had joined the company a few years back at the level of the position I was applying for. They started with the simple "what do you know about us?" questions: "why do you want to work for us?", etc.. They then asked me about my 3rd year project. After that we moved on to some code questions (in C - about pointers, scope, etc.), before moving on to a logic puzzle. Finally, they answered some of my questions.

They then brought in another guy who'd been there longer than the other two, and he and I continued with the interview alone (maybe this is to sift out people that really don't know what they're talking about, or maybe the other two had other places to be). We did some more code questions - I had to come up with an algorithm for finding unique elements in an array and figure out its time complexity. We then did another logic puzzle before moving on to questions I had for him.

All in all it lasted about 2 hours.

Hello walt,

I HAVE BEEN INVITED FOR AN r&D INTERVIEW COULD YOU HELP ME WITH SOME DETAILED QUESTIONS FOR C, AND EXAMPLES OF THE LOGICAL PUZZLES

i HAVE DONE POINTERS, ARRAYS ETC...HAVE YOU GOT ANYMORE SUGGESTIONS...

Helly harry,
I got an email to take online assessment test in 3 days. Most probably, the test will be on C programming. Could you please let me know how to prepare for the test and any suggestions. I used C long back and need to revise everything now. Could you please help me by providing details of the test.
Thank you in Advance

BEST THING IS HAVE GOOGLE AT YOUR SIDE IN ANOTHER LAPTOP WITH YOUR FRIEND, AS THEY SAY YOU CAN TAKE HELP FROM A BOOK FOR REFRENCE. MANILY IT WILL BE IN POINTERS
AND SOME GENEREAL CODES ASKING U FOR POSSIBLE OUTPUT

Please don't use CAPS LOCK - it doesn't make me want to help you more.

Sorry Walt,

my Keyboard is Actually quiet broken, hence why

I just want to know some idea about questions to be asked .

thank you in advance.

Check out this site, it has the sort of logic questions they ask. I got asked this one and this one (the prisoner one).

Aside from that I had to write a function that calculated the nth number in the Fibonacci sequence and come up with an algorithm to find the first unique element in an array of numbers (which were stored as bytes), and then I had to write code for that.

They also gave me code samples in C concerning pointers, memory allocation, and scope. E.g., there was a function that did something, what happened to the local variable it used when the function returns, what is the output, etc.. Be prepared for a taxing interview. Mine lasted nearly two hours.

Hope this helps.

Dear walt and harry,
Thank you for your suggestions. I ve cleared test in C and scheduled for an interview. They told me that i may get questions from C ,Java, Unix,Data structures,Run time analysis, OO and C++. I am OK with pointers in C.. But program architecture is a bit nervous to me. Could u please suggest me few material to get an overview. Unix, it is a bit tricky to me now as i used it long back (4 years ago) but very little. So i need to prepare well it seems.Could you please tell me what type of questions they may ask .. i would like to know whether they will go more advanced or at average level. Datastructures is ok with me but used them long back. I am planning to prepare linked lists,stacks, and Ques.. is it enough? Run time analysis.. Did u get any questions from run time analysis .. if u can give me few sample questions, i can analyse my level of skills and them prepare accordingly.
Please help me by suggesting few tips to prepare for interview. Your interview experience will be more helpful..
Thank you,
Regards
Nani

If you've done any courses on algorithms and data structures it might be worth reading over your notes for those. Other than what I've already said I don't know what to add. In any case, good luck, and let us know how you get on.

Walt.

Hi walt,
Thank you for your suggestion. I will be grateful if you can tell me where you went wrong in the interview (which type of questions you feel very hard). It will be more helpful for me. I am sorry for bothering you..
Many thanks for your help,
Regards,
Nani

I took a while to get the logic puzzles, so maybe that was it. I think I would have done better at these had I been quite relaxed and had practised some other logic puzzles (look at the site I linked before). Make sure you lead the discussion of your answers, even if you don't know what you're doing from the start. I felt they had to prompt me quite a lot, but this was often because I was being quiet when I was thinking about an answer.

Basically, I think the reason I didn't do too well was because I didn't know what to expect from the interview. I asked about the interview when I got the invitation but that part of my email was ignored. Also, when asking for feedback, they didn't give me anything constructive, just that it was an all-round technical assessment and that I didn't meet the requirements. Bearing that in mind I can't say exactly what they didn't like.

You'll be in a better position than I was because you'll have an idea of what to expect. I didn't know the sorts of questions I was going to be asked, which made me nervous and it must have shown. Just stay relaxed and I'm sure you'll be able to think more clearly and you'll come across better than I did.

How much did it take them to give you feedback? I had an online assessment and a phone interview last week and have asked them for some feedback, but I haven't had any answer after 10 days. I wonder if I should consider that as a negative answer or I still have a chance...

hi all,

I have an in-house interview at bloomberg london for financial software developer position. If anyone of you recently had in-house interview with bloomberg for same position pls let me the wht to expect over there. any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanx

Hi spoiled,
I too have in house interview in the coming week. what is ur specialization language. did u get any email from hr.did they say any thing about possible topics they may concentrate on?..when is ur interview...
all the best..
cheers,
nani

hi nani,
my interview is on 10th. C and C++. yeah they sent me a mail regarding possible topics. when is urs and ur specializion. If u get anything helpful pls let me know.
Thanx

Hi,
I told them that i have fluency in c and knowledge of java. I have basic knowledge of java. just basic understanding. But i am OK with c programming. I am a bit confused how depth they go into c or other language. How are you preparing. They told me that they may ask questions from c , c++ (oo , classes and objects), java(oo,classes and objects, JVM), Unix and data structures.. I used Unix 5 years ago and forgot all.. I am a bit worried .. i dont know what questions they may ask. How depth you are preparing in C or C++. Did u take test in C? If you know any interview questions( From your previous interviews) in C, please let me know.. so that we can try to solve them together.
Thanks in advance,
Nani

hi,
they are going to ask more on data structures, memory management, pointers in c and i have not much idea abt java. binary trees, hash tables are very important. they may ask about your college project as well. I gave test in C. In C++ polymorphism, inheritance, operator overloading, container classes are important. Be prepared for some logical puzzles over there. If u know any helpful website pl let me know.
Thanx

Hi walt and spoiled,

 Thank you for your suggestions. I dont know why they asked me to prepare on Unix too (possible topics e-mail). I did not mention about my Unix experience or knowledge in my cv.  Do you think they will concentrate on my less fluent language (Java) ???  I have mentioned that i have proficiency in C and knowledge on Java. My doesnt tell them about my C++ or Unix knowledge.. But their mail states them as well as possible topics. Do u think they will ask questions on unix and c++ (on which i have no command). Spoiled, could you please check the personal message i have sent through wikijobs.

Thanks for your suggestions,
Cheers,
Nani

hi,
as far as i know bloomberg mostly use c++ and java. so possibly they might ask some oop concepts. I will get back 2 u in the evening. i got ur message.
Thanx

Hey, i got an online assesment,
i was wondering what type of question do i have to answer in that? what difficulty level are those questions?

Hi Attaul,
When is your online test. Which options (software proficiency) you have selected during submission of your application. Depends on them you will be asked questions.
All the best,
Nani

Hi Harry,walt and spoiled,
Could you please provide any online materials (if you are aware) to prepare for run time analysis of programs. I did not take any related module on this topic during my undergraduation or post graduation. I developed various applications (as part of my studies) but never concentrated on these topics... I am non software engineering graduate and could not find proper material on this topic. please help me by suggesting few tips to prepare.I will be very grateful to you if you can send any online links or good book names.
Thank you,
Regards,
Nani

Hi there,
I was invited for online skills test to be completed in 3 days. I dont know what is this.. Could you please give me few details.
Thank you,
Regards,
nani

hi nani,
check the website www.4shared.com and in the search type data structures. u can download ebooks from here. "Teach Yourself Data Structures And Algorithms In 24 hours@VIKS" u can have a look at this. when's your in house interview?
cheers

hi harry,
how's ur interview mate. could u tell me wht they asked. it will really help me.
thanx

Hi spoiled,
Thank you for the links.

 But that book is not available there for download.... Do u know any one who attended the interview recently...

hi,
give me ur email. I will send u.

I am sending you in p. msg: please check once.. Thank you..

Do you know what this statement means:
scanf ("% 10 [0123456789.,+,–,$]", str);

sorry..s is there after 10...

hi,
any one had info abt number of available positions..? (appoximately)..hi spoiled did u check my email..
thanks for info,
nani

hi spoiled and everyone,
Could you please give me few final minute tips prior to interview.. Spoiled, All the best for your interview.Could you please let me know how it went..it will be great help for me ... As you know my interview will be the next day ..it will be most helpful if you can give me few suggestions on your interview experience..
Thank you,
Nani

Hi Nani,

How did your interview go? Could you plse share with us your experience (i.e question asked, etc)
Thank you

Hi lboro,
After interview, i had a feeling that BBG is wasting our time alot. They asked only 2 technical questions for which i answered correct. I checked my answers after coming home and programmed to verify the results. My answers and explanation was perfect. The third question they asked me write a program and i wrote a pseudo code. I checked this at home.. As soon as i go to interview room, i was asked why BBG, my software projects, why i am changing my career to software.. Then 2 technical questions ( readin a program--pointers).. then they asked me to write a program.... I wasted nearly 15 days of time by expecting some tough interview.. prepared c upto the extreme. I did not expect this interview lasts only few minutes..
Within 18 hours after finishing interview, i got a reply for them saying sorry... I enquired other candidates too.. they had the same experience.. I think they have only one or two positions available or none available.. But it is better not to expect much and do the same mistake what i have done... wasting time without applying for any other jobs within this 15days...
All the best,
Cheers,
Nani

Hi Nani, thanks for sharing your experience..Really sorry that the outcome is not a positive one

What were those two technical questions asked? I mean a specific question if u still remember.

For the third question, what sort of program did they ask you to write? I mean what was the program suppose to do? and how long was the interview? i.e 1hr?

and do they reimburse the travelling cost?

Thanks a lot and don't let this experience distract you from ur job search for other opportunity

They are basic questions in pointers.. Give me your phone number or e-mail id.. So that i can help further.. Third program is very simple similar to palindrome.. They did not say anything about reimbursing ravelling cost.. I think they dont reimburse.. I feel bloomberg is not good for me.. Nearly 15 days (240 hours) of hard work went into vain... just 3 simple questions to say no ( That too i answered well)..If they gave me tough time in the interview, i would have felt good as i was lacking somehing. But.........
This is not a good company .. they would have said no at initial stage only.. I feel that i should nt apply for this company any more in my life time.. I have interviews with other companies too in a week's time.. I gave my best effort to BBG as i like that company alot without thinking about my other interviews..
When is your interview...Give me your phone number and e-mail id... so that i can give you few tips. We can not predict what they are going to ask.. Just prepare at advanced level and then check what happens.. I wish you will crack it...
Cheers,
Nani

Hi Nani,
did u get my e-mail ID?

Has anyone attended any interview for Java ( Financial Software Developer) ?

I agree with some of the comments here; I remember interviewing with Bloomberg for this position back in 2006. I seem to remember preparing assiduously for it and nailed the interview but still got a 'no'. Waste of time and no expenses allowance. Rude. Avoid.

I was asked:

- Why Bloomberg?
- What do you know about Bloomberg?
- Tell me about your University studies and final year project.
- I was given a program written in C and I had to find the faults in it.
- I was asked to write pseudo code for a couple of simple algorithms involving linked lists and arrays.
- I was asked a brain teaser about books on a book shelf and also the standard one with a 3 and 5 litre can and you have to measure 4 litres.

That was it. Good luck to anyone pursuing this one!

I have an online assessment in C next week. Can any one help with their recent experiences?

Hi,

Try to solve questions on brainbench. Most of the questions in written test are picked from braibench.

Thanks

I too have an online assessment in C next week. Can any one help with their recent experiences?

hello,

        i have an online assessment test in c++  next week for FSD position.Need some help here.Do you guys have any idea if the test would be multiple choice questions or involve  writing programs?Any one had an experience with c++ online test? What topics to concentrate on while preparing? Please help.

Hello:

I had a telephonic interview with Bloomberg. its been a week they have not come back. When i asked the consultant he said they need couple of days.
I am bit confused as well as tensed. I am really looking forward to work with them.
Can anybody tell what is happening.

Thanks

I had an interview with them a while ago for FSD entry-level. There's supposed to be 3 interviews, if you get through the first you go to the 2nd, if you get through the 2nd you go to the last. The first is with 2 young people (mine had been there 3/4 yrs), the second I believe is HR and the last I believe is with a senior guy. I only got through the first, but they asked what other people have said on this page - first they gave me a sheet of paper with a C program on it involving pointers and a list of variables and asked me what the types of each on the list were. Easy if you even read about C for the first time like I did a few days before the interview! Then they asked me what the difference between stack and heap are. Then another sheet with C code, asked me what was wrong with it - hint: it's to do with stack/heap. Then asked me to code fibonacci on paper. My interview ended here because I wasn't thinking straight and was too slow in coding.
Hope this helps somebody!

Hi guys,

I had an in-house interview some weeks ago for FSD entry level, and though I wanted to leave details.

First, I did not get the job, and I had THE SAME experience as @notnani (obviously I was hoping my case would be different), and the format is EXACTLY the same as what @gaspcat detailed except he didn't seem to reach the logic question stage after fibonacci code writing.

I am writing this to tell anyone applying to the position that:

• Do NOT waste your time applying, and you'd better spend your precious time on other places.

• Do EXPECT that you do extremely well in online test. ('cos it's repeated, so you could screen-record and aim for 100%)

• Do EXPECT that you do extremely well in in-house interview at all stages ('cos what they ask seems to be THE SAME, even logic question I was asked was THE SAME as @walt's so pretend you've never seen it, and answer cleverly after 10 sec of fake thinking)

• Do NOT EXPECT to get the job.

Here is my story:

I scored something like 3.80 on online test (can't remember exactly but well over the world/bb avg.) btw, it was my second time taking the test, so unsurprisingly I did well.

I got an email for booking the in-house interview after like 1 or 2 hours of the test.

a quick walk through of the interview:

arrived at 11:00
met two guys, shook hands with smiles.
btw, they don't smile back to you but rather give you a look "oh, why the fuck do I have to waste time interviewing a graduate".
they asked "u want any drinks?", I said "yes, could I have water please".
one guy was like "mother fucker, why would you ask for a drink, waste of time".
went into the interview room, I was asked a question "why bloomberg", followed by "what did you do for your final year project".
then, moved onto do the C questions, basically commenting on what the code does. piss easy stuff, just revise pointer, stack, and heap.
then, moved onto writing fibonacci. piss easy stuff, I mean who's never written it before both recursively and non-recursively.
then, moved onto logic question. they asked the Railroad Bridge question: http://www.techinterview.org/search/train
yeah, I'd seen it 'cos @walt mentioned that he got asked the question above.
so, basically they won't change anything in the interview for at least 2 years. so:

 * Do EXPECT that you do well in in-house interview at all stages
 * Do NOT EXPECT to get the job.

I'm telling you, don't bother and look into somewhere that will at least CONSIDER you.

Any questions?, I'm happy to answer.

p.s. I got a near-ideal job after numerous rejections and I understand the PAIN in hunting for a graduate job, and feel not right the way they treat us. It is the MOST RUDE interview I've ever experienced so far.

Good luck for your job hunting guys!!