Algorithms and Data Structures in Python (INTERVIEW Q&A)

• Understand arrays and linked lists
• Understand stacks and queues
• Understand tree like data structures (binary search trees)
• Understand balances trees (AVL trees and red-black trees)
• Understand heap data structures
• Understand hashing, hash tables and dictionaries
• Understand the differences between data structures and abstract data types
• Understand graph traversing (BFS and DFS)
• Understand shortest path algorithms such as Dijkstra’s approach or Bellman-Ford method
• Understand minimum spanning trees (Prims’s algorithm)
• Understand sorting algorithms
• Be able to develop your own algorithms
• Have a good grasp of algorithmic thinking
• Be able to detect and correct inefficient code snippets

Section 1:

• setting up the environment
• differences between data structures and abstract data types

Section 2 – Arrays:

• what is an array data structure
• arrays related interview questions

Section 3 – Linked Lists:

• linked list data structure and its implementation
• doubly linked lists
• linked lists related interview questions

Section 4 – Stacks and Queues:

• stacks and queues
• stack memory and heap memory
• how the stack memory works exactly?
• stacks and queues related interview questions

Section 5 – Binary Search Trees:

• what are binary search trees
• practical applications of binary search trees
• problems with binary trees

Section 6 – Balanced Binary Trees (AVL Trees and Red-Black Trees):

• why to use balanced binary search trees
• AVL trees
• red-black trees

Section 7 – Priority Queues and Heaps:

• what are priority queues
• what are heaps
• heapsort algorithm overview

Section 8 – Hashing and Dictionaries:

• associative arrays and dictionaries
• how to achieve O(1) constant running time with hashing

Section 9 – Graph Traversal:

• basic graph algorithms
• breadth-first
• depth-first search
• stack memory visualization for DFS

Section 10 – Shortest Path problems (Dijkstra’s and Bellman-Ford Algorithms):

• shortest path algorithms
• Dijkstra’s algorithm
• Bellman-Ford algorithm
• how to detect arbitrage opportunities on the FOREX?

Section 11 – Spanning Trees (Kruskal’s and Prim’s Approaches):

• what are spanning trees
• what is the union-find data structure and how to use it
• Kruskal’s algorithm theory and implementation as well
• Prim’s algorithm

Section 12 – Sorting Algorithms

• sorting algorithms
• bubble sort, selection sort and insertion sort
• quicksort and merge sort
• non-comparison based sorting algorithms
• counting sort and radix sort