Databricks vs DE Shaw Interview Questions
Databricks lists 31 LeetCode interview questions while DE Shaw lists 105. They share 5 problems — 16% of Databricks's bank and 5% of DE Shaw's. Focus on the overlap first, then drill into 26 Databricks-only and 100 DE Shaw-only questions.
Overview
Preparation Strategy
Step 1 — Shared core: Solve the 5 overlapping problems first. These are the highest-yield questions for candidates interviewing at both Databricks and DE Shaw.
Step 2 — Company-specific depth: Add Databricks-specific problems like Design Hit Counter, IP to CIDR, Design Tic-Tac-Toe and DE Shaw-specific problems from the exclusive lists below.
Step 3 — Difficulty tuning: DE Shaw skews harder in our data. Budget extra time for Hard problems if you are targeting that company.
Difficulty Comparison
Top Shared Topics
5 Shared Questions
High-priority problems to practice for both Databricks and DE Shaw.
| Problem | Difficulty |
|---|---|
| House Robber | Medium |
| House Robber II | Medium |
| Text Justification | Hard |
| Rotting Oranges | Medium |
| Two Sum | Easy |
Unique to Databricks (26)
Problems in Databricks's list that do not appear at DE Shaw.
| Problem | Difficulty |
|---|---|
| Design Hit Counter | Medium |
| IP to CIDR | Medium |
| Design Tic-Tac-Toe | Medium |
| Find All Anagrams in a String | Medium |
| Step-By-Step Directions From a Binary Tree Node to Another | Medium |
| Time Based Key-Value Store | Medium |
| RLE Iterator | Medium |
| Longest Palindrome by Concatenating Two Letter Words | Medium |
| Closest Leaf in a Binary Tree | Medium |
| Shortest Path in a Grid with Obstacles Elimination | Hard |
| Number of Recent Calls | Easy |
| Snapshot Array | Medium |
Unique to DE Shaw (100)
Problems in DE Shaw's list that do not appear at Databricks.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many LeetCode questions do Databricks and DE Shaw share?
Databricks and DE Shaw share 5 LeetCode interview questions. 26 problems appear only in Databricks's list and 100 appear only in DE Shaw's list.
What topics overlap most between Databricks and DE Shaw?
The most common shared topics between Databricks and DE Shaw are Array (5 shared questions), Dynamic Programming (2 shared questions), String (1 shared questions), Simulation (1 shared questions), Breadth-First Search (1 shared questions). Mastering these areas prepares you for both companies.
Which company asks harder LeetCode questions: Databricks or DE Shaw?
Databricks has 2 Easy, 22 Medium, and 7 Hard questions. DE Shaw has 11 Easy, 64 Medium, and 30 Hard questions. DE Shaw has a higher proportion of Hard problems in its interview set.
How should I prepare if interviewing at both Databricks and DE Shaw?
Start with the 5 shared problems since they cover what both companies ask most often. Then add 20 Databricks-specific and 20 DE Shaw-specific questions to round out your prep.