Databricks vs IBM Interview Questions
Databricks lists 31 LeetCode interview questions while IBM lists 115. They share 4 problems — 13% of Databricks's bank and 3% of IBM's. Focus on the overlap first, then drill into 27 Databricks-only and 111 IBM-only questions.
Overview
Preparation Strategy
Step 1 — Shared core: Solve the 4 overlapping problems first. These are the highest-yield questions for candidates interviewing at both Databricks and IBM.
Step 2 — Company-specific depth: Add Databricks-specific problems like Design Hit Counter, IP to CIDR, Design Tic-Tac-Toe and IBM-specific problems from the exclusive lists below.
Step 3 — Difficulty tuning: Databricks skews harder in our data. Budget extra time for Hard problems if you are targeting that company.
Difficulty Comparison
Top Shared Topics
4 Shared Questions
High-priority problems to practice for both Databricks and IBM.
| Problem | Difficulty |
|---|---|
| Longest Mountain in Array | Medium |
| Spiral Matrix | Medium |
| Merge Intervals | Medium |
| Two Sum | Easy |
Unique to Databricks (27)
Problems in Databricks's list that do not appear at IBM.
| Problem | Difficulty |
|---|---|
| Design Hit Counter | Medium |
| IP to CIDR | Medium |
| Design Tic-Tac-Toe | Medium |
| House Robber | 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 |
| House Robber II | 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 |
Unique to IBM (111)
Problems in IBM's list that do not appear at Databricks.
| Problem | Difficulty |
|---|---|
| Find the Smallest Divisor Given a Threshold | Medium |
| Gray Code | Medium |
| 3Sum | Medium |
| Exclusive Time of Functions | Medium |
| Integer to Roman | Medium |
| Minimum Operations to Make Columns Strictly Increasing | Easy |
| Fizz Buzz | Easy |
| Roman to Integer | Easy |
| Best Time to Buy and Sell Stock | Easy |
| Count Ways to Group Overlapping Ranges | Medium |
| Meeting Rooms II | Medium |
| Rotate Image | Medium |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many LeetCode questions do Databricks and IBM share?
Databricks and IBM share 4 LeetCode interview questions. 27 problems appear only in Databricks's list and 111 appear only in IBM's list.
What topics overlap most between Databricks and IBM?
The most common shared topics between Databricks and IBM are Array (4 shared questions), Two Pointers (1 shared questions), Dynamic Programming (1 shared questions), Enumeration (1 shared questions), Matrix (1 shared questions). Mastering these areas prepares you for both companies.
Which company asks harder LeetCode questions: Databricks or IBM?
Databricks has 2 Easy, 22 Medium, and 7 Hard questions. IBM has 33 Easy, 73 Medium, and 9 Hard questions. Databricks has a higher proportion of Hard problems in its interview set.
How should I prepare if interviewing at both Databricks and IBM?
Start with the 4 shared problems since they cover what both companies ask most often. Then add 20 Databricks-specific and 20 IBM-specific questions to round out your prep.