I just finished brushing it with students recently Cisco Software Engineer SDE's Online Assessment successfully passed OA and entered the next round. Cisco OA is a stumbling block for many students, especially the boundary processing of Coding questions and the computer network part of MCQ, where they easily lose points. To help everyone prepare efficiently, I combined the 2024-2026 LeetCode Discuss, 1Point3Acres, Blind, PrepInsta and other platforms as well as the real feedback from our students to sort out the 5 most frequent coding real questions in the past two years, and attached complete Python code templates and solution ideas.
Cisco OA Overall
- Platform: HackerRank (Mainstream)
- Question volume: 2-3 Coding + lots of MCQs
- Duration: 60-90 minutes
- Pass key: Coding should be close to full AC in at least 2 questions, and the accuracy of MCQ (especially computer network) should be high.
Cisco OA's Coding questions are mainly Medium, focusing on boundary processing, code clarity, and time complexity. Below are the 5 most frequently asked questions in the past two years.
Cisco OA high-frequency real test questions detailed explanation & code template
1. Coin Game / Minimum Starting Amount
Topic: Given an integer array nums (positive and negative values represent coins), find the minimum initial capital required to ensure that any prefix sum is not negative.
Def minStartAmount(nums):
min_balance = 0
current = 0
for num in nums:
current += num
min_balance = min(min_balance, current)
return max(0, -min_balance)
# Test
print(minStartAmount([1, -2, 3, -4, 5])) # Output: 2Ideas: Maintain the minimum value of prefix sum, the answer is max(0, -min_prefix).
2. Device Name System / Unique Folder Names
Topic: Generate unique names for folders in sequence, appended with (k) when repeated.
Def getUniqueFolderNames(names):
seen = {}
result = []
for name in names:
if name not in seen:
result.append(name)
seen[name] = 1
else:
k = seen[name]
while f"{name}({k})" in seen:
k += 1
new_name = f"{name}({k})"
result.append(new_name)
seen[name] = k + 1
seen[new_name] = 1
return result
# Test
print(getUniqueFolderNames(["kaido", "kaido", "kaido", "kaido"]))
# Output: ["kaido", "kaido(1)", "kaido(2)", "kaido(3)"]3. Colored Zenga / Minimum Moves to Remove Blocks
Topic: Eliminate ≥3 consecutive wooden blocks of the same color, and find the minimum number of operations (or whether they can all be eliminated).
Def minimumMoves(blocks):
stack = [] # [(color, count)]
for color in blocks:
if stack and stack[-1][0] == color:
stack[-1][1] += 1
else:
stack.append([color, 1])
while stack and stack[-1][1] >= 3:
stack.pop()
return 0 if not stack else -1 # -1 means not all can be eliminated4. Make It Palindrome
Topic: Turn the string into a palindrome through the minimum deletion/replacement operations and return the minimum number of operations.
Def makePalindrome(s: str) -> int:
left, right = 0, len(s) - 1
operations = 0
while left < right:
if s[left] == s[right]:
left += 1
right -= 1
else:
operations += 1
left += 1 # You can try to find the minimum value between the left and right situations (advanced version)
return operations
print(makePalindrome("abca")) # Output: 15. Apple Grouping/Group Apples
Topic: Group apples into groups, maximum weight – minimum weight in each group ≤ diff, find the minimum number of groups.
Def minimumGroups(weight, diff):
if not weight:
return 0
weight.sort()
n = len(weight)
groups = 0
i = 0
while i < n:
groups += 1
j=i
while j < n and weight[j] - weight[i] <= diff:
j += 1
i = j
return groups
# Test
print(minimumGroups([1, 5, 3, 8, 2, 10], 3)) # Output: 3Tips for preparing for war
- Key directions：Array, String, Two Pointers, Greedy, Stack
- Time allocation: The first question takes 20 minutes to solve, leaving enough time for the second question and Follow-up
- Code requirements: Clear naming, complete boundary processing, and appropriate comments
- MCQ: Computer network is the hardest hit area, and you must focus on reviewing TCP/IP, subnetting, OSPF, etc.
Cisco OA question types are relatively fixed. If you prepare specifically 3-4 weeks in advance, your passing rate will be greatly improved.
Write at the end
This time I am very happy to help this student pass Cisco OA smoothly. If you are also preparing for OA from Cisco, Amazon, Stripe or other major manufacturers and feel that it is difficult to review alone, or you want to improve the OA pass rate in a targeted manner, welcome to come to me.
I am a senior at Programhelp, focusing on providing OA practical assistance Services (HackerRank, CodeSignal and other platforms) will provide you with one-on-one interview help, simulation exercises and question-answering skills guidance based on your actual situation. Students in need can directly contact Programhelp for details. I will communicate with you personally and formulate an OA preparation plan suitable for you.
Thanks for reading, I wish you all can pass the OA as soon as possible and get your favorite offer!
