MathWorks OA Interviews｜Two easy questions, steady but basic questions, thought-oriented exams

Many students have recently received MathWorks（I just completed this test and the overall impression I got was that the questions were small, logical, and focused on clarity of thought and simplicity of implementation. I just finished this test, and the overall impression I got is that the number of questions is small, the logic is strong, and the focus is on the clarity of thinking and the simplicity of implementation. In this post, I will share in detail the question types, analysis of ideas, experience and preparation suggestions of this MathWorks OA, as well as Programhelp's experience in assisting in this kind of engineering logic OA.

MathWorks OA Interview Process Overview

The hiring process at MathWorks typically consists of the following phases, and the overall pace is steady and technically oriented, without a lot of formality:

1. Online Assessment (OA)
   Organized by Codility, a third-party platform, it tests basic programming skills and logical thinking.
   The content usually consists of 2 Coding questions + several Hidden Test Cases.
   Approx. 90 minutes, in your choice of Python, Java, C++, MATLAB, and more.
2. Technical Interview
   After passing the OA, you'll move on to one or two rounds of technical interviews covering algorithms, debugging, engineering implementations and system design thinking.
   MathWorks places a high value on candidates being able to "write clean code".
3. Behavioral Interview
   Generally conducted by team members or hiring managers, it focuses on communication skills, teamwork, and fit with the company culture.
4. Final Round / Hiring Committee
   Certain positions will have a short summary round to discuss the candidate's overall performance and fit for the position.

For most technical positions (e.g. Software Engineer, Data Analyst, Simulation Engineer), OA is the most critical step.
This is where many people get stuck due to carelessness, incorrect boundary handling, or not passing all the hidden tests.

OA Overall impression

The entire MathWorks OA was the most "engineering-y" test I've seen in a while.
There are not many questions, but the logic is very clean and does not require complex algorithms or beating around the bush.

The whole experience can be described in four words, I think:
clear | simple | precise | zero tolerance for bugs

Because the platform is so rigorous in validating test cases, even a single missing boundary can result in a direct Fail.
But with solid logic and solid writing, you can almost always AC at once.

MathWorks OA Topic Explanation

Title I: Array Transformation

Problem Statement.
You are given a target array of length n, initially filled with zeros.
In one operation, you can either.

• Increment all elements from index 0 to I, or
• Increment all elements from index I to n-1 by 1.

Find the minimum number of operations required to transform the zero array into the target array.
If it is impossible, return -1.

Explanation of Ideas

This question looks like an analog operation, but it is actually a typical difference array idea.

Let's look at each position from left to right:

• as target[i] > target[i-1], indicating that the current element is taller than the previous one and needs an additional target[i] - target[i-1] Sub-operation.
• as target[i] < target[i-1], indicating that subtraction of some intervals is needed, but the topic does not allow it, then it should be returned to the -1.

The core of the algorithm is only one line:

ops = target[0] + sum(max(0, target[i] - target[i-1]) for i in range(1, n))

This question is really about the ability to quickly abstract mathematical relationships from "operational definitions".
Many students will start with a loop simulation + array update, the result is slow and easy to error.

illustrative example

Input:

target = [1, 2, 2, 3]

Process:

• From 0 to 1: +1 required
• From 1 to 2: +1 again
• From 2 to 2: no operation required
• From 2 to 3: +1
  3 times in total.

core code

def min_operations(target): if not target.
    if not target.
        return 0
    ops = target[0]: for i in range(1, len(target)): return 0
    for i in range(1, len(target)): diff = target[i] - target[i-1].
        diff = target[i] - target[i-1]
        if diff < 0: return -1
            return -1
        ops += diff
    return ops

Time complexity: O(n)
Space complexity: O(1)
Robust and efficient.

Title II: Sum of Even Numbers

Problem Statement.
Given an integer array, calculate the sum of all even numbers in it.

Explanation of Ideas

Very basic aggregation problem (aggregation problem).
However, these types of questions are often used to test code style, variable naming and boundary judgment habits.

Key Points:

• Determine if the even number condition is written correctly (num % 2 == 0)
• Returns 0 for an empty array or all odd numbers.
• Keeping the code tidy

def sum_even(nums): total = 0
    total = 0
    for n in nums: if n % 2 == 0: total = 0
        if n % 2 == 0.
            total += n
    return total

or Pythonic writing:

def sum_even(nums):: return sum(n for n in nums if n % 2 == 0)
    return sum(n for n in nums if n % 2 == 0)

The test isn't about difficulty, it's about whether you can stay disciplined in the details.

Overall Experience and Difficulty Positioning

Time: Doing two questions in 90 minutes is a very relaxed pace.
Environment: Codility platform, simple interface, free choice of language.
Difficulty Positioning: Easy ~ Medium.
Exam point distribution:

• Array and Interval Logic
• Basic Loop and Conditional Judgment
• Concise code expression
• Intuition about algorithmic complexity

A lot of people say that MathWorks' OA "looks like an easy question to measure IQ", but I think it actually examines: the ability to refine the structure of the problem.
Here's the really hard part: don't be fooled by the simplicity of the shell.

Exam preparation advice

To prepare for an engineering logic-based OA like MathWorks, you can focus on practicing the following types of questions:

1. Prefix / Suffix Increment Problems(Interval operation class)
2. Difference Array / Cumulative Sum(differential, prefix and)
3. Basic Loop & Conditionals(Circular logic)
4. Aggregation Problems(Statistics and Summation)
5. Clean Code Practice(Harmonization of nomenclature and style)

It is recommended that you write in Python or MATLAB and make sure you are familiar with the input and output formats.

In addition, special attention should be paid to hidden test cases, it is recommended to test the code after writing it with several sets of extreme inputs, such as empty arrays, decreasing arrays, all-zero arrays, and so on.

Programhelp Take you to a solid Offer

MathWorks' OA has fewer questions, but because of the platform's real-time detection, the lack of debugging loops, and the unpredictability of hidden tests, many people tend to roll over on boundary conditions.

Programhelp's team brings together more than 100 experts from the Amazon, MathWorks, Intel, NVIDIA former engineers of companies such as
Experienced in helping students pass OA.

We offer:

Real-time voice assist alerts(Preventing Boundary Omissions)

remote and seamless assistance(ToDesk / AnyDesk environment is secure and stable)

With our help, many students have successfully passed the OA test of MathWorks, NVIDIA, Intel, Analog Devices, etc., and got formal interviews and even offers. if you have just received OA invitations but are not sure about it, why don't you prepare ahead of time, and we'll help you to pass the test.

jor jor

See Full Bio