Want a job at Apple? Here are 10 of the toughest interview questions

By

Apple employees can make thousands selling their login info.
Want a shot at working here? Better get these answers correct first.
Photo: Apple

We alternately praise and criticize the folks at Apple depending on whether they just created the iPhone or Apple Maps, but there’s no doubting that it’s a company which employs some pretty darn smart guys and gals.

Whether you’ve ever dreamed of joining Cupertino, or just want to scramble your brain and break out in a cold sweat at some nightmare interview questions, check out a selection of ten of the toughest brainteasers to be asked in genuine Apple interviews, courtesy of job site Glassdoor.

    1. “If you have 2 eggs, and you want to figure out what’s the highest floor from which you can drop the egg without breaking it, how would you do it? What’s the optimal solution?” — Software Engineer candidate
    2. “How many children are born every day?” — Global Supply Manager candidate
    3. “You have a 100 coins laying flat on a table, each with a head side and a tail side. 10 of them are heads up, 90 are tails up. You can’t feel, see or in any other way find out which side is up. Split the coins into two piles such that there are the same number of heads in each pile.” — Software Engineer candidate
    4. “There are three boxes, one contains only apples, one contains only oranges, and one contains both apples and oranges. The boxes have been incorrectly labeled such that no label identifies the actual contents of the box it labels. Opening just one box, and without looking in the box, you take out one piece of fruit. By looking at the fruit, how can you immediately label all of the boxes correctly?” — Software QA Engineer candidate
    5. “How would you breakdown the cost of this pen?” — Global Supply Manager candidate
    6. “Are you smart?” — Build Engineer candidate
    7. “You put a glass of water on a record turntable and begin slowly increasing the speed. What happens first — does the glass slide off, tip over, or does the water splash out?” — Mechanical Engineer candidate
    8. “What’s more important, fixing the customer’s problem or creating a good customer experience?” — Apple At Home Advisor candidate
    9. “If you’re given a jar with a mix of fair and unfair coins, and you pull one out and flip it 3 times, and get the specific sequence heads heads tails, what are the chances that you pulled out a fair or an unfair coin?” — Lead Analyst candidate
    10. “How would you test a toaster?” — Software QA Engineer candidate

How did you fare? Obviously without the answers, it’s not too easy to gauge — but I do a lot better on the brainteasers than the nightmarish interview questions like number eight. If you have had experience of a real Apple interview, or an equally tough tech interview, make sure to leave your comments below.

I’m sure Cult of Mac readers would be fascinated to know the deets.

Source: Business Insider

Newsletters

Daily round-ups or a weekly refresher, straight from Cult of Mac to your inbox.

  • The Weekender

    The week's best Apple news, reviews and how-tos from Cult of Mac, every Saturday morning. Our readers say: "Thank you guys for always posting cool stuff" -- Vaughn Nevins. "Very informative" -- Kenly Xavier.