Can you remove the whitespaces from the string "aaa bbb ccc ddd eee"?
Assesses fundamental understanding of Python conventions, runtime behavior, and memory/performance considerations.
Hiring managers look for precision, avoidance of ambiguous jargon, and ability to explain trade-offs under real production conditions.
I can think of three ways to do this.
Using join-
>>> s='aaa bbb ccc ddd eee'
>>> s1=".join(s.split())
>>> s1
'aaabbbcccdddeee'
Using a list comprehension–
>>> s='aaa bbb ccc ddd eee'
>>> s1=str(".join(([i for i in s if i!=' '])))
>>> s1
'aaabbbcccdddeee'
Using replace()-
>>> s='aaa bbb ccc ddd eee'
>>> s1 = s.replace(' ',")
>>> s1
'aaabbbcccdddeee'
Candidate Response Strategy & Interview Tips
- Start with a concise one-sentence summary: Deliver a direct, confident answer first before expanding into nuances.
- Demonstrate real-world trade-offs: Discuss where this approach excels and when you would avoid it in production systems.
- Discuss complexity & edge cases: Proactively explain time/space complexity or boundary conditions (null values, scale limits).
- Prepare for interviewer follow-ups: Technical hiring panels frequently probe deeper into concurrency, backward compatibility, or alternative libraries.