Question: On any given day, how many time does an analog clock’s minute hand crosses over the hour hand?

Alternative Question Phrasing:

How many times per day do a clock’s hands overlap?

Follow-up questions:

How did you calculate this?

Question Details:

Question Type:

Unconventional

Skills:

Basic – Critical Thinking,Basic – Mathematics,Complex Problem Solving,Systems Analysis

Abilities:

Cognitive – Deductive Reasoning,Cognitive – Flexibility of Closure (Pattern Detection),Cognitive – Mathematical Reasoning,Cognitive – Number Facility (Math Solving Speed),Cognitive – Speed of Closure (Thinking Speed),Cognitive – Visualisation

Work Activity (Task):

Information Input – Estimating Characteristics of Objects, Events, or Information,Mental Processes – Making Decisions and Solving Problems,Mental Processes – Processing Information

Work Style (Person-Job Fit):

Analytical Thinking,Attention to Detail

Question Frequency

Question Difficulty

What to look for in an answer:

Look for the correct answer 22. Look for the approach they choose to get to this answer.

Red Flags to Watch For:

Giving a wrong answer or just skipping the answer by saying “I am not good at Math”.
Taking too long and still arriving at a wrong answer.

Sample Answer:

Answer is 22, because from 11 to 12, the minute hand doesn’t cross the hour hand until 12 o’clock itself. Therefore, in every 12 hour cycle, there is one cycle where the minute hand does not cross over the hour hand.

Question Source: https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/interviewing/top-interview-questions-and-answers