Accessing a record through raw storage

What this C++ memory-layout interview question tests

This is a medium-difficulty C++ question that probes your understanding of how data is physically laid out in memory and how raw pointer arithmetic can be used to access fields within a struct or class. It rewards candidates who think carefully about type sizes, alignment, and what the compiler actually does under the hood.

To solve problems like this, you need to reason about the byte offsets at which each member is stored, how casts change interpretation without moving data, and what assumptions hold across different platforms and alignment rules. Quant firms value this skill because correct low-level code in high-frequency systems depends on precise mental models of memory layout.

• Struct member alignment and padding
• Pointer casting and reinterpretation
• Byte-level memory offsets
• Type sizes and width assumptions