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EQ Technologies – QA Role Interview Experience  Context EQ Technologies offered two roles: SDE and QA. Out of ~600 students, 50 were shortlisted for SDE interviews and 26 for QA interviews. I was shortlisted for the QA role. Round 1 – Technical Interview Introduction The interviewer asked me to give a detailed self-introduction. I shared my academic background, skills, and projects. Project Discussion I discussed my project where I had implemented JWT (JSON Web Token) authentication. The interviewer asked me to deep dive into the concept of JWT. I explained the JWT structure (Header, Payload, Signature), how it works in authentication/authorization, and why it is widely used. He was satisfied with my explanation and moved to the next question. SQL Queries Query 1: Find the average salary department-wise. Query 2: Find the second maximum salary in the table. First, I explained how to find the maximum salary. Then I gave two approaches for the second maximum salary: Using LIMIT Using a subquery (MAX with a condition < (SELECT MAX(...))) Follow-up Query: Find the average salary department-wise, but only for salaries less than the second maximum salary. I explained the filtering logic using a subquery. C++ Implementation Finally, the interviewer asked me to implement the last SQL query in C++. I discussed my approach using pairs (to store department and salary) and sorting (to calculate averages efficiently). Round 2 – HR Interview Note: Generally, the process includes two technical rounds and one HR round, but in my case, I was directly taken to the HR round after Technical Round 1. Background Discussion The HR asked about my personal and family background. Company-Related Questions He asked if I knew who conducted my pre-placement talk (PPT), and I was able to answer. He then asked for a summary of the PPT. Career-Oriented Questions My technical interests. How I plan to grow within the company. If I knew about any products of EQ Technologies. Candidate’s Questions At the end, he asked if I had any questions. I asked about EQ Technologies’ collaboration with an aerospace company, which is one of their clients. Tip 👉 For the QA role, performing well in the HR round is very important. Verdict ❌ Not in the final list

Batch: 2026

🎯 On-Campus Interview Experience for SDE Role at eQ Technologic  This post details my on-campus virtual interview experience for the Software Development Engineer (SDE) role at eQ Technologic. The selection process was a series of five virtual rounds. 🏢 Company & Application Process eQ Technologic is a product-based company known for its eQube®-DaaS platform, which provides data integration and accessibility solutions. The role was for the SDE position, open to students from the CS and IT branches graduating in 2026. 📅 Application Timeline The entire recruitment process was conducted online. Application Submitted: July 28, 2025 Online Assessment: August 4, 2025 (Conducted on SHL platform) Interviews: August 5 and 6, 2025 (Conducted on Microsoft Teams) Offer Received: August 6, 2025 (Late night via email) 🔹 Round 1: Online Assessment Format: 14 minutes for 14 MCQs, and 45 minutes for 2 coding questions. Difficulty: Easy to Medium. I was among the 48 students who cleared this round and advanced to the interviews. 🔹 Round 2: Technical Interview (3 hours) The interview started with my introduction. Then, a detailed discussion followed on: Project Discussion: The interview began with a detailed discussion of my two projects. I demonstrated the live-hosted projects, explained my codebase, and justified my tech stack choices. The interviewer asked deep counter-questions, such as “Why MongoDB and not a relational database?” and “Can we implement a relational database instead of MongoDB in your project?” He also asked me to explain the logic for my search bar and identify potential flaws and improvements in my project. Technical Skills & OOP: I was asked to rate my technical skills out of 10. The conversation then shifted to core C++ and OOP concepts like access specifiers, friend functions, polymorphism, explicit constructors, and virtual functions. For virtual functions, he gave me a scenario of classes having virtual functions in them along with multiple inheritance and asked me about the expected output. Data Structures & Algorithms (DSA): The interviewer asked me about advanced data structures like Segment Trees, Red-Black Trees, AVL Trees, and Balanced Binary Trees. Then he asked me about the linked list cycle detection problem, which I explained with both brute-force and optimized solutions. System Design: I was asked to design a parking system and explain my approach along with which data structures I used to implement it. Graph Theory: A graph problem required me to find the best path considering factors like number of lanes, traffic, and distance. He also asked about using Minimum Spanning Trees (MST), specifically Prim’s or Kruskal’s algorithm. DBMS: Questions covered database normalization, including 3NF and BCNF. Puzzles: A chocolate factory has 10 wrapping machines, each designed to produce chocolates weighing exactly 1 gram. However, due to a malfunction, one of the machines is faulty and produces chocolates that each weigh 0.9 grams instead of 1 gram. You are allowed to use the weighing scale only once. How would you identify the faulty machine? You are given two ropes, each of which takes exactly 60 minutes to burn completely. How can you measure exactly 45 minutes using them? 🔹 Round 3: Technical Interview (1.5 hours) This round, held on the same day, focused on problem-solving and core concepts. The interviewer was well-experienced. DSA: He asked two easy and one medium DSA question. Print a linked list in reverse order given the head of the linked list. Print the Fibonacci series in reverse order using recursion while handling invalid inputs. Given an integer array of size n. Each integer appears exactly once except 'a' which appears twice and 'b' which is missing. The task is to find the repeating and missing numbers 'a' and 'b'. OOP: He asked to list down C++ and OOP concepts I knew, then told me to implement them in a real-world program. The interviewer asked questions and requested modifications to my code. SQL: He asked a query to find all employees with the second-highest salary from a given employee table. Web Development: He showed me an image of a webpage and asked how I designed it using HTML and CSS. Puzzle: You are given two unmarked containers, one with a capacity of 3 liters and the other with a capacity of 5 liters. Using only these two containers, you can fill them completely, empty them entirely, or pour water from one into the other until one is full or the other is empty. With these operations alone, your task is to measure exactly 4 liters of water. How would you do that? After clearing the second technical round, I was one of the 17 students to receive a call for the next round. 🔹 Round 4: Coding Challenge (1.5 hours) In this round, we got a problem statement and had to code it and send it back to them without compiling, as it should be the first draft of your code. Task: Implement a calendar program based on a given start month and number of months. Goal: The focus was on code modularity, clean design, and proper formatting. 🔹 Round 5: Tech + HR Round (30 minutes) The final round was a combined technical and HR discussion. Code Review: I demonstrated and explained my code from the previous round, and the interviewer asked me to run the code and asked for some minor changes to perform on it. Personal Discussion: We discussed my strengths, weaknesses, and hobbies. Q&A: I had the opportunity to ask a question about company culture, which was answered in detail. ✅ Verdict ✅ Selected! I was one of the 15 students who were selected for the Full-time SDE role. 🎉 💡 Tips for Aspirants Based on my successful experience, here are a few key takeaways: Be Authentic: Experienced interviewers can easily spot dishonesty. Be genuine and show your passion for learning. Master the Fundamentals: Focus on a strong understanding of core subjects, including DSA, OOP, DBMS, and your projects. Know Your Resume: Be prepared for a thorough discussion on everything you’ve listed. They will conduct a deep resume grind. Communicate Clearly: Continuously explain your thought process while solving a problem. This keeps the interviewer engaged and helps them follow your logic. Stay Calm: Take your time, ask clarifying questions, and don’t rush. If you get stuck, first explain the brute-force approach and then discuss how to optimize it. ✨ Good luck to all future aspirants! 🍀

Batch: 2026

Preface : Hi, I’m Soham Yedgaonkar , from PICT (Class of 2026). While I’ve never been deeply into competitive programming and have only participated in 3 LeetCode contests in my whole coding journey , I’ve always thrived in hackathon environments and proudly represent the College as a hackathon prodigy. Despite facing setbacks during the internship season not securing a single shortlisting or interview. I committed myself to mastering Data Structures and Algorithms, diving into Striver’s DSA Sheet and solving over 500+ questions in Python within just two months. Phonepe had a history of asking really good CP questions, so I had already lost it in my mind , and started targeting other ML based roles in other upcoming companies . I practised ML algorithms for 2 weeks for ION Group’s Data Science Analyst Position but it was postponed without any further notice , at this point I had no option but to start revising DSA for Phonepe. Form Requirement 10 ,12 : 60% + CGPA :7+ Initial Screening Only People with a good amcat score were allowed for Interview Cutoff 65 Automata(Pro+Fix) , 65 ELQ I had 67 in Automata and 85 in ELQ , So I qualified with a little margin Total 400+ people were allowed for OA — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — August 1 2025 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Online Assessment (After PPT): 4 DSA questions Each for 100 marks . You have n drones placed on specific numbered tiles and you need to place k chargers ,each charger can charge only at a specific Radius r. Goal: Calculate the minimum radius r required to charge all drones. Example: Drones: [3,5,9,11] k (number of chargers): 2 Expected Output: 1 Explanation: Chargers placed at [4,10] can charge all drones with a radius of 1. (Solved 100% using Binary Search on Answers) — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 2)There are 3 vendors manufacturing sticks for frame you need 2 pairs for a frame Maximize the sum of areas (height width) for all the frame , Maximize the total area of frames given the following conditions: Each frame requires two pairs of sticks. There are three vendors manufacturing sticks. Pairs for a single frame must come from different vendors. The area of a frame is calculated as height width. Example: Given stick lengths: Vendor A: [3, 5] Vendor B: [10, 7] Vendor C: [15] Output: 185 Maximum possible sum = (15 10) + (7 5) = 185 (I tried it using Greedy Solving with Sorted arrays with 3 pointers at the highest elements Solved 30 % But Later I found it to be a DP problem) — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 3)Given two arrays, score and popularity, find the number of index pairs (i, j) such that i < j and score[i] — score[j] >= popularity[i] — popularity[j] + k. Example: score =[15,20] popularity =[10,12] k = 3 Output: 1 Explanation: For the pair (0, 1), we have: popularity[j] — popularity[i] + k >= score[j] — score[i] 12–10 + 3 >= 20–15 5 >= 5 (True) ( Optimized brute-force approach (O(n²)) implemented, solving 80% of test cases. Two test cases are still failing, and the reason is still unknown.) — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 4)There are N caravans. A caravan goes through a particular series of stops and cycles around that route forever. Suppose caravan 1 has a path 1 2 3 1 2 3 1…… . Given a start and end, find the minimum number of caravans to go from a start point to end point. https://leetcode.com/problems/bus-routes/description/ (I knew it was of BFS and started but due to time limit was only able to address 30% test cases) 30 People Got ShortListed and were invited for Interviews — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — August 2 2025 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Top 30 people were arranged in an ascending order and were divided in 3 batches I was in the 3rd batch Round 1: Data Structures and Algorithms (DSA) The first round focused on my problem-solving abilities and proficiency in data structures and algorithms. It had 2 questions 1) Easy — Medium Category You are given a array and a target array and can perform these operation 1- Select a subarray and add 1 to each element 2- Select a subarray and subtract 1 to each element Return Minimum number of operations required for Converting the array to target (Though it was easy, I struggled a lot over it ,overthinking about using a monotonic stack. But the interviewer was really interested to help and by their hints I was able to do it in O(n) time and O(1) space) . — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 2) Medium-Hard Category Given a mn matrix containing 0(means an obstacle) 1(meaning an open passage) 2< (Trees numbered from 2 ) You need to cut down all the trees in ascending order . Return minimum number of steps required , Start at (0,0) End Anywhere Eg [1,3,2] [4,0,5] Expected Ans : 9 ( (0,0) to 2 to 3 to 4 to 5) I was able to solve it in the same adrenaline and confidence from the earlier ques I used multiple BFS (O(mn2)) After the 1st Tech Round I was pretty discouraged by my performance in solving the 1st Question. I thought they would not like it .But I was told to have lunch and also was told to be present for HM .That was really comforting . Total 14–15 people were able to clear this round Round 2: Hiring Manager Round The interview began with the hiring manager asking me to provide an overview of my profile. I started by explaining how my interest in AI developed during my first year, leading me to seek opportunities and eventually work with scientists at CDAC Pune, despite government budget constraints. I then discussed my drone projects at CDAC. Moving into the hackathon phase, we talked about my AIR 1 achievement in the Brainathon 25 project and the subsequent interview with seven scientists and neurosurgeons. I explained how this hackathon win led to securing an AIML intern position at Firmway (Fintech). We also discussed how I would approach solving problems similar to those faced by PhonePe, such as reconciliation and integrating different databases without prior knowledge. We even had a brief debate about the use of AI in Fintech. Next, we discussed my MCP Project at Firmway. Since the hiring manager was not familiar with MCP, I explained its functionalities. He inquired about the depth of my problem-solving approach, and I detailed my use of FastAPI and Fast MCP. He then asked me to draw the internal architecture of both and explain how protocols transmit data over the internet. Following this, they asked about my learning curve and daily routine, to which I responded candidly. I then took the opportunity to ask them questions about AI at PhonePe and the differences between their Bangalore and Pune offices. The final question from the hiring manager was, “What do you do outside tech?” I naturally answered, mentioning my two hours at the gym and playfully flexing my biceps. He smiled, and that concluded the interview. Overall, this was the most satisfying round, perfectly tailored to my experience and background.. After the HM Round Only 7 people were shortlisted for the next round ,out of which 5 were already in the interview Room getting an edge due to their 2nd Batch . Round 3: Second Data Structures and Algorithms (DSA) Round The final round was another deep dive into my DSA skills. It was just 5 mins after my HM round , Both Hard Questions PacMan and the Stars You are given a string of star , dot. and P . P represents Pacman who can travel 1 space at either direction in one second and consumes . Dot represents empty Space . Determine the lowest time to eat all stars . There are at least 1 P and 1 star. Eg ..PP….P Expected Answer : 4 (as the first star requires 4 ) I was Confused a lot and could not solve it for over 30 mins despite of all the hints given by the Interviewer , All the Confidence gained with the HM was diluted at this point At last the Interviewer gave me the option to move to the next question which I accepted . — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — You are given a Directed Weighted Graph and 3 points S1 , S2 , Destination . Find the Subgraph with minimum total weight in which there is a way to reach Destination from S1 as well as the S2 . Eg S1=0 S2=4 Destination =3 Expected Output : 10 Explanation Edges :0–1 ,1–2, 4–1 I started thinking of DSU as I want to connect some nodes at a minimum cost. Under the pressure of the first question I was totally confused , I saw Phonepe slowly slipping out my hand .Then I got a Idea of Warshall Foyd Algorithm and a for loop at last to find the minTime Complexity was O(n3) I was told to optimise it and hinted for using Shortest Path Algo. I stated we can use Dikstras , but was unaware of its internal algorithm (They smiled and told me that I would have stated it first )then I gave them a BFS alternative to the Shortest Path which they liked . Then I was told to write the Pseudo Code which I did . Then I was given a choice to start Q/A or to go Back to Que 1 I chose to back and started thinking of it with all fresh mind and confidence . I finished it after some hints . After the technical round, my interviewers suggested I answer with more confidence in the next placement process. This made me suspect I wouldn’t be hired, but I still held onto hope. I was the last candidate to leave the hall, as they had already finished with the others. The PhonePe team was about to have an internal meeting to make their selection based on all the rounds, and the results would be out in an hour. All the mistakes I had made in the interviews, along with more optimal solutions that could have led to my success, flooded my mind. I told everyone not to have hope and it was just a good experience. — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — The Result was declared 👍 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Got Selected with 4 others It wasn’t what I expected. My best friend, who was on another call, informed me of the outcome. My family was overjoyed, their eyes filled with pride. What can be better than getting placed at the first Company . And Yes it all was without CP. Some Tips: Be Confident: Communicate everything, even minor details. Be Specific: Accurately describe your work; do not exaggerate internships. Discuss Project Constraints: Mention any budget limitations if applicable. Stay Humble: Avoid trying to outsmart them. All the Best! 👏

Batch: 2026

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Batch: 2027

Barclays Interview Experience Hello, I am Sakshi Gangurde, currently pursuing B.Tech in Information Technology from PICT, Batch of 2026. I recently had the opportunity to appear for the Barclays recruitment process, and I would like to share my interview experience. For Barclays, only around 150 candidates were shortlisted for the Online Assessment (OA) based on the following eligibility criteria: • 10th & 12th Percentage : Minimum 70% • CGPA : Minimum 9 Round 1: Online Assessment (OA) Pattern: • 12 MCQs (Core Subjects + Aptitude) • 1 SQL Query • 1 DSA Coding Question → LeetCode 3474: Lexicographically Smallest Generated String Difficulty Level: Medium Round 2: Technical Interview (~1 hr) Introduction & Personal Discussion • Greeted the interviewer • Asked about my hometown • Talked about Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya schooling experience (10 mins) • Question on drop in 12th marks and motivation for 10 SGPA in college Resume & Technical Questions • Languages & Frameworks: Discussed as per resume • Core Java: Exception Handling → all 5 keywords with examples and code • DSA: How to sort an array (without explicit sorting algorithm) • DevOps Basics: Asked about DevOps fundamentals, especially CI/CD pipelines and version control • Internship Project: Explained project flow, features implemented, and my role Detailed questions on MongoDB database implementation Asked to draw Use Case Diagram of the database Project discussion lasted ~25 mins with multiple counter-questions Behavioral & Leadership • Situation when my idea was ignored but later accepted • Conflict resolution within a team. • Leadership qualities and teamwork experiences. Wrap-up • Asked the interviewer about Barclays’ team culture → she shared about department & fun activities (~10 mins) • Asked for feedback → she smiled and said, “You’ll get to know in some minutes” Round 3: HR Interview (30–40 mins) Start • Entered the room → HR directly asked for my GitHub ID (no intro) • Asked how my technical interview went GitHub & Projects • Checked my repositories and commit history • Asked about my favorite project • Explained features, scalability, and future improvements • HR was verifying with actual commits while I explained • Questions on project usage and user base Behavioral Questions • Situation-based, long, and tricky questions • Initially nervous, but maintained a smile • Feedback: “For behavioral questions, don’t always stick to projects—share real-life experiences too” Closing • Asked if this was my first interview → I said yes • He explained why my behavioral answers felt limited to projects Overall Experience & Learnings • Technical Round: Tested Java fundamentals, DSA, DBMS, and internship project in depth • HR Round: Focused on GitHub activity, authenticity, and behavioral responses • Learning: Balance project-based and real-life examples in answers Keep GitHub updated — interviewers check commits seriously Stay confident even when questions feel long or tricky Verdict: Selected ✅

Batch: 2026

Arista Network Interview Experience Arista Networks is a dream category company. Therefore only Around 350 candidates were shortlisted for the Online Assessment (OA) based on CGPA and Automata scores. Round 1: Online Assessment (28 Aug) The OA consisted of 15 MCQs on core subjects and C programming, along with 3 coding questions: Q1: LeetCode Medium-Hard or Codeforces Div2D level problem based on Greedy + Binary Search Q2: A Sweep Line Algorithm problem Q3: A Graph-based problem I was able to solve all test cases of Q1 and achieved partial scores on Q2 and Q3. Verdict: Top 6 candidates were selected for the next round at Arista’s office. Round 2: Technical Round 1 (2 hrs 15 min, FTF, 29 Aug) Interview started with my brief introduction including Projects and Competitive Programming profiles. Many candidates copied in the OA, so he asked me to explain all OA questions and approaches orally. I explained my approach on pen and paper, also explained how I reached that solution. He was pretty much convinced that at least I didn't copy or memorized solutions. Then he gave me a code snippet in C language and made me identify the errors without running it. It had some syntactical errors and logical ones (like missing base case for Recursive function). Then he gave me a simple DSA question on linked list: [Remove Duplicates from Sorted List](https://leetcode.com/problems/remove-duplicates-from-sorted-list/description/). I started with brute force using extra space. Then we discussed the Time and Space Complexity. He asked me to optimise it. So I explained to him a two pointer approach of Amortized Time Complexity as O(N) and O(1) Space Complexity. He said to implement it. So I had to implement the entire question including building the linked list itself from input, printing the linked list and the solution. It passed all test cases in one go without any error. So we moved on to the next question: Given a Target and array of integers find first and last position of Target in the array. Again I started with brute force, implemented it (again passed all test cases in one go). We discussed its complexity. Then he just orally asked how could you optimize it. So I explained to him Upper and Lower Bound Concept. Interview ended with question from my side. Verdict: 3 Candidates were selected for next round including me. Round 3: Technical Round 2 (1.5 hrs, FTF) This Round was brutal. Interview started with my brief introduction. He asked some questions on my first project (pretty standard questions). Then he asked me to draw the HLD of my project on paper. I was able to draw it and explain the entire workflow. Interview was going fine until now. I had used Socket.io in Project. He asked me some questions on the internal implementation of Socket.io. I never read about it so I guessed it based on my CN knowledge. Which made the matters even worse as the follow up questions got exponentially harder. I was not able to answer it, so we moved to the next section. He asked me my favorite subject. I thought for a second if I should say CN or OS. I said OS. Then we had a 5 minute discussion about my pause. He was crushing me mentally. I somehow got away with it by saying we had SPOS practical and CN Oral, so I chose OS as I had implemented it. He then asked me to implement a LRU Cache which retrieves in O(1) Complexity on paper. I already knew the most optimized solution using Doubly Linked List. I was thinking of using list STL of C++ for Doubly Linked List. So while discussing the data structures I said we could implement cache using a HashMap which maps keys to pair of {value, iterator}. He quickly asked me why iterators and not pointers. He then asked me to implement List STL in C language especially the iterator logic internally used in List STL. I tried my best to implement it on paper. Even while implementing he asked questions about literally each and every technical word I said. He constantly came to the question why did I use the word iterator and not pointer. I have answered this question 3-4 times still he was not convinced. I feel he wanted to know at the depth where we never even went. Interview ended with a very good 20 min discussion about software engineering field. I knew I was not able to cut with it. Verdict: Everyone was rejected in Round 2. Learnings and Conclusion The OA was on HackerRank, and I feel it can detect AI-generated or copied code. This might explain why I was able to make it to the top 6 despite solving only one problem completely. Arista had a CGPA criteria of 9 last year, so I never really prepared for Arista. I had one day to revise all core subjects and C Language (especially that memory related shit) in deep. I would advice everyone to be very very good at fundamentals if you are preparing for Arista and start early. In Round 2 I was constantly trying to divert the discussion to DSA at the start. I think he got pissed because of that. Also @Juniors don’t get overwhelmed by the time duration or going overtime. 2 hrs feel like 2 mins in the interview room. More time often means the interviewer sees potential in you, so stay composed. This was my first OnCampus Interview, and though I didn’t clear it, it gave me confidence. I’m determined to prepare harder and crack tougher interviews in the future. All the Best Everyone! 🚀

Batch: 2026

✅ Round 1: Online Assessment (OA) 📌 Platform: HackerEarth ⏳ Duration: 1.5 hours Structure of the Test: 12 MCQs Topics: OOP, Java, Exception Handling, DSA, DBMS Difficulty: Easy 2 Coding Questions 1 SQL-based question 1 DSA question (String Manipulation) Difficulty: Easy to Medium ✅ Round 2: Technical Interview This round focused on projects, core CS concepts, and practical scenarios: Projects Discussion: Focused more on backend development. Java Projects: Implemented using AWT and Swing. Key Topics Asked: Multithreading: How it reduces CPU idle time and speeds up processes. How it's used in transactions and how consistency is maintained (using synchronization). How synchronization works and its uses ? What is a mutex? ACID Properties: Explained with real-life examples. Stack vs Heap: Differences and examples. OOP Questions: Inheritance, Polymorphism, etc. Database Question: Types Of joins ,Self-join with an example. Scenario-based: How reconciliation is done at the end of the day in an organization (Explain step-by-step using pen and paper). Participation in Clubs: Extracurricular involvement. Cloud Computing: What is Cloud? Where it is used and its applications. Examples of Cloud Services (e.g., AWS, Azure, Google Cloud). ✅ Round 3: HR Interview A purely HR-oriented discussion: Barclays Values: Which value I relate to the most and why. Behavioral Questions: Challenges faced and how I overcame them (with examples). What is mindset? Current Internship: My role and responsibilities. Motivation: Why I want to join Barclays (point-wise answer expected). General Questions: How I was feeling during the process. ✅ Overall Experience: The process tested both technical knowledge and cultural fit. Key preparation areas that helped me: Java, DBMS, Multithreading, OOP Concepts, Synchronization Cloud basics Clear understanding of my projects and their impact

Batch: 2026

🎯 Interview Experience 🏢 Company & Role Company: ZS Associates Role: Business Technology Solutions Associate (BTSA) Batch/Year of Graduation: 2026 Branch: IT 🗓 Application Process How did I apply? Campus Placement Timeline: August Interview Dates: August 💬 Interview Rounds Round 1: Aptitude & Quantitative Ability Type: MCQ-based Aptitude & Quant Description: Questions on logical reasoning, quantitative ability, and problem-solving. Time management was key. Difficulty Level: Medium Your Experience: A mix of easy and moderate questions. Aptitude practice beforehand helped a lot. Round 2: Verbal & English Proficiency Type: Verbal Reasoning & English Communication Description: Focused on grammar, comprehension, and vocabulary. Some scenario-based questions were also included. Difficulty Level: Easy to Medium Your Experience: Straightforward if you’re comfortable with English. Reading comprehension required careful attention. Round 3: Technical Assessment Type: Coding + SQL + DBMS MCQs Description: 1 DSA question (coding, easy level) 2 SQL queries (medium, including window functions) 10 MCQs on DBMS & SQL (tested conceptual clarity and practical knowledge) Difficulty Level: Medium Your Experience: The DSA problem was solvable with clear logic. SQL required solid command over joins and window functions. The MCQs covered normalization, indexing, transactions, joins, and SQL functions. 🏢 Offline Interview Rounds Interview 1: Technical Interview Topics Covered: Resume discussion, DBMS, SQL, DSA, Guesstimates, Puzzles Description: SQL queries (medium to hard level) DSA coding question (easy level) Guesstimate questions (approach mattered more than numbers) Puzzles (prepared from GeeksforGeeks “Top 100 Puzzles” helped a lot) Difficulty Level: Medium to Hard Your Experience: SQL and DBMS were deeply tested. Guesstimates and puzzles needed structured logical thinking. Interview 2: Managerial Round Type: Situation-based + Behavioral Questions Description: Situation-based problem solving Questions on non-technical contributions (teamwork, leadership, extra-curriculars) Behavioral and HR-style questions Difficulty Level: Medium Your Experience: Communication and mindset were evaluated more than technical knowledge. Highlighting teamwork and adaptability was important. 📊 Overall Experience & Tips Overall Interview Experience: Positive. A well-balanced process that tested aptitude, technical depth, and managerial skills. What to Prepare? Aptitude & Quantitative ability SQL (joins, aggregates, window functions) DBMS fundamentals (normalization, transactions, indexing, keys) DSA basics & coding practice (easy–medium level) Puzzles & Guesstimates (GeeksforGeeks recommended) Behavioral & situation-based questions Tips for Aspirants: Be thorough with SQL & DBMS concepts (since MCQs + queries are asked). Practice coding (arrays, strings, maps) daily. Prepare for guesstimates & puzzles (focus on structured reasoning). Revise your resume projects—expect in-depth technical questions. For managerial round, be ready to show teamwork, leadership, and adaptability. Verdict: ✅ Selected

Batch: 2026

🚀 NXP Semiconductors - VLSI Engineer Interview Experience NXP Semiconductors is a leading product-based semiconductor company specializing in VLSI design, embedded systems, and secure connectivity solutions. It plays a significant role in the automotive, IoT, wireless communications, and industrial domains, with expertise in chip design, verification, microcontrollers, processors, RF, and mixed-signal solutions. 🏢 Section 1: Company & Role Company: NXP Semiconductors Role: VLSI Engineer Batch/Year of Graduation: 2026 Branch: E&TC 📅 Section 2: Application Process How did I apply? On Campus - Resume Based Shortlisting Application Date: 31/07/2025. Interview Date(s): 12/08/2025. Offer Date: 14/08/2025. 💬 Section 3: Interview Rounds Round 1: Technical Interview - I Duration: 90 minutes (it may vary) Interviewer: Senior VLSI Design Engineer (Not sure about it) Discussion Areas: Digital Communications and Priciples of Communication Systems. Basics of Analog Electronics. Basics of Microcontrollers and PIC. Digital Electronics. Cellular and Computer Networks. Questions Asked: DIGITAL COMMUNICATION: What all subjects were included in your syllabus. What were your favorite and strong subjects. What does MODULATION mean? (I explained what is modualtion, how it works with different waveforms of AM, FM, PM). Explain something about BPSK, BFSK, QPSK, QAM, MSK. (With Waveforms) Explain Spread Spectrum and need of it. Explain FHSS with Transmitter and Reciever Block diagram, Explain how it works with GRAPHS and types of FHSS. Explain DSSS and how it spreads the spectrum. Explain the Concept of Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing i.e. SPECTRUM ANALYSIS. Expalin some Multiple Access techniques with diagrams (FDMA, TDMA, CDMA). Explain some Wifi Protocols such as 802.11 and its types. Explain the block diagram of Wifi with the bandwidth ranges. why data rates are higher for 5 GHz wrt 2.4 GHz and its penetration power. Explain Nyquist Sampling rate and why is it required during sampling process and explain ALAISING effect with proper Spectrum Analysis. Different TYPES of Antennas (I forgot this, answer was Omnidirectional and Directional). ANALOG ELECTRONICS What is a MOSFET? and its types. Explain Planar structure of MOSFET and working of MOSFET. Explain the importance of Gate Capacitance in MOSFET. Explain how the channel width depends on various factors. Where Body Terminal of MOSFET can be used. What is a structural difference between MOSFET and FinFET. Explain Over current and Over Voltage Protection Circuits. MICROCONTROLLERS Which Microcontrollers you used. Explain the Difference between ADC v/s DAC. How Does Quantization works. (Explain with a diagram) Experience: One thing is don't ever miss your SEMESTER syllabus if you want to pursue CORE domain as your carrer. Always prefer studying from STANDARD REFERENCE BOOKS and not LOCAL publications. Always be in contact with the professors and exaplin them what projects you are working in and ask for modifications and suggestions. Round 2: Technical Interview - II + HR Duration: 30 minutes Interviewer: Manager Discussion Areas: Explain something about LPS v/s SMPS. How ZERO VOLTAGE and ZERO CURRENT Switching works. We have these two roles which role you fit into? Some Manegerial Questions. Experience: Be yourself Honestly. 📊 Section 4: Overall Experience & Tips Overall Experience: Never ever think our SYLLABUS is USELESS. It will help you when it needs the most. Always prefer Learning from REFEFRENCE books only. These books are written as per Industry standards. Tips for Aspirants: Be strong in Digital + CMOS fundamentals. Practice Verilog/SystemVerilog coding. Revise Digital Communication, Principles of Communication Systems, Microcontrollers, Analog Electronics and Basics of All Other subjects. Be confident in projects and internships. Better If you cover syllabus from GATE subjects. Verdict: ✅ Selected

Batch: 2026

🚀 eQ Technologic - SDE Interview Experience eQ Technologic is a product-based company known for its eQube®-DaaS platform, which provides data integration and accessibility solutions. It helps connect and federate data across multiple enterprise systems, enabling better visibility and decision-making. 🏢 Company & Role Company: eQ Technologic Role: SDE Batch/Year of Graduation: 2026 Branch: IT 📅 Application Process How did you apply? On-Campus (Fully Online Process) Timeline: Application Date: 28/07/2025 Online Assessment Date: 04/08/2025 Interview Dates: 05/08/2025 and 06/08/2025 Offer Date: 06/08/2025 (Late night on email) 💬 Rounds Round 1: Online Assessment (At Home) Type: 14 MCQ (14 minutes) + 1 Coding (45 minutes) Description: 14 MCQs based on ELQ with English section which was little time-consuming. 2 very easy coding questions based on array. Example Questions: (But questions were lengthy to read) Print number between given range. Two strings were given and have to find a character missing in one. Difficulty : Easy Experience: Assessment was easy but time of submission matters. Only 55 students made it to next round. Round 2: Technical Round - 1 Duration: 2 hours Description: The interveiwer was Senior Development Lead with 15+ years of experience at eQ. He began by asking me to give a brief self-introduction and an overview of one of my projects. He then asked how I implemented authentication in my project. I explained JWT-based authentication. This led to further questions on password hashing, why hashing is necessary, and an explanation of symmetric vs asymmetric encryption along with identifying AES as symmetric and RSA as asymmetric. Next, he asked me to describe my database schema and write 3 SQL queries. I wrote queries where I replaced LIMIT with MAX and modified filtering conditions to retrieve data differently. lars of OOP with the help of headphones as example. In the DSA section, he asked me to solve Find the nth node from the back in a linked list. I gave an optimal two-pointer solution. He then moved to OOP concepts, asking me to explain the four pillars of OOP with the help of headphones as example. The interview then shifted to Core Java questions. He asked me to explain string literals vs string objects and their memory management, followed by questions on immutability, the JVM memory model, and garbage collection. In the multithreading and concurrency section, he asked me to explain the synchronized keyword and to write a Java multithreading program. During this part, the discussion moved to OS concepts, where he asked me to differentiate semaphore vs mutex, which I explained using a real-life example. Finally, he presented a real-life problem and asked me to choose an appropriate data structure for it and the question was really challenging. After some discussion, I explained the approach. He then asked me to email the code and a dry-run image. Later, he sent additional constraints and asked me to optimize the solution, which I did and re-submitted. Round 3: Technical Round - 2 Duration: 1 hour Description: The interveiwer was Director Engineering with 21+ years of experience at eQ. He began by asking me to give a brief self-introduction. He asked me about my family background and i shared it. We discussed my academic achievements in detail. He asked me about my internship experience in detail, along with some questions on my intersnhip. He asked me about the AWS services I had used in my internship project and requested detailed information about the AWS SQS (Simple Queue Service) and AWS Cognito. We discussed designing a dynamic queue. He asked me to write 3 SQL queries based on description given. We discussed the different types of JOINs in SQL. I asked him a question regarding the values of eQ, and he gave a deep explanation during the discussion. Round 4: Coding round Duration: 1.5 hour (Started at 7:25 am) Description: Only 18 students advanced to this round. I received a problem statement to print a calendar based on a given start month and number of months. The task focused on code modularity, clean design, and proper formatting. The goal was to assess problem-solving and code organization skills. Round 5: Tech+HR Round Duration: 30-45 Minutes Description: The interveiwer was Director Talent Management with 25+ years of experience at eQ. He began by asking me for a brief introduction. He asked me to make two changes in the code I had written in the previous round. He asked me to state my strengths (no explanation required). He asked me to state my weaknesses (no explanation required) and then suggested ways to improve them. We had a brief discussion about my hobbies. He asked if I had any questions, and explained the question that I asked in detail. 📊 Overall Experience & Tips Some Docs for Reference: Tree Based Question: [Solution Code](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tUYiI9lI8Cu6GbjRzC3FblfQUHMrewYO/view?usp=sharing) and [Image](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Q6BaMiBON7wCpQpCL6dP91tIc4-h5ih/view?usp=sharing) Interveiw Codes: [File](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LI27aijMEBRzcGIgim57iabzge0sP0Ho/view?usp=sharing) Coding test Code: [File](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jkTIfHskMbuNfUOxCI5f3nMMlOywH-Pz/view?usp=sharing) Tips for Aspirants: eQ values patience — the fully online process means you may wait between rounds without updates. Be strong in core CS fundamentals, DSA, projects, and SQL, ready for deep dives, and write clean, modular code you can adapt quickly. Verdict: ✅ Selected! 15 Students including me were selected for Fulltime SDE role

Batch: 2026

eQ Technologic - SDE Interview Experience 👨‍💻🎓 eQ Technologic is a product-based company that visits PICT every year as part of its recruitment drive, offering opportunities for two key roles: Software Development Engineer (SDE) and Quality Assurance (QA). The company follows a highly selective recruitment process, where selections are purely based on strong interview performance, testing the basics and fundamentals of everything mentioned in your resume. For our batch, the company had conducted its campus placement drive virtually in August 2025. 🎯 Round 1 - Online Assessment (Around 70 mins) (Date:04/08/2025) The OA was conducted on the SHL platform and was divided into two sections- • Aptitude & Logical Reasoning : This section comprises 14 logical reasoning, English, and aptitude-based questions to be solved within 14 minutes. The questions ranged from easy to medium level, but speed and accuracy were critical factors. To receive full credit for this question, all test cases must be executed and passed successfully. • Coding Questions: The second section contained two easy coding problems to be solved in 45 minutes. Both of them were based on arrays. 🎯 Round 2 - Technical Interview 1(Date:05/08/2028) Following the OA, around 50 candidates were shortlisted for the virtual technical interviews of the SDE role. • The Interview began with my introduction followed by some DSA qs: 1.Change array elements to array+reverse(array) without using any extra space for eg. an array [2,4,3,7,5] must be changed to [7,11,6,11,7]. 2.Reverse Linked List It was followed by qs on OOP concepts such as Copy Constructor(diff between default and manual), abstraction vs encapsulation, Inheritance. After that, a discussion based on my resume and projects took place, where the interviewer cross-questioned a bit on some of the features and tech stack. I was then asked about some basic git commands and their use. Lastly, I was asked to write a few SQL queries: 1.Find the employee with nth highest salary. 2.For each department, print all employees in that department sorted by their name. 3.Create a basic database design for any customer application. • I was asked to share my screen the whole time and explain these concepts, using Notepad/online compiler for coding. 🎯 Round 3 - Technical Interview 2 (Around 45-50 minutes) (Date:05/08/2025) • The session began with my introduction, followed by a brief overview of my projects, where I explained some of the projects in my resume. • It was followed by questions on OOPs concepts like: 1.Interface in Java 2.Difference between Abstraction and Interface 3.Diamond problem and how to solve it in C++ and Java Then he asked me some DSA qs: 1.Longest increasing subsequence in array(both contiguous and non-contiguous) 2.Check if a binary tree is balanced 3.Complexity to insert, update, delete in BST Lastly, the interview ended with some SQL queries based on joins, and then me asking some questions to the interviewer. The Call that changed my life So the technical interviews ended at around 7pm. Some of my friends started getting call that they are selected for next round:which was a coding assessment of 90 mins the next day at 7:25 am. Initially I was hopeful, but I didn't get a call till 9pm. After that my hopes started falling, still I waited till 12pm, didn't get a call. Then I told my parents that I wasn't selected for the next round and went to sleep(in depression) at around 1am. Suddenly, in deep sleep, I heard a call, and I woke up. It was 5:50 in the morning. When I saw an unknown number, my hopes were alive again. I picked up the call, I was told that I was selected for the next round which was at 7:25am. 🎯 Round 4 - Coding Assessment(Which I could have easily missed) (Date:06/08/2025) 18 people were selected for this round. We were mailed a problem statement and were told to submit the solution in 90 minutes. We had to print a calendar for 9 months in 2 columns such that odd months should be in 1st column and even months in 2nd. We had to write the code on Notepad++ and then mail the txt file after 90 mins. 🎯 Round 5 - Techno-HR Interview (Date:06/08/2025) All 18 were shortlisted for the final round. My interviewer was the Director and Head of Talent Acquisition at eQ. • The interviewer asked me to share screen and run the code that I mailed. He asked me to make a few changes. His main aim was to generalize my hardcoded code. • The interview proceeded with typical HR questions, covering strengths, weaknesses, and hobbies. The duration of this round was approximately 25 minutes. ✅ Conclusion After a rigorous multi-round selection process, 15 out of 18 candidates, including myself, secured a full-time SDE role at eQ Technologic. After each round interviewer asked if I had any questions for him/her, so I mostly asked questions related to my role and work culture. This journey truly tested my technical expertise, problem-solving skills, and interview readiness, challenging me to sharpen my core knowledge and logical thinking under pressure. Performing well in all rounds requires a solid grasp of fundamentals and everything on your resume. Interviewers focus more on thought process, problem-solving, and coding logic than just the final answer. Strong knowledge of DSA, OOP and DBMS along with clear communication, confidence, and structured thinking, greatly boosts your chances. A special thanks to PICT for giving me this opportunity (and the 5:50am call)!!

Batch: 2026

eQ Technologic - SDE Interview Experience 👨‍💻🎓 eQ Technologic is a product-based company that visits PICT every year as part of its recruitment drive, offering opportunities for two key roles: Software Development Engineer (SDE) and Quality Assurance (QA). The company follows a highly selective recruitment process, where selections are purely based on strong interview performance, testing the basics and fundamentals of everything mentioned in your resume. For our batch, the company had conducted its campus placement drive virtually in August 2025. 🎯 Round 1 - Online Assessment (1 hour) (Date:04/08/2025) The OA was conducted on the SHL platform and was divided into two sections- • Aptitude & Logical Reasoning : This section comprises 14 logical reasoning, English, and aptitude-based questions to be solved within 14 minutes. The questions ranged from easy to medium level, but speed and accuracy were critical factors. To receive full credit for this question, all test cases must be executed and passed successfully. • Coding Questions: The second section contained two coding problems of easy to medium level leetcode difficulty to be solved in 45 minutes. These were primarily focused on linear data structures such as arrays and strings. 🎯 Round 2 - Technical Interview 1 (Date:05/08/2028) Following the OA, around 50 candidates were shortlisted for the virtual technical interviews of the SDE role, and nearly 18 candidates were shortlisted for the QA role. • The interview began with a self-introduction and an in-depth discussion of my resume, projects. Then she started to cross-question me on my projects, and I was able to answer them correctly. • After the project discussion, the interviewer asked me DSA questions, which were based on stack and queue. And I was asked to do a queue using a stack, then asked to write code to check whether 2 strings are anagrams or not. I was asked to share my screen and explain these concepts in C++, strictly using Notepad for coding. • The discussion then shifted to Database Management Systems (DBMS), where I asked about concepts like views and joins. Additionally, I was asked to solve an SQL query involving joins. • This was followed by three OOPs questions based on the 4 pillars and asked me about polymorphism and abstraction. Then she asked about the constructor and the constructor overloading. I was asked to share my screen the whole time and explain these concepts in C++, strictly using Notepad for coding. The interview lasted for approximately 55 to 60 minutes. 🎯 Round 3 - Technical Interview 2 (Date:05/08/2025) •This interview was conducted by Lead-Implementation at eQ. Later on, he said he had been working with eQ for more than 10 years. • The session began with a brief introduction, followed by a brief overview of my projects, where I explained all projects in my resume with some demos. For 10-15 min, I was the only one who was taking and explaining projects, and after that, he started to cross-question me on my projects. He was pretty impressed by my explanation. • The interviewer then provided an SQL query to get the name of the employee with second second-highest salary, which I solved correctly using limit and offset. Later on, he asked me about how I would convert this Employee database into a C++ class, and also asked me about how much space that class would take in memory. So, like this, the discussion shifted to the DSA question. DSA questions were: 1.Create a node for a linked list and also write functions for LL traversal and node deletion. I was not able to write code for deletion, but I told him the logic. 2.Then he asked me to write code to find the second-highest element in an array. • The interviewer was satisfied with my problem-solving approach. •Lastly, he asked 1 tricky question where I feel he wanted to know about my approach rather than the solution. The question was related to a huge database. This round lasted for about 90 minutes. This turned out to be my longest interview experience. But it was fun. After this round, 18 people, along with me, were selected for the HR round, which was a combination of HR+Managerial round. 🎯 Round 4 - Problem Solving (Date:06/08/2025) We were mailed a problem statement and were told to submit the solution in 90 minutes. We were told to write the code in a text editor without an IDE. They basically wanted to check the capability to write logic and include modularity in the code. 🎯 Round 5 - Techno-HR Interview (Date:06/08/2025) All 18 were shortlisted for the final round. My interviewer was the Director and Head of Talent Acquisition at eQ. • The session began with a code implementation from the previous round, as the interviewer was expecting some code changes. I was a little nervous for this round, as when I ran my code on the IDE, some of my curly brackets in code were missing, but I was able to remove the errors in 5 minutes, and the discussion carried on. • The session began with typical HR questions, covering strengths, weaknesses, and hobbies. The duration of this round was approximately 25-30 minutes. ✅ Conclusion After a rigorous multi-round selection process, 15 out of 18 candidates, including myself, secured a full-time SDE role at eQ Technologic. After each round interviewer asked if I had any questions for him/her, so I tried to ask questions related to my role and work culture. This journey truly tested my technical expertise, problem-solving skills, and interview readiness, challenging me to sharpen my core knowledge and logical thinking under pressure. Performing well in all rounds requires a solid grasp of fundamentals and everything on your resume. Interviewers focus more on thought process, problem-solving, and coding logic than just the final answer. Strong knowledge of DSA, OOP, DBMS, and OS, along with clear communication, confidence, and structured thinking, greatly boosts your chances. A special thanks to PICT for giving me this opportunity!!

Batch: 2026

🚀 eQ Technologic - SDE Interview Experience eQ Technologic is a product-based company known for its eQube®-DaaS platform, which provides data integration and accessibility solutions. It helps connect and federate data across multiple enterprise systems, enabling better visibility and decision-making. 🏢 Company & Role Company: eQ Technologic Role: SDE Batch/Year of Graduation: 2026 Branch: IT 📅 Application Process How did you apply? On-Campus Timeline: Application Date: 28/07/2025 Online Assessment Date: 04/08/2025 Interview Dates: 05/08/2025 and 06/08/2025 Offer Date: 06/08/2025 💬 Interview Rounds Round 1: Online Assessment Type: Aptitude & Logical Reasoning MCQs, 2 Coding Questions Description: The test comprised 14 MCQs on aptitude and logical reasoning, and 2 coding questions based on arrays and hashmaps. Difficulty Level: Easy Round 2: Technical Round - 1 Duration: 2 hours Description: The interviewer asked me to run and explain the output of different code scenarios related to references and pointers. I was asked about applications of references. I was then asked to implement a Binary Search Tree (BST) and write a function to find the minimum element. The code was tested with multiple inputs. I was also given 2 SQL queries involving GROUP BY, ORDER BY, and ASC. Finally, a puzzle was asked: [Minimum cuts for cake to make 8 equal parts](https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/aptitude/puzzle-3-cuts-cut-round-cake-8-equal-pieces/) Round 3: Technical Round - 2 Duration: 1 hour Description: A SQL query involving LEFT JOIN was asked. (self join) I was asked to explain ACID properties with examples. I was asked to explain difference between TRUNCATE, DROP and DELETE. I was asked to explain different database languages in detail (DML,DDL,etc) I was given an object-oriented design question for a food delivery system and asked to consider all scenarios and class interactions. The focus was on my design clarity, thought process, and ability to model real-world systems using OOP principles. I was also asked to code a string-based DSA problem: [Convert number to words](https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/dsa/convert-number-to-words/) Round 4: Coding Round Duration: 90 minutes Description: I received a problem statement to print a calendar based on a given start month and number of months. The task focused on code modularity, clean design, and proper formatting. The goal was to assess problem-solving and code organization skills. Round 5: HR Round Duration: 15 minutes Description: The interviewer started by reviewing the code I had submitted in the previous round. I was asked to modify parts of the code, explain the logic, and validate the output. Then, he asked general HR questions about my strengths, weaknesses, and hobbies. 📊 Overall Experience & Tips Tips for Aspirants: One should have a strong foundation in core concepts like OOP and DBMS. DSA is a must. Think aloud by explaining your thoughts clearly as you work through a problem. Verdict: ✅ Selected!

Batch: 2026

🏢 Company & Role Company: PhonePe Role: SDE [Intern + FTE] Batch/Year of Graduation: 2025 Branch: Computer Engineering 📅 Application Process Mode of Application: On-Campus Timeline: Online Assessment Date: 31/07/24 Interview + Result Dates: 01/08/24 💬 Interview Rounds Round 1: Data Structures Round 1 Type: Problem Solving Description: This round revolved completely around DSA questions. Two DSA questions were asked of difficulty level medium-hard. For every question I started with a brute-force approach and moved towards optimal solution, while explaining my thoughtprocess throughout the interview. Was also encouraged to write the pseudocode for the logic I presented and do a dry run of the test cases provided. Questions you can refer to: [Maximizing Robbery in Binary Tree Houses without Alerting Police](https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/maximizing-robbery-in-binary-tree-houses-without-alerting-police/) {Binary Trees+DP} [Buy and Sell Stocks II](https://leetcode.com/problems/best-time-to-buy-and-sell-stock-ii/description/) {2D Array + DP} Round 2: Data Structures Round 2 Type: Problem Solving Description: This round also revolved around DSA questions and again 2 questions were presented. These questions were more on the Leetcode Hard side of difficulty. Brute force solution was appreciated as well, and further Optimal solution was discussed. The interviewers were more intrigued and interested in the way you think rather than how fast you come to the said solution. So talking about your thoughtprocess while solving was a crucial thing that helped me. Questions you can refer to: [Bricks Falling When Hit](https://leetcode.com/problems/bricks-falling-when-hit/description/) {Disjoint Set Union} [Erect the Fence](https://leetcode.com/problems/erect-the-fence/description/) {Math Based} Round 3 : Hiring Manager Round Type: Technical + HR Description: This round was resume and general questions based. Interviewer skimmed through my entire resume one by one and asked questions regarding each and everything present there. Started with my leadership positions and club contributions, I was asked few questions about team building and coordination. This was followed by my research papers I had published till then. My resume was ML dominated, so I was asked questions about algorithms used in the projects and research work and the logic behind them. I was also asked about my Hackathon winning projects. Detailed questions were asked about my interships and the techtsack used there like Nginx server, Docker, few CNS and OS questions. These were followed by few general questions like startup ideas, people who inspire you, etc. 📊 Overall Experience & Tips What to prepare? Would definitely recommend the GFG archive of PhonePe interview questions. Really builds your thoughtprocess for the actual questions they ask. Tips for Aspirants: Have something on your resume that sets you apart, would be helpful in the last round. Verdict: Selected

Batch: 2025

Mastercard Code For Change Hackathon experience Result: Runner-up team✅ Rounds: Online Assessment + Offline Hackathon at Mastercard Pune office Hello readers, Harsha this side. I am a 3rd-year undergrad pursuing Information Technology from Pune Institute Of Computer Technology (PICT). I had the opportunity to participate in the Mastercard < Code For Change> Hackathon 2024. Here’s a glimpse of my experience. About the Hackathon: How Did I Learn About the Opportunity? Mastercard introduced its hackathon-based internship hiring process in 2024. This hackathon was specifically for the top 5 colleges from Pune, PICT being one of them. This hackathon had its primary aim to provide NGOs with technical solutions. In mid-July 2024 my college's training and placement department announced the registrations for the event. Eligibility Criteria: Minimum 7.5 GPA aggregate in university At least 75% in both 10th and 12th boards. No active backlogs. Application Portal: I applied through Mastercard’s official Application Portal. After submitting my application, I received a link to take a coding test on HirePro. >Pro tip: Submit a resume with strong projects, volunteering, or internship experiences as it plays a key role in the shortlisting process Online Assessment: Difficulty: Medium🟡 The coding test consisted of 2 questions to be solved within an hour. • The first question was puzzle-related. I spent a considerable amount of time trying to optimize my solution but ultimately submitted a brute-force approach. • The second question was related to trees, which I couldn’t completely solve. To my surprise, I was shortlisted for the offline hackathon :D Pre-hackathon: Before the offline hackathon, all the shortlisted participants were divided into teams of 8 and allocated a mentor from the Mastercard team. A Mentor Connect session was arranged for all the teams on 14th August (also my birthday :D) to help us get to know our team better, which would eventually help us develop an optimal solution on hackathon day. The problem statements were to be released on the day of the hackathon itself. My team members were really fun and engaging. We organized various online team meetings and discussed the tech stacks that all of us were familiar with. We also smartly distributed our roles according to our interests and expertise. Qualities such as communication skills, market research and leadership were also taken into consideration. D-day: The Offline Hackathon All the participants were asked to report to the Mastercard Pune office at 7 am on 23rd August 2024. The problem statements were released at 9:00 am and were allocated on a random basis. These were real-life problems given by NGOs. We were handed over a document where the main problem came with multiple sub-problems specifying categories (high, medium, and low priority), and technologies that were to be addressed. The most important factor was how effectively we were able to solve the problem. During the first 1.5 hours, my team thoroughly brainstormed solutions to address the problem. We divided all of our ideas into a list of must-haves, should-haves, could-haves, and won’t-haves, considering we were time-bound. I made sure to communicate with other teammates & efficiently build the project. I also made sure to showcase and discuss my work with my mentor as they’d be making the decision to select me. We were to submit our Github repository link along with our idea-pitch presentation before 16:45. Throughout the day, Mastercard ensured we were well-fed with breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner. (Their cupcakes were divine!) Post-hackathon: The presentations began at 6 am. I, along with one of my teammates, took the lead in presenting during the event. The presentation is of utmost importance as you showcase your solutions to the senior members including VPs of Mastercard. There were 22 teams in total. All the presentations concluded by 21:30. Results: Teams were asked to have their dinner. Post-dinner, all the participants were eagerly waiting for the results. Mastercard really tested our patience as it was almost 23:00 and results were yet not announced. At 11:30 pm, we saw the judges approaching the presentation hall, and the room fell silent. When I heard, “And the runner-up team is Team 3!” I got literal goosebumps. It was an exhilarating moment for my team. Final Thoughts: It was an amazing experience overall. Truly grateful to the team Mastercard for providing me with such an amazing opportunity. That’s all about my experience. Thank you for reading, I hope it was insightful. Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn for any questions or thoughts. Good luck with your journey! Toodles, Harsha.

Batch: 2026

My Selection Journey at MasterCard – From Hackathon to Internship! “Coding builds the foundation, but communication and leadership define the structure!” How It All Started It was around August 23rd, 2024 when I had one of the most memorable experiences of my tech journey the Code for Change Hackathon organized by MasterCard. But the road began much before that, with a structured selection process that tested both logic and leadership. 📌 1. Registration & Shortlisting Students registered for the event. Shortlisting was based on: AMCAT scores CGPA And other academic parameters. Those shortlisted proceeded to the DSA Round. DSA Round Date: August 5th No. of Questions: 2 One on Arrays / Strings One on Trees / Graphs Scoring even 1.5 questions (1 full + half of another) was enough. I’ve never been a daily DSA solver, but I managed to work through the problems and got shortlisted. Hackathon Shortlisting & Mentorship Once selected, we were notified and assigned into random 7-member teams. We had never met before, so building connections and trust was critical. Each team was also assigned a mentor from MasterCard who conducted: Team-building exercises Technology discussions Progress check-ins “Your mentor is not just a guide, they are also part of your evaluation panel.” Leadership and Teamwork: My Role Here’s where things got intense—and interesting. I naturally took the lead in our team. Assigned and divided tasks based on everyone’s strengths. Regularly checked in with each teammate to ensure progress. Ensured we had something substantial to show before each mentor sync. “Taking charge and enabling others to shine is a quality that doesn't go unnoticed.” I wasn’t the most knowledgeable in AI/ML, but I knew my strengths: Flutter Development Web and Backend Systems So, I took responsibility for: JWT Authentication Backend API development using Django 🚀 4. Hackathon Day – Execution and Energy! Duration: 7 hours Problem Statements: 3 from different NGOs We were given a Problem statement: User Authentication Platform development Information Management Our app wasn’t fully complete—because 7 hours isn’t much—but we: Made strong backend progress Integrated essential APIs Kept our mentor updated in real-time The Final Presentation This was my moment to shine. I convinced my team that I’d be the best to present. Walked the judges through our idea, goals, implementation, and innovation. Even though we didn’t win the hackathon, our concept, effort, and clarity stood out. “Good code brings you halfway, but a strong presentation completes the journey.” The Result – Internship Offer! Because of my: Technical contribution Leadership skills Communication and presentation …I was shortlisted for the SDE role. And now, I’ve officially been offered an internship at MasterCard’s Checkout Services Team! 📅 Joining Date: May 19th, 2025 💼 Role: SDE Intern – Mastercard Checkout Services 🗺️ Roadmap to MasterCard Internship | Step | Description | |------|-------------| | Step 1 | Register for the hiring drive (Code for Change) | | Step 2 | Shortlisting based on CGPA + AMCAT scores | | Step 3 | DSA Round (2 questions - Trees & Graphs) | | Step 4 | Selection for Hackathon & team formation | | Step 5 | Team building & mentorship sessions | | Step 6 | Lead team, divide tasks, monitor progress | | Step 7 | Hackathon Day – Code + Collaborate + Contribute | | Step 8 | Present your project to the judges | | Final Step | Get shortlisted for internship | 📝 Final Tips for Aspirants DSA helps, but it’s not the only thing. Strategy matters. Know your strengths. Focus on what you’re good at. Take initiative. Leading a team is always recognized. Keep mentors in the loop. They notice everything. Presentation is powerful. Speak up with confidence. ✨ "Leadership is not just coding the best—it’s about enabling your team and communicating with clarity." 💬 Have questions or need guidance? Feel free to connect with me. Always happy to help juniors crack the Code for Change!

Batch: 2025

From My First Hackathon to an Internship at Mastercard: My Journey Through the Code for Change Hackathon When I signed up for the Code for Change Hackathon last year, I had no idea it would lead to an internship at Mastercard. What made it even more special? It was my very first hackathon. I was extremely excited—and yes, a little nervous. But I didn’t want to go in unprepared, so I began my preparations a week in advance. Looking back, that decision made all the difference. The First Hurdle: DSA Round Before the actual hackathon began, we had a DSA (Data Structures & Algorithms) round with two medium-level questions—one based on trees and the other on graphs. Thankfully, I was able to solve both. Although the second problem had a couple of tricky test cases I couldn’t pass, I managed to crack most of them. Here’s what I learned: Consistency in DSA is non-negotiable. I’m not a DSA expert, and I still struggle with many LeetCode problems. But I try to solve 1–2 questions every day. You can't master DSA in a week or even a month—it’s a long-term game. Keep at it, and you'll see the benefits. Preparing for the Hackathon One of the most common mistakes participants make is going into hackathons unprepared. No matter how proficient you are in development, AI/ML, or any other domain, take some time to revise your core concepts. Whether it's Java, React, Node.js, or machine learning—make sure you understand the foundations. Our hackathon started early—at 6 AM—and we made sure to reach before time. Since all my teammates were from different colleges, we were meeting for the first time. Most of them were shy and introverted. That’s when it hit me: a hackathon is a team effort. It doesn't matter how skilled you are—unless you work with your team, you won’t be able to perform your best. Breaking the Ice: Teamwork First One of the first things I focused on was breaking the ice. I encouraged everyone to talk openly and share their ideas. Creating a comfortable and collaborative environment is crucial because planning is the most important phase of any hackathon. Clear communication ensures everyone is on the same page. Don’t jump into coding right away. Instead, spend time deciding the tech stack, system architecture, and most importantly, clarifying each member's role. Equal involvement and early planning can save hours of confusion later on. Building + Presenting = Winning Here’s a reality check: What you make and what you present can be completely different. In our case, the backend wasn’t functioning perfectly, but we didn’t let that pull us down. We focused on building a clean and well-structured frontend, ensuring the UI/UX was polished and intuitive. Adding small, out-of-the-box features can really impress the judges. Focus on the problem statement, but don’t hesitate to go a step further. And remember—if there’s a mentor or leader assigned to your group, listen to their suggestions and try to implement them. They often have a broader perspective and can guide you in the right direction. Lastly, take initiatives wherever you can. Whether it’s leading discussions, designing mockups, or presenting the final pitch—show ownership. It not only helps the team but also leaves a strong impression on mentors and judges alike. Key Takeaways: Participate in as many hackathons as possible. They help you think on your feet and improve logical and critical thinking. Consistency is key in DSA. Even one question a day makes a difference. Hackathons are team events. You can’t win alone—collaboration is the real superpower. What you present matters as much as what you build. Make your demo count. Early and clear communication is essential to avoid confusion later. Take initiative and be proactive. It reflects both leadership and enthusiasm.

Batch: 2026

Walmart CodeHers 2025 – My Selection Journey In Feb, I applied for the CodeHers 2025 Software Engineering Internship at Walmart Global Tech India through Unstop. Level 1: MCQ Challenge – Computer Fundamentals The first round was a fast-paced test—25 questions in 25 minutes—that assessed our understanding of: Data Structures,Operating Systems, DBMS, Computer Networks, OOPs Level 2 – Coding Challenge Shortlisted candidates from Round 1 moved on to a 90-minute coding round with 2 problem statements (medium to hard difficulty). I managed to fully solve one problem and partially solve the second one After the coding round, shortlisted candidates received a verification mail asking for basic details and confirmation. A few days later, I received the interview mail, confirming my slot and details. Technical Interview 1 The discussion began with questions from my resume.I was asked to solve two string-related problems: 1) Maximum character frequency 2) Reverse words in a string I discussed the logic, optimized the approach, and wrote clean code. Additional topics included: Time and space complexity Technical Interview 2 I was asked a medium-level tree-based DSA question. The interviewer closely observed my thought process, approach to optimization, and how I handled edge cases. I began by explaining a brute-force solution, then gradually moved to a more optimal approach using recursion and clear logic. Once the approach was validated, the interviewer asked me to code it out and also dry run it with sample inputs to test its correctness.. Final Result – Selected! After a thorough evaluation process, I received the final selection email.

Batch: 2026

📝 Siemens Internship Interview Experience 🏢 Company & Role Company: Siemens Role: Intern Graduation Year: 2026 📋 Eligibility Criteria 10th & 12th Percentage: 60% and above CGPA Requirement: Initially 8.0 and above (No active backlogs) > Note: Although the mentioned CGPA cutoff was 8.0, the opportunity was mostly received by students having a CGPA of 9.2 and above. 🔍 Rounds Overview 🧠 Round 1: Online Assessment Shortlisted Students: 120 Duration: 70 minutes Total Questions: 65–70 MCQs Format: The assessment was divided into two sections: Aptitude Section: Included questions on logical reasoning and quantitative aptitude Examples: Worker-time problems, mathematical puzzles, etc. Technical MCQs Section: Involved code snippets where we had to choose the correct output Questions were moderately tricky and focused on DSA concepts Overall level: Medium Shortlisting: Out of 120 students who took the assessment, 60 were shortlisted for the interview round based on their performance. 💻 Round 2: Technical Interview Duration: 50 min Interview Structure: Students were allotted either 1 or 2 technical interviews. I was assigned 1 Technical Interview . 🔹 Interview Highlights: Siemens genrally ask for resumes while filling google form and if you get selected in OA the panel gets alloted to you according to the tech stack metioned in your resume and the interviewer background.My Interviewer was Cloud and Devops head at Siemens. Resume & Tech Stack Discussion I had Docker listed in my resume and the interviewer went straight upto that and asked question related to it. Questions Asked: What is the need of Docker? How do we write DockerFile for an application? What is difference between Docker and Kubernates? Write a docker file for multi image application and proceded by what is difference between docker compose and DockerFile? If a Docker image goes down, how can we ensure reliability? (e.g., data persistence) What is a Bridge Network in Docker? How do we map the ports via cli for docker explain What is difference between interactive and detached mode for intercation using cli. Why can't we write multiple images code on DockerFile instead of compose file? He picked one of the mentioned stacks and asked in-depth conceptual and practical questions. Project Discussion I had lead and contributed to various projects of Credenz including WallStreet in my 3rd year and Credenz App in 2nd year The interviewer showed genuine interest and asked: A high-level architecture diagram of the project. Explain how do we keep the order book in wallstreet to ensure orders are procedded in proper order. How did you implemented the logic for matching engine for the order. Why choose certain tech stacks over others. How do you make sure that someone do not manipulate the market by purchasing significant some of order and then avoid to sell them indirectly increasing the price? Explanation of why I chose certain components/tools over alternatives. Potential challenges or limitations of the chosen architecture. Asked Logic of some features which was implemented which he liked. How do you ensure Intraday order gets completed at the end of the day? What was the purpose of the Credenz App? How do you implemented payment feature in the App? How did you integrated firebase for the quiz event in the app and explain the structure. The interviewer was quite impressed with the projects and the approach. Internship Experience I was asked about my ongoing Flutter Internship at the time: Role and responsibilities during the internship. Specific features I had developed. Asked on which state mangement of Flutter did you worked? What was the purpose of the App? The deployment process I followed, including tools and platforms used (e.g., Play Store, Firebase, CI/CD pipelines, etc.). Software Engineering Concepts Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) Types of Software Testing (e.g., Unit Testing vs Integration Testing vs System Testing) System Design Problem I was given a system design problem. Asked to: -Draw the system architecture -Explain my approach to building and scaling the system -Discuss design trade-offs and component responsibilities 🤝 Round 3: HR Interview Discussion Points: -Educational background and academic percentages -Family background -Short-term and long-term career goals -Whether I plan to pursue higher education in the future -Situational and behavioral questions -Personal qualities and strengths ✅ Verdict: Selected 24 Students along with me was selected for the Internship. That's all about my Siemens internship interview experience. Hope this helps someone preparing for their opportunity!

Batch: 2026

Interview Experience - Management Role (ACA Global, Risk Strategy Department) Introduction I started with a brief introduction about myself, highlighting my background and relevant experience. Since the role was in the Risk Strategy department, they focused the entire interview on my resume. Interview Questions & My Responses How has NCC shaped your leadership qualities? I explained how my experience in NCC helped me develop leadership, discipline, and decision-making skills. Describe a situation in trekking leadership where you made a critical decision. I shared a real-life experience where I had to make an important decision while leading a trekking team. Discussion on My Project – Live Travelling Website for a Company They asked how I would manage 1,000 users per day on the website and increase efficiency. I explained the system design, including load balancing, caching strategies, and optimization techniques. Research-Intensive Discussion on NLP Project They asked about text summarization techniques and how we convert exact text into an abstract summary. I explained my NLP project workflow and research findings. Problem-Solving Questions & Puzzles They asked some logical puzzles, similar to those found on GeeksforGeeks (GFG), and I answered them correctly. Cybersecurity Questions They inquired about different types of cyberattacks and their mitigation strategies. They also asked how I would secure a website from potential security threats. Why Apply for a Management Role with a Strong Technical Background? I explained that my NCC experience and leadership roles helped me develop management and communication skills. I emphasized that I have handled teams, managed events, and effectively communicated in various situations. Final Discussion & Feedback They asked if I had any questions. I requested feedback, and they responded positively. They mentioned that my resume, communication skills, and technical knowledge were impressive. They also asked if I was comfortable traveling from Katraj to Hinjewadi office, to which I responded yes. Final Outcome I believe I talked too much and made the interview more technical, whereas the role was primarily management-focused. I was not selected, but the interviewers were impressed with my profile.

Batch: 2025

Introduction ION Trading is a global leader in trading and workflow automation solutions, specializing in providing software and technology for financial institutions, corporations, central banks, and governments. Founded in 1999, the company offers a range of products that facilitate trading, risk management, treasury management, and data analytics. ION's solutions are used by various market participants, including banks, brokers, and asset managers, to optimize their trading processes and improve operational efficiency. The company's focus is on delivering high-performance, scalable, and reliable systems that cater to the evolving needs of the financial markets. With its headquarters in London and a presence in major financial centers worldwide, ION Trading has grown significantly through strategic acquisitions and innovation in financial technology. Application Process Company Criteria: 10th & 12th: 75% CGPA: 8.43 and above (No Active Backlogs) Selection Process: ⁠Pre-Placement Talk Round 1: Online Test - 22 MCQ and 2 Coding Questions (Hackerrank) Round 2: Technical Interview Round 3: Case Study Round 4: Stakeholder Round 5: Culture Fit Round 6: Future Fit Note: Each round is an elimination round\\ Round 1: Online Test Part 1: 22 MCQ Questions This 22 MCQ Questions were focused on Computer Science Fundamentals - DBMS, OS, OOP, and CNS. Part 2: 2 Coding Questions - 1 Easy 1 Medium Question 1: Given a list of Integers, any nodes that have values previously occured in the list and return the reference the the new head of that list. [![Removing Duplicates From A Sorted Linked List | by Chandler Hanson | JavaScript in Plain English](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:619/1zOc9ld3B2MIHVryYX0vcUA.jpeg align="left")](https://javascript.plainenglish.io/removing-duplicates-from-a-sorted-linked-list-c9e0e62d2c96) Question 2: A Graph problem related to social media and people connected online. The connection nodes were given and edges. This was a disjoint graph. We have to return the number of connected to a particular user. E.g Here in below image H is connected to 2 nodes so if we query H we have to return 2 as answer. ![Closeness centrality in networks with disconnected components | Tore Opsahl](https://toreopsahl.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/social-networkcloseness.png align="left") Round 2: Technical Interview The technical interview was conducted by two interviewers from ION Trading. We started with a brief introduction about myself, as prompted by the interviewers after they reviewed my resume. 1\. LRU Cache Design: One of the interviewers began by explaining the concept of a cache. Although I was familiar with caching, I listened carefully as he detailed it. He then gave me a problem involving the Least Recently Used (LRU) cache, specifying that the get and insert operations must be performed in O(1) time, while maintaining the LRU property. Initially, I thought about using a priority queue, but as I worked through the problem, I recalled the use of a doubly linked list. The interviewer hinted at optimizing retrieval time, suggesting the use of a hash map. I proposed using a hash map to maintain addresses, combined with a doubly linked list for efficient management. This approach met the O(1) requirement, and I successfully explained the pseudocode. 2\. Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) Concepts: The interviewers then shifted to questions about OOP concepts. They asked why OOP is important, and we discussed key principles like encapsulation, inheritance, and polymorphism real life use. 3\. System Design (OOP focused): Uber Taxi Management System: Next, they asked me to design a class-based architecture for an Uber-like taxi management system. I outlined my approach, focusing on how classes would interact to manage drivers, riders, rides, and payments. The interviewers appreciated my design and the thought process behind it. 4\. Programming Challenge: Zigzag Level Order Traversal: We returned to programming questions, and I was asked to implement a level order traversal of a binary tree. While I was writing the code, they asked me to modify it to perform a zigzag (spiral) traversal. I successfully made the adjustments to the code to handle zigzag traversal. (This much I can recall) Round 3: Case Study [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/360572179\Traditional\vs\Online\Education](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/360572179TraditionalvsOnlineEducation) In this round, the interviewer opened a PDF document on his laptop and asked me to read a paragraph related to online and traditional education. After reading, he asked me a series of questions to gauge my analytical thinking and perspective on the topic. 1\. What is better: online education or traditional education? My Answer: I explained that it depends on the situation. For children aged 5-16, traditional education is generally better as it supports overall growth, including social and physical development. For those aged 16 and above, both online and traditional education have their merits. Online education can be more flexible, time-saving, and offer a better understanding through interactive content. 2\. Why not online education for kids? My Answer: I mentioned concerns such as health issues (like eye strain), growth problems due to reduced physical activity, potential for addiction to screens, and the lack of social interaction that can lead to feelings of isolation. 3\. Will online education overtake traditional education? My Response: I believe online education will not completely replace traditional education, but it will certainly impact and complement it. The two can coexist, each serving different needs and preferences. 4\. If various online education platforms like Byju’s are failing or facing losses, what would you do as the CEO or management? My Response: I suggested opening offline centers in collaboration with popular local teachers to create a hybrid learning model. This would combine the strengths of both online and offline education. Additionally, I would focus on reducing unnecessary spending and optimizing resource allocation to improve financial stability. Conclusion: In conclusion, I believe both online and traditional education have their places. The best approach may be a blended model that leverages the advantages of both to meet diverse learning needs. Round 4: Stakeholder This round was conducted with the ION Pune head. The session started with a brief introduction, followed by some personal questions. 1\. Introduction and Family Background: The interviewer asked me to introduce myself and inquired about my family background, showing interest in my personal life. 2\. Managing Multiple Responsibilities: After going through my resume, he seemed impressed and asked how I managed to handle multiple responsibilities, including academics, internships, and personal projects. I shared my approach to time management, prioritization, and staying organized. 3\. Personal Traits: He asked an insightful question: "What bad or false point would your friends tell me about you if I asked them?" This was a reflective moment, and I acknowledged areas where I might have received constructive criticism from friends, emphasizing my willingness to improve. 4\. Internship Experience: We discussed my internship experiences. I explained the tasks I worked on during my internships, highlighting key projects and the skills I acquired. 5\. Projects Overview: The conversation then moved to my personal projects. I discussed various projects, focusing on the Messwala app, detailing its purpose, technology stack, and the challenges faced during development. 6\. Current Work and Interests: I shared information about what I am currently working on, including the skills and technologies I am focusing on to further develop my expertise. 7\. Interest in ION Trading: The interviewer asked why I was interested in working at ION Trading. I discussed my enthusiasm for the finance and trading sector, my desire to contribute to innovative projects, and how ION's values align with my career goals. Conclusion: The interaction was enjoyable and more conversational, resembling an HR interview but with detailed discussions about my background and aspirations. The interview lasted around 20 minutes and left a positive impression. Round 5: Culture Fit Format: Conducted online via MS Teams. Held after successfully passing four previous rounds, with only 30 candidates remaining. Overview: This round was similar to the stakeholders round but had a stronger focus on HR-related topics. Key Points Discussed: Interest in ION Trading: Discussed why I was interested in working at ION Trading. Emphasized alignment with the company’s values and my enthusiasm for contributing to their projects. Cultural Fit: Explored how my personal and professional goals align with ION’s culture and mission. Talked about my career aspirations and how they fit with ION’s objectives. Overall Fit: The interview aimed to assess my compatibility with the company's culture and long-term fit. Process Summary: Day 1: Online Assessment (OA) and PPT presentation. Initial interviews. Day 2: Technical interview, Case Study, and Stakeholders round. Day 3: Received the shortlisted list for culture fit. Day 4: Culture Fit round. Day 5: List of shortlisted candidates for Future Fit was released, and unfortunately, my name was not on the list :) Conclusion: Despite the effort and thorough preparation, I was not selected for the final stage. The process provided valuable experience and insights.

Batch: 2025

eQ Technologic - SDE Interview Experience 👨‍💻🎓 eQ Technologic is a product-based company that visits PICT every year as part of its recruitment drive, offering opportunities for two key roles : Software Development Engineer (SDE) and Quality Assurance (QA). The company follows a highly selective recruitment process, where selections are purely based on strong interview performance, testing the basics and fundamentals of everything mentioned in your resume. For our batch, the company had conducted its campus placement drive virtually in August 2024. 🎯 Round 1 - Online Assessment (1 hour) The OA was conducted on the SHL platform and was divided into two sections- • Aptitude & Logical Reasoning : This section comprised 15 to 20 logical reasoning and aptitude-based questions to be solved within 20 minutes. The questions ranged from easy to medium level, but speed and accuracy were critical factors. • Coding Questions : The second section contained two coding problems of easy to medium level leetcode difficulty to be solved in 40 minutes. These were primarily focused on linear data structures such as arrays, strings and linked lists. 🎯 Round 2 - Technical Interview 1 Following the OA, 22 candidates were shortlisted for the virtual technical interviews of the SDE role. My interviewer was a Technical Lead with over 13 years of experience at eQ. • The interview began with a self-introduction and an in-depth discussion of my resume, projects and summer-internship. • Next, the interviewer asked conceptual questions on the four pillars of Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) and their real-world applications. I was asked to share my screen and explain these concepts in C++, strictly using Notepad for coding. • The discussion then shifted to Database Management Systems (DBMS), covering normalization, ACID properties and database consistency. Additionally, I was asked to solve two SQL queries involving joins and subqueries. • This was followed by three DSA questions based on arrays, strings, and linked lists. I successfully explained and coded the brute-force and optimal approaches for the first two problems. The third problem was slightly challenging, but with some hints from the interviewer, I was able to derive the optimal solution. • Finally, I was asked questions on Operating Systems (OS), covering multithreading and CPU scheduling. • DSA Questions Asked : [i. Reverse a Linked List](https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/reverse-a-linked-list/) [ii. Integer to Roman](https://leetcode.com/problems/integer-to-roman/description/) iii. Reverse a subarray starting from a given index and then left-rotate the original array by shifting the reversed subarray to the start. The interview lasted for approximately 2.5 to 3 hours, making it the longest round in the process. 🎯 Round 3 - Technical Interview 2 Out of the 22 candidates, 11 were shortlisted for this round. My interviewer was a Senior Manager with 11 years of experience at eQ. • The session began with a brief introduction, followed by two easy-medium DSA questions. I successfully explained and implemented the solutions. • The interviewer then provided three SQL queries involving multiple joins and subqueries, which I solved correctly. • The interviewer was satisfied with my problem-solving approach. • DSA Questions Asked : i. Given a very large number (e.g., long long), return the sum of digits at odd and even positions separately. ii. Given an array of size n containing elements from 1 to n in random order, where one number is duplicated and another is missing, find the missing number in O(n) time (single traversal). This round lasted for about 1 hour. 🎯 Round 4 - Problem Solving We were mailed a problem statement and were told to submit the solution in 1.5 hours. We were told to write the code in a text editor without an IDE. They basically wanted to check the capability to write logic and include modularity in the code. Refer the question [here](https://docs.google.com/document/d/138Csf5esKeD-LrTYBwDFiq82GD1nUvhGITwPL9NlHOY/edit?usp=drivelink) 🎯 Round 5 - Techno-HR Interview Out of the 11 candidates, 8 were shortlisted for the final round. My interviewer was the Director and Head of Talent Acquisition at eQ. • The session began with typical HR questions, covering strengths, weaknesses, family background, hobbies and interests. • This was followed by a discussion on my approach and code implementation from the previous round as the interviewer was expecting some optimization. • The interviewer seemed satisfied with my responses and provided positive feedback. The duration of this round was approximately 45 minutes. ✅ Conclusion After a rigorous multi-round selection process, all 8 candidates, including myself, secured a full-time SDE role at eQ Technologic. This journey was a true test of technical expertise, problem-solving ability and interview readiness, pushing me to refine my core knowledge and logical thinking under pressure. The most crucial factor in performing well across all rounds is a strong grasp of fundamental concepts and a deep understanding of everything listed on your resume. The interviewers were highly focused on our thought process, problem-solving approach and coding logic, rather than just the final solution. A clear understanding of data structures, algorithms, OOP principles, DBMS and operating systems will go a long way in tackling the technical rounds. Additionally, effective communication, confidence throughout the process and structured thinking play a key role in leaving a positive impression. So, this was all about my interview experience. Hope you find it helpful!😊Thank you for taking the time to read! 🙌

Batch: 2025

PhonePe Interview Experience Round 1: The first round was entirely focused on data structures and algorithms. Three questions were asked during this round, mostly from dynamic programming, trees, and graphs. The difficulty level of the questions ranged from medium to hard. Question 1: You are given a tree where each node has a value associated with it. You can pick any node, and the value corresponding to that node will be added to your score. However, once a node is selected, you cannot pick its direct children. Your task is to maximize the score. My Approach: I explained a solution using tree-based dynamic programming concepts. The solution was based on the "pick or don't pick" strategy. I maintained a Boolean variable to decide whether to take the current node or not. Depending on the decision made for the current node, the next process was simulated. Then, I memorized the solution using a DP table of size N2. Question 2: Best Time to Buy and Sell Stock IV My Approach: I explained the solution using a recursive function with parameters like index, transactions used, and a Boolean parameter to indicate whether we should buy or sell. For buying, I added the negative of the price, and for selling, I added the actual price. I memoized the solution using a DP table of size NK2, and then I explained an iterative solution with optimal space complexity using just PREV and CURR, similar to Striver's approach. Question 3: Given a binary tree, find the k-th ancestor of any node and report -1 if the ancestor is not present. My Approach: I explained the solution using binary lifting. In binary lifting, we store the 2^i-th parent for all the nodes. I started by finding the 2^0 th parent for each node using DFS, and then calculated the2^(i+1)-th parent using the 2^i-th parent. This approach is better for query-based problems. The interviewer was impressed since I provided optimal solutions and used concepts like binary lifting to solve the problem. We then had a discussion about PhonePe and the importance of problem-solving for software engineer. Round 2: This round also focused on data structures and algorithms, and the problems asked were more challenging than those in the first round. The first question was about Disjoint Set Union (DSU). The problem involved deleting edges, but DSU is typically used to add edges. To solve this, the offline queries technique was required. By starting the queries from the last one, deleting edges could be treated as adding them, since it’s done in reverse order. This approach allowed for the correct handling of edge removals using the Disjoint Set Union. The second problem was based on geometry. The task was to find the maximum slope between points and connect those points. The solution involved calculating and comparing the slopes to determine the maximum one. I was able to solve the second problem successfully. For the first problem, I shared my idea of using the Disjoint Set Union as part of the solution, even though I didn’t fully solve it. Round 3: During this interview, the focus was on my internship at TraceLink Inc., where I worked for two months. The interviewer started by asking me to describe my overall experience. I talked about the company, the projects I worked on, and the new skills I gained. After that, we discussed my specific tasks in detail. The interviewer wanted to know how I managed the data used to create Grafana dashboards. I explained how I collected the data, sent it to Grafana, and ensured that everything worked smoothly. He was particularly interested in how I avoided race conditions when sending data to the Prometheus server. I explained that I used proper synchronization methods to make sure data was handled correctly and that no conflicts occurred. Next, we talked about GraphQL. The interviewer asked me to explain what it is and why it’s used. I described GraphQL as a tool that helps request exactly the data needed from an API, making it more efficient as it solves the problem of over fetching and under fetching. We then moved on to HTTP protocols. The interviewer asked about the format of HTTP requests and responses. I explained that an HTTP request includes a method, headers, and a body, while the response includes a status code, headers, and sometimes a body. I also talked about common HTTP status codes like 200 (OK), 404 (Not Found), and 500 (Internal Server Error), explaining what each one means. The conversation then shifted to the branching system we used during my internship. I explained how we used Git to manage our code, created separate branches for new features, and merged them after reviewing the changes. The interviewer was interested in how I handled conflicts during this process. I described how I communicated with team members to resolve any issues, carefully reviewed the changes, and made sure everything worked properly after merging. Finally, we discussed the interviewer’s work. He shared details about his projects and the challenges he faced, which gave me a better understanding of the work environment and how my experiences compared to his. VERDICT: Selected

Batch: 2025

My Microsoft SWE Internship Interview Experience Application Process In July, I applied for the Software Engineering (SWE) internship Off-campus through the Microsoft Careers portal. Online Assessment (OA) – September 5th After resume shortlisting, I received the invitation for an online assessment. The OA had 2 questions — Leetcode medium to hard — and I managed to solve both the questions. Interview Shortlisting – October 11th I was thrilled to receive an email confirming that I had been selected for the interview round. The interview was scheduled for October 21st, and I had about 10 days to prepare intensively. Technical Interviews – October 21st Microsoft conducted two technical interviews on the same day, both focused on coding and problem-solving. : Technical Round 1 (9:00 AM - 9:45 AM) The interviewer started with a brief introduction and asked about my projects and previous experience. I was given 1 DSA problem of medium-hard difficulty. This problem was based on trees. I came up with a brute-force approach and explained it to the interviewer. Then she asked me to optimize it and code it out on a platform called codility. Then, we had some follow-up questions like the edge cases and time complexity. After this, there were a few questions on OOPS and DBMS. Technical Round 2 (10:00 AM - 11:00 AM) After 10 mins of my round 1, I received a selection email for round 2. This round also began with an introduction and a discussion on my resume. I was asked a medium to hard level recursion and string-based DSA question. The interviewer focused on my thought process, efficiency, and edge cases.I came up with an Optimal approach and explained it to the interviewer Then he asked me to code it out and also dry run it. Towards the end, we discussed Operating Systems and DBMS. Both interviewers were friendly and encouraged me. It was important to explain my thought process and write clean, efficient code. Final Result – Selected! The next day (22nd October), I received the confirmation that I had been selected for the Microsoft SWE Internship! . Key Takeaways Have a strong resume. Highlight relevant projects, skills, and experience. Solve a variety of DSA problems along with CS fundamental subjects. Practice mock interviews with your friends and communicate your approach clearly during coding rounds.

Batch: 2026

🌟 My Barclays Internship Interview Experience CS 2026 | Barclays | Intern 📅 Date: 10 September 2024 I recently had the opportunity to interview for an internship at Barclays, and I’m excited to share my experience to help anyone preparing for a similar path! 🚀 The interview process consisted of two rounds: a Technical Round followed by a Technical + HR Round. Here's a detailed breakdown of each stage: 🚀 The Hackathon That Started It All It all began on April 7, 2024, when 25 teams, each with four members, from six different colleges across India, were invited to Barclays’ Pune office for a 36-hour hackathon. With a grand inauguration ceremony, the hackathon kicked off. We were eager to brainstorm and code solutions for the given problem statement. Our mentors were extremely supportive, guiding us through our initial approach. Their insights boosted our confidence and reassured us that we were on the right track. After 36 hours of relentless coding, the results were announced—we made it to the top 8 finalists! However, there was another challenge ahead: presenting our solution to the CEO of Barclays India and other senior leaders. Unfortunately, we didn’t make it past this round. But the story didn’t end there! On June 14, we received an unexpected notice—we were selected for direct interviews! 🎉 📋 Overview The Barclays recruitment process included the following steps: 36 Hours Hackathon Technical Interview Technical + HR Interview Final Selection ✅ 🛠 Round 1: Technical Interview Mode: Offline Difficulty: Medium—Hard 🟠 The first round was heavily focused on core computer science concepts, data structures, and system design. The interviewer tested my understanding of various topics, ranging from memory management to error handling. 🔍 Key Topics Covered: Data Structures: Arrays, Linked Lists (LL), and Doubly Linked Lists (DLL) Deletion. Stack vs. Heap Memory Management. Operating Systems: Synchronization mechanisms. System Design: Fundamental concepts and practical scenarios. Error Handling: Best practices and implementation. Programming Languages (C and C++): Key differences between C and C++. Function Overloading vs. Overriding. Database Management: ACID properties and implementation in my projects. 💡 Coding Challenge: I was asked to solve problems related to data structures, such as deleting nodes in a DLL and explaining memory management between stack and heap. One interesting question was about ACID properties and how I implemented them in my project, which I managed to explain effectively. I was also asked a question related to System Design. 💼 Round 2: Technical + HR Interview Mode: Offline Difficulty: Medium 🟠 This round was a blend of technical questions and HR discussions, testing both my problem-solving skills and my fit for the company culture. 🔍 Key Topics Covered: Coding Challenges: Reverse a string (My name). Print a pattern based on a given input. Conceptual Questions: Why C++ is not considered fully cross-platform. SQL queries and understanding of Indexes. OOP Concepts: Can constructors be overloaded or overridden? Understanding of try, catch, and throw for exception handling. Behavioral Questions: Situational and scenario-based questions to assess decision-making skills. 💡 Interesting Question: One notable question was about overloading and overriding constructors in C++, which I clarified by explaining that constructors can be overloaded but not overridden. 🗣 HR Segment: In the HR part of the interview, I was asked about: Personal Background: My education and interests. Behavioral Questions: How I handle challenges and team dynamics. Situational Questions: Example scenarios to assess my decision-making skills. The HR interview was conversational, making it a comfortable experience to share my goals and aspirations. 📚 Resources I Used: Coding: Leetcode & GeeksforGeeks. Concepts: CS50x (Harvard’s Intro to CS) & Striver’s YouTube Channel. System Design: Gaurav Sen’s YouTube Channel & Grokking the System Design Interview. 🌟 Key Takeaways: Thorough Preparation: Focus on core concepts like Data Structures, OS, DBMS, and OOP is essential. Coding Practice: Emphasize arrays, linked lists, and string manipulation on platforms like Leetcode and GeeksforGeeks. Clear Communication: Explain your approach confidently during coding problems. System Design Insight: Prepare for system design questions with resources like Gaurav Sen's YouTube Channel. Resume Knowledge: Be well-versed with your projects and contributions. Behavioral Questions: Prepare examples of challenges faced and how you handled them. Hackathon Experience: Participating in hackathons can significantly boost confidence and prepare you for real-world challenges. Stay Calm and Honest: If unsure about an answer, it’s better to admit it honestly. 🎉 Conclusion: The interview process was a great learning experience, blending technical depth with personality assessment. The hackathon played a significant role in preparing me for the challenges I faced during the interviews. Preparing thoroughly on data structures, OOP concepts, and SQL played a key role in my confidence during the interviews. I hope my experience helps fellow aspirants get a better understanding of the Barclays interview process! All the best! 💙 🚀 Thanks for reading! Best of luck for your interviews! ✌️

Batch: 2026

🚀 Interview Experience: Siemens Internship Welcome to my Siemens Internship Interview Experience! I hope this helps future aspirants. 🏢 Company & Role Company: Siemens Role: Intern Batch/Year of Graduation: 2026 Branch: Computer Science/IT/EnTC 🗓 Application Process How did you apply? On-Campus Recruitment Drive Timeline: Application Date: January 2025 Online Assessment Date: Early February 2025 Interview Dates: February 2025 Offer Date: Mid-February 2025 💬 Hiring Rounds Round 1: Online Assessment Type: MCQ-based test (Aptitude, Coding, OOPS, Data Structures, C++) Duration: 1 hour Description: The test consisted of aptitude questions and technical questions covering C++, Object-Oriented Programming, and Data Structures. Around 120 candidates appeared, and 60 were shortlisted for interviews. Difficulty Level: Medium Experience: I found the coding and OOPS questions manageable as I had recently revised them. Round 2: Technical Interview Type: In-person (Coding, Data Structures, OOPS, Projects, Research Paper Discussion) Duration: 45-50 minutes Interviewers: 2 Description: Personal Questions: Introduction, Family Background, Nervousness Level. Project Discussion: Asked to explain the project I worked on. Requested to draw the workflow/architecture diagram of my project. This project later won in the TechFiesta Hackathon, so the interviewers were already impressed. Research Paper Discussion: Asked about my publication and contributions. Data Structures & Algorithms: I mentioned I was comfortable with Trees, Graphs, and DP (since I had recently practiced Striver’s Sheet), but they decided to focus on Linked Lists instead. Questions Asked: Difference between Array/Vector and Linked List. Boilerplate code for Linked List. Auxiliary functions in Linked List. Why did I use class instead of struct for implementing a Node? Given an infinitely long Linked List, how to delete a node with a single pointer? How to detect a cycle in a Linked List? Types of Linked Lists and their differences. OOPS Concepts: 3-4 questions related to Object-Oriented Programming. Puzzle: Given matchsticks, shift them to form three squares. Closing: They asked if I had any questions. I asked 3-4 questions, which made them happy. Difficulty Level: Medium to Hard Experience: I felt confident because I had recently practiced DSA. The project discussion and research paper questions were my strong points. Round 3: HR Interview Type: Online Duration: 20-30 minutes Description: Personal Questions: "You're from Kolhapur but studying in Pune, which city is better?" Asked about my internship and project work. Situational Questions: Given a scenario related to my internship project, how would I handle it? Company & Future Plans: "Why should we choose you?" "Any plans for Masters/MBA?" "What is the motto of Siemens?" (I had read it beforehand.) Closing: She asked if I had any questions. Difficulty Level: Easy Experience: I was confident, and the HR was friendly. Having read about Siemens beforehand helped. 📊 Overall Experience & Tips Overall Interview Experience: Very Positive! The interviewers were friendly and encouraging. What to prepare? 💯 DSA: Linked Lists, Trees, Graphs, Dynamic Programming OOPS: Classes, Objects, Polymorphism, Inheritance Aptitude: Logical Reasoning, Quantitative Projects: Be clear about architecture and implementation HR Round: Learn about Siemens, its values, and motto Tips for Aspirants: ✨ Be confident and engage with interviewers. Revise DSA, OOPS if applying for Siemens. Know about your projects. Ask questions at the end—they appreciate it! Verdict: Selected ✅ Siemens values diversity and innovation, and they were keen on understanding my research work. The technical interview was quite detailed, so be well-prepared.

Batch: 2026

Dell Technologies Internship Interview Experience Company & Role Company: Dell Technologies Role: Intern Batch/Year of Graduation: 2026 Branch: Information Technology Application Process Application Mode: On-campus Timeline: Application Date: September 12, 2024 Online Assessment Date: September 26, 2024 Interview Date: October 4, 2024 Offer Announcement: Results were declared on the same day as the interview. Interview Rounds Round 1: Online Assessment Type: Coding and MCQs Description: The test focused on DSA concepts and core computer science topics. One major challenge was that you were not allowed to pick a preferred programming language. This highlights the importance of being proficient in multiple languages rather than sticking to just one. Questions Asked: Regular expression matching in Java Finding the maximum value in Javascript Creation of a template class in C++ Your Experience: Although the difficulty level of the questions was moderate, the assessment tested knowledge across various topics and languages. A great way to build multi-language proficiency is by leveraging lab assignments at PICT. Since TE labs generally allow language choice, it's beneficial to solve assignments in different languages.This approach will be a time-saver during internship season as you won't have to learn new languages from scratch. Most importantly, code your assignments by yourself instead of relying on generative AI—this will provide long-term benefits. Round 2: Technical Interview Type: Technical + Managerial Description: This round involved in-depth questions based on the resume, as well as DSA problems. Your Experience: Before the interview, thoroughly review every detail on your resume. Ensure you can explain all points in a clear and structured manner. Additionally, consistent DSA practice is key. Participating in competitive programming contests helps simulate high-pressure environments similar to OAs and interviews. Since the company was looking for interns for cloud-related roles, having a basic understanding of cloud computing concepts would be beneficial. Some questions asked were: Questions on projects mentioned in the resume Four pillars of OOP How will you find the quotient and reminder of division without using multiplication and division operations. Puzzle – If you have a string with an uneven burning rate that fully burns in one hour, how will you determine when 30 minutes have passed? Similarly, how can you measure 45 minutes using two such strings? Always remember while giving answers explain each and everything in detail and give answers if you are damn sure about it. Before writing the code in interview discuss approach first, and while writing the code discuss with the interviewer as well and give him idea of what you are doing. Round 3: HR Round Type: Behavioral & Situational Questions Description: This round focused on teamwork and problem-solving abilities. The interviewer presented different scenarios and asked how I would handle them. A particularly interesting question was about the importance of modern vs. legacy software. Overall Experience & Tips Overall Experience: This was my second interview so I had that confindence and learnings from previous interview. The preparation journey was enjoyable, and the interview process was insightful. Key Topics to Prepare: DSA, OOP, DBMS, OS, CNS, Cloud Computing Tips for Students: Treat interviews as discussions, not just Q&A sessions. Always ask questions and seek clarifications when needed. If stuck on a question, don’t hesitate to request a hint from the interviewer. Stay confident, and approach each question with a problem-solving mindset. Verdict: ✅ Selected Good Luck, and Remember: Stay Confident!

Batch: 2026

My Druva Experience 🎯 📝 Round 1: Online Assessment (70 mins) This round consisted of: 1️⃣ 9 MCQs based on DSA, Computer Networks (CN), and Operating Systems (OS). 2️⃣ 3 Coding Questions: Finding the third largest string in a given array. Find the missing digit x from the given expression. Fizz Buzz. 📢 40 students were shortlisted after this test. 🔹 Round 2: Technical Round 1 1️⃣ Give your introduction. 2️⃣ Resume-based questions: (Interviewer read my entire resume and briefly asked about all the points, including my internship experience, tech stack used in projects, and extra-curriculars). 3️⃣ What is an API? 4️⃣ Different HTTP methods? 5️⃣ Difference between GET and POST? 6️⃣ Ever wondered how Netflix is developed? (Interviewer was impressed when I mentioned Microservices, so he did not ask anything further. Phew! 😅) 7️⃣ What is your favorite data structure? (I said Stack). 8️⃣ Write a code to reverse a Linked List using Stack. 9️⃣ Write the code for the Tower of Hanoi problem. 🔟 Write a code to find the middle of a Linked List. 1️⃣1️⃣ Write a code to find the factorial of a large number. (I did not know the approach, so I talked about factorial using DP. Thankfully, the interviewer moved to the next question quickly). 1️⃣2️⃣ What is Dynamic Programming? 1️⃣3️⃣ Solve the Rod Cutting Problem using DP. 1️⃣4️⃣ Difference between SQL and NoSQL? 📞 Final Question: Do you have any questions for me? 🔹 Round 3: TechnoHR Round 1️⃣ Give your Introduction. 2️⃣ Do you have any existing offers? 3️⃣ Why not GRE? 4️⃣ What are some of the challenges you faced in engineering? 5️⃣ What is Deadlock? How to avoid it? 6️⃣ What is the Critical Section? 7️⃣ What is a Semaphore? 8️⃣ What is Inter-Process Communication (IPC)? 9️⃣ What are Scheduling Algorithms? 🔟 Who schedules the scheduler in an OS? (I couldn't answer this 😅). 1️⃣1️⃣ What is ARP? Why do we need it? 1️⃣2️⃣ What is meant by a 64-bit operating system? 1️⃣3️⃣ What is Polymorphism? Give examples. 📞 Final Question: Do you have any questions for me? 🎉 Final Result: 6 students, including me, were selected at the end of the process! 🚀 📚 Resources I Followed: 📌 DSA Concepts: [MyCodeSchool](https://www.youtube.com/user/mycodeschool) 📌 DSA Sheet: [Striver's SDE Sheet](https://takeuforward.org/interviews/strivers-sde-sheet-top-coding-interview-problems/) 📌 OS Concepts: [Operating System Playlist](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxCzCOWd7aiGz9donHRrE9I3Mwn6XdP8p) 📌 CN Concepts: [Networking Interview Questions](https://www.interviewbit.com/networking-interview-questions/) 📌 C++ & OOPS: [C++ Playlist](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLYz8uHU480j37APNXBdPz7YzAi4XlQUF)

Batch: 2023

My Siemens Interview Experience 🎯 📝 Round 1: MCQ Test This round consisted of 29 MCQs covering Aptitude, OOPS, DSA, and C++. 📢 49 students were shortlisted after this test. 🔹 Round 2: Technical Interview 1 (Offline) This round started with some introductory questions: ➔ Give your Introduction ➔ What subjects did you study in Information Technology? ➔ What is your favorite subject? (I said OOPS) ➔ From where did you learn OOPS? (Interviewer was surprised when I mentioned a PDF copy) ➔ How would you rate yourself in C++ on a scale of 1 to 10? DSA & OOPS Questions: 1️⃣ What is pass by reference and pass by address? Write a piece of code for the same. 2️⃣ Conceptual questions on pointers and references (Some were tricky). 3️⃣ Write a code to find the sum of consecutive elements in an array, where the last element should be added to the first. 4️⃣ What are Constructor, Copy Constructor, and Destructor? 5️⃣ Does the compiler always create a default constructor? When is it mandatory to define one? 6️⃣ Explain OOPS features with real-life examples. 7️⃣ You are holding a pen in your hand. Can you apply Encapsulation and Abstraction to it? 8️⃣ Can you apply Encapsulation and Abstraction to a fan? 9️⃣ Puzzle: You have a pile of rice and 1 kg of stone. How will you measure 31 kg of rice? 🔟 If I travel 600 meters in 5 minutes, find my speed in km/hr. 📌 Internship & Technical Discussion: Explain your role in your last internship. What is a REST API? Mention some npm commands. How will you run a file using Node.js? 📞 Final Question: Do you have any questions for me? 🔹 Round 3: Technical Interview 2 + HR (Online) For some students, this round was purely technical. 1️⃣ How was your day? 2️⃣ Introduction 3️⃣ Write a piece of code related to your internship in Notepad. (I wasn't expecting this, so I explained it at a high level and mentioned that I'd refer to documentation for syntax. The interviewer was okay with that and moved on.) 4️⃣ Write code to count the frequency of elements in an array. 5️⃣ Write code to find the missing number in a sorted and unsorted array. 6️⃣ Write code to find duplicates in sorted and unsorted arrays. (Initially, he mentioned that only a single duplicate was present, but later asked me to modify the code for multiple duplicates.) 📌 HR Questions: What is your weakness? Talk about a situation where you faced a challenge and how you overcame it. How would you handle a situation in an organization where you have a liability? Do you have any questions for me? 🔹 Round 4: HR Interview (Offline) This was a general discussion round. 📍 Questions Asked: How was your day? Did you learn something new today? What is your biggest strength and weakness? Why Siemens? What if another company offers you double the salary Siemens is offering? What factors would you consider while analyzing offers from other companies? Why not higher studies? Do you have any questions for me? 🎉 Final Result: 11 students, including me, were selected at the end of the process! 🚀

Batch: 2023

How I Got the Interview Opportunity? 🎯 This was an On-Campus opportunity provided by my College — PICT (Pune Institute of Computer Technology), Pune. PhonePe is one of the top companies visiting our Campus and is famous for asking good-level DSA questions. It was my Dream Company from First Year itself as all the top Coders from our College used to get placed in PhonePe. So I was excited for the Interview Process. They were the first company visiting for our batch 2022, around the last week of July 2021. After we registered for PhonePe, we got the link to Online Test, which was the first step of the process. 🖥️ Online Assessment Round This round was conducted on PhonePe’s DoSelect Platform, which is similar to any other DSA Test Environment. The duration of the test was 2 hours. There were 4 Coding Questions with Medium-Hard difficulty level. Problems Asked: Count ways to exit matrix [N][M] (4 adjacent directions movements) from given (Sx, Sy) starting point in at most K steps. → Solvable in O(N M K) using DP You can increment any A[i] by 1 (at most K times), find the maximum frequency of any A[i] possible. → Available on LeetCode. Solvable in O(N log N) → Approach: Sort Array. Fix L, find best R using binary search (prefix sums required). Game Theory Problem: Given A and C, start with value A! (A factorial). Each player removes B (B ≤ A!) and B should have at most C distinct prime factors. A, C ≤ 10^6 Answer: Count unique factors of A! If it is ≤ C, first wins else second wins A Hard problem on Tree (not understandable, and no one solved it). The CutOff for this round was 200 out of 400 (100 points per question, partials accepted). Only 9 students (including me) from the whole college who appeared for the test were selected for the next Interview Rounds. 📩 I got the mail the next day that I had cleared the OA and received the link for the First Interview Round, which was scheduled for the next day. 🔹 First Technical Interview Round (1 Hour Long) 📍 Platform: Google Meet & CodeSignal 📍 Difficulty Level: Easy-Medium 📍 Interviewer: SDE-1 at PhonePe (1.5 years of experience) The interview began with a general introduction of mine. He then asked about my Hackerearth Internship and how to set problems, generate test cases, and automate them. DSA Questions Asked: Find the missing number in a sorted array of size N-1 (consisting of all numbers from 1 to N). My Solution: Expected O(log N) → Binary Search ✅ (Very Easy Problem) Pick K elements from either the start or end of the array such that their sum is maximum. My Solution: Iterate on count of prefix elements from 0 to K and take suffix elements accordingly. Expected Time Complexity: O(N) ✅ (Easy Problem) Query Problem: Given an array of integers, answer queries of type L R D — Count numbers from L to R where the number of digits in that number ≥ D. My Solution: O(N log N) precomputation & O(1) query. Used 2D prefix sum array. ✅ (Medium Problem) 📞 Result: I got a call confirming my selection for the next round (with 5 others). 🔹 Second Technical Interview Round (1 Hour Long) 📍 Platform: Same as Round 1 📍 Interviewer: 3+ years of experience at PhonePe After a short introduction, the interviewer asked the following Coding Questions: Covid Spread in a Binary Tree Given a Binary Tree where nodes are people, the deepest leaf node gets Covid+ first, and the virus spreads to neighboring nodes in 1 sec. Find total time to spread in the whole tree. My Solution: The answer is the Diameter of the Binary Tree (one of the farthest nodes is the first Covid+ node). Time Complexity: O(N) ✅ Evaluate a mathematical expression containing brackets, operators, and numbers. My Solution: Used Two Stacks (one for operands & brackets, one for numbers). Time Complexity: O(N) ✅ 📞 Result: After some time, I received a call that I had qualified for the Final Round with 2 others! 🎉 🔹 Third HR Interview Round (1 Hour Long) 📍 Platform: Google Meet 📍 Interviewer: Head of a Department at PhonePe This was a non-technical round with resume discussion and some general questions. Questions Asked: Internships Discussion: Hackerearth: What topics do you usually set problems on? Vicevio (Flutter Internship): How did you improve the architecture & contributions? Have you developed any Android App that solved a daily life problem? 📞 Final Question: Why do you think you are the best fit for PhonePe? 🌟 This was my best round! The interviewer was very friendly, and I felt confident. 🎉 Result: I GOT SELECTED! 🎉 After 2-3 hours, I got a call from PhonePe saying that I had been selected! This was a dream come true for me as I had been aiming for PhonePe since my first year. Getting placed on the first day of the Placement Season made it even more special. 🔥 Some Tips: OA Round was Hard 💻 but Interview Rounds were Easy-Medium (mostly Leetcode-style questions). Keep interacting with the Interviewer instead of staying silent while thinking. Explain easy problems well—most candidates will solve them, but good explanation can make a difference. If you don’t know an answer, admit it early rather than diving in blindly.

Batch: 2022

⏳ 36 Hours, ⚡ 2 Rounds, 🎯 1 Offer: My Barclays Interview Experience in Great Detail Hey Folks, I’m Piyush from PICT, Pune, and today, I’m excited to share my incredible interview experience with Barclays. Buckle up, because this journey was nothing short of thrilling! 🚀 The Hackathon That Started It All It all began on April 7, 2024. A total of 25 teams, each with four members, from six different colleges across India, were invited to Barclays’ Pune office for a 36-hour hackathon. With a grand inauguration ceremony, the hackathon kicked off. We were eager to brainstorm and code solutions for the given problem statement. Our mentors were extremely supportive, guiding us through our initial approach. Their insights boosted our confidence and reassured us that we were on the right track. After 36 hours of relentless coding, the results were announced—we made it to the top 8 finalists! But there was another challenge ahead. We had to present our solution to the CEO of Barclays India and other senior leaders. Unfortunately, we didn’t make it past this round. [Our Project.](https://github.com/piyush960/FinWatch.git) However, on June 14, we received an unexpected notice—we were selected for direct interviews! 🎉 The Preparation Dilemma Did I immediately start preparing? Not really. Instead, I focused on improving my overall skills rather than solely relying on this opportunity. I also secured a three-month internship, which turned out to be a game-changer in my interview preparation. Fast forward to September 7, we got the notification—Barclays was visiting our campus for Summer Intern roles. This was my cue to start focused preparation. But where to begin? I was overwhelmed. After reading multiple interview experiences, I concluded that Barclays primarily looks for Java, SQL, and strong DBMS knowledge. My previous internship helped me structure my resume strategically to highlight my SQL skills. Here’s how I planned my study: Day 1: Operating Systems and basic DSA Day 2: DBMS and SQL Day 3: Just rest! No more cramming. The Big Day - September 10 The day started with a pre-placement talk (PPT). I carefully noted the company’s key values. The interviews began at 11 AM, I knew who my interviewer was (thanks to the PPT), so I quickly checked her LinkedIn profile before heading in. Round 1: Technical Interview Q1: Introduce yourself. I had prepared this well, including my degree, academic achievements (FE topper!), hackathons, previous internship experience, and my preferred tech stack. I deliberately avoided mentioning Java since I wasn’t confident in its core concepts. Q2: Why did you choose this tech stack for your projects? Q3: Why SQL? My strategy worked! She focused on SQL, allowing me to steer the interview in my comfort zone. Q4: Write a SQL query to find all employees with the second-highest salary. A generic question. I had prepared five different solutions, starting from the most complex to the easiest one. Q5: DBMS-related questions. Q6: Why not MongoDB? Some follow-up questions on NoSQL. Now, it was my turn to ask questions. From her LinkedIn, I saw she was an AWS Solution Architect and Scrum Master, so I asked about her role in AWS. She was impressed! Round 2: HR + Technical Interview I barely had time to relax before being called in for the next round within five minutes. Q1: Another introduction, followed by a discussion about my projects. Q2: “What’s Pulsiefy?” One of my projects—a symptom-based hospital finder web app. I had a strong answer prepared since this was a real-life problem I personally faced. Q3: More SQL! Given source and destination cities, find all connecting flights from City A to City B. I couldn’t fully solve it but explained my thought process. It was partially correct, and the interviewer was okay with it. Q4: My internship experience and how I solved a particular problem. He was impressed. This was an HR interview, so I framed my question around Barclays’ core values (RISES) with a mix of technical curiosity. He liked it and gave a detailed response, extending the interview by 10 extra minutes! The Wait & The Result I submitted my resume, chatted with friends, grabbed some much-needed snacks, and waited. And waited. After eight long hours, the results were announced. And guess what? I got selected! 🎉 Final Thoughts & Key Takeaways Stay calm. Don’t rush your answers. Structure your resume strategically. Don’t include unnecessary details. (I mentioned ChatGPT, which slightly backfired in Round 1.) Be prepared, but also flexible during interviews. Most importantly, enjoy the process! Barclays has an amazing culture. We clicked pictures, celebrated, and ended the day on a high note. A truly unforgettable experience!

Batch: 2026

From My First Hackathon to an Internship at Mastercard: My Journey Through the Code for Change Hackathon When I signed up for the Code for Change Hackathon last year, I had no idea it would lead to an internship at Mastercard. What made it even more special? It was my very first hackathon. I was extremely excited—and yes, a little nervous. But I didn’t want to go in unprepared, so I began my preparations a week in advance. Looking back, that decision made all the difference. The First Hurdle: DSA Round Before the actual hackathon began, we had a DSA (Data Structures & Algorithms) round with two medium-level questions—one based on trees and the other on graphs. Thankfully, I was able to solve both. Although the second problem had a couple of tricky test cases I couldn’t pass, I managed to crack most of them. Here’s what I learned: Consistency in DSA is non-negotiable. I’m not a DSA expert, and I still struggle with many LeetCode problems. But I try to solve 1–2 questions every day. You can't master DSA in a week or even a month—it’s a long-term game. Keep at it, and you'll see the benefits. Preparing for the Hackathon One of the most common mistakes participants make is going into hackathons unprepared. No matter how proficient you are in development, AI/ML, or any other domain, take some time to revise your core concepts. Whether it's Java, React, Node.js, or machine learning—make sure you understand the foundations. Our hackathon started early—at 6 AM—and we made sure to reach before time. Since all my teammates were from different colleges, we were meeting for the first time. Most of them were shy and introverted. That’s when it hit me: a hackathon is a team effort. It doesn't matter how skilled you are—unless you work with your team, you won’t be able to perform your best. Breaking the Ice: Teamwork First One of the first things I focused on was breaking the ice. I encouraged everyone to talk openly and share their ideas. Creating a comfortable and collaborative environment is crucial because planning is the most important phase of any hackathon. Clear communication ensures everyone is on the same page. Don’t jump into coding right away. Instead, spend time deciding the tech stack, system architecture, and most importantly, clarifying each member's role. Equal involvement and early planning can save hours of confusion later on. Building + Presenting = Winning Here’s a reality check: What you make and what you present can be completely different. In our case, the backend wasn’t functioning perfectly, but we didn’t let that pull us down. We focused on building a clean and well-structured frontend, ensuring the UI/UX was polished and intuitive. Adding small, out-of-the-box features can really impress the judges. Focus on the problem statement, but don’t hesitate to go a step further. And remember—if there’s a mentor or leader assigned to your group, listen to their suggestions and try to implement them. They often have a broader perspective and can guide you in the right direction. Lastly, take initiatives wherever you can. Whether it’s leading discussions, designing mockups, or presenting the final pitch—show ownership. It not only helps the team but also leaves a strong impression on mentors and judges alike. Key Takeaways: Participate in as many hackathons as possible. They help you think on your feet and improve logical and critical thinking. Consistency is key in DSA. Even one question a day makes a difference. Hackathons are team events. You can’t win alone—collaboration is the real superpower. What you present matters as much as what you build. Make your demo count. Early and clear communication is essential to avoid confusion later. Take initiative and be proactive. It reflects both leadership and enthusiasm.

Batch: 2026

🏢 Company & Role Company: PhonePe Role: SDE [Intern + FTE] Batch/Year of Graduation: 2025 Branch: Computer Engineering 📅 Application Process Mode of Application: On-Campus Timeline: Online Assessment Date: 31/07/24 Interview + Result Dates: 01/08/24 💬 Interview Rounds Round 1: Data Structures Round 1 Type: Problem Solving Description: This round revolved completely around DSA questions. Two DSA questions were asked of difficulty level medium-hard. For every question I started with a brute-force approach and moved towards optimal solution, while explaining my thoughtprocess throughout the interview. Was also encouraged to write the pseudocode for the logic I presented and do a dry run of the test cases provided. Questions you can refer to: [Maximizing Robbery in Binary Tree Houses without Alerting Police](https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/maximizing-robbery-in-binary-tree-houses-without-alerting-police/) {Binary Trees+DP} [Buy and Sell Stocks II](https://leetcode.com/problems/best-time-to-buy-and-sell-stock-ii/description/) {2D Array + DP} Round 2: Data Structures Round 2 Type: Problem Solving Description: This round also revolved around DSA questions and again 2 questions were presented. These questions were more on the Leetcode Hard side of difficulty. Brute force solution was appreciated as well, and further Optimal solution was discussed. The interviewers were more intrigued and interested in the way you think rather than how fast you come to the said solution. So talking about your thoughtprocess while solving was a crucial thing that helped me. Questions you can refer to: [Bricks Falling When Hit](https://leetcode.com/problems/bricks-falling-when-hit/description/) {Disjoint Set Union} [Erect the Fence](https://leetcode.com/problems/erect-the-fence/description/) {Math Based} Round 3 : Hiring Manager Round Type: Technical + HR Description: This round was resume and general questions based. Interviewer skimmed through my entire resume one by one and asked questions regarding each and everything present there. Started with my leadership positions and club contributions, I was asked few questions about team building and coordination. This was followed by my research papers I had published till then. My resume was ML dominated, so I was asked questions about algorithms used in the projects and research work and the logic behind them. I was also asked about my Hackathon winning projects. Detailed questions were asked about my interships and the techtsack used there like Nginx server, Docker, few CNS and OS questions. These were followed by few general questions like startup ideas, people who inspire you, etc. 📊 Overall Experience & Tips What to prepare? Would definitely recommend the GFG archive of PhonePe interview questions. Really builds your thoughtprocess for the actual questions they ask. Tips for Aspirants: Have something on your resume that sets you apart, would be helpful in the last round. Verdict: Selected

Batch: 2025

🎯 Nilay's Barclays Summer Internship Interview Experience (Pune Office) 📌 Introduction I am from PICT Pune, and in September 2024, I had the opportunity to interview for a Summer Internship at Barclays, Pune. The process was challenging yet exciting. Here's a detailed breakdown of my experience! 🚀 Resources at the end 📝 Direct Interview I got in through Barclays Hack-o-Hire 2024 [🔗 LINK](https://www.hackerearth.com/challenges/hackathon/hack-o-hire/), their yearly hackathon for second-year and third-year students. My team and I ranked in the top 25 among 1250+ teams, which resulted in us getting a direct interview without an online assessment (OA). This was a great advantage as I didn't have to compete with hundreds of candidates for an interview via OA. I received an early confirmation (2 months prior) that I would get a direct interview, giving me a head start to solely focus on interview preparation. 🎯 🏆 Round 1: Technical Interview Mode: Offline Duration: ~20 mins Interviewer: VP @ Barclays [🔗 Mr. Pradeep Tripathi](https://www.linkedin.com/in/pradeep-tripathi-12444a42/) I was prepared to talk extensively about my projects, experience at Hack-o-Hire, and core CS subjects (OOP, DSA, DBMS, OS, CNS), along with LeetCode-style questions if needed. However, since it was early in the day and due to Mr. Pradeep’s friendly nature, the interview felt more like a tech enthusiast café conversation than a formal interview. No DSA or SQL questions were asked, which is fairly uncommon for tech interviews. For 20 minutes, we only discussed emerging tech, interesting technical details, and my interest in Barclays. I didn’t perceive the talking points as questions—it felt like a nuanced discussion instead. ✨ 📌 Talking Points: Our Educational Backgrounds 🎓 I started the interview by greeting him by his first name, which is part of Barclays’ culture ("Sir" is highly discouraged). I had noted his name during the pre-placement talk that morning, which earned me instant brownie points. I had also checked his LinkedIn profile for additional talking points. After introducing myself and summarizing my last two years at PICT Pune, I directly asked him about his education, which he was very interested in discussing. My Experience at Hack-o-Hire 🚀 Since I had thought extensively about this beforehand, I provided a genuine perspective rather than blind praise. This elevated my human element in the conversation. He then asked, "Would you like to join Barclays?"—within just 5 minutes! This made me feel like I couldn’t fail, even if I deliberately tried. Everything after this was just talking. My Projects and His Projects 🔍 I discussed my projects, and after some elementary questioning, I flipped the conversation by asking about his career projects. Since I had researched his LinkedIn and knew about his documented projects, I was able to engage in an insightful discussion. AI and Modern Software Development 🤖 We discussed how AI is transforming software engineering. He had started with IBM mainframes and limited internet access, whereas I code using LLMs without lifting a finger—a generational shift we both found fascinating. Finding the Maximum Integer in a List 🔢 He gave me this super simple coding question, possibly just to keep the interview formal. We both knew that technical interviews are about coding, so he lowballed the question. ✅ Cleared this round and moved to the final interview! 🚀 🔥 Round 2: HR + Core Tech 👾 Mode: offline Duration: ~1 Hr 30 mins Interviewer: VP @ Barclays Mr. Shashank 📌 Discussion Points: Introduction & Hometown 🌍 This turned into an extended discussion about both of our hometowns. Project Discussion 💻 Whatever you mention in your resume is your question sheet—nothing outside of it will be asked. My Kafka experience was tested with tricky questions about producers, consumers, and consumer groups. I was also asked to draw a data pipeline involving Kafka and load balancers (it’s a blur now ). Java 🏗️ Barclays is a major Java shop, so Java knowledge is highly valued. My interview revolved around OOP concepts and low-level system design (essentially, designing classes and structuring them using OOP). Behavioral Questions 🤝 I was given zero-sum game scenarios, where there was no clear solution benefiting both parties. The goal wasn’t to solve the problem, but to explain my approach using corporate thinking. Some questions included: A time when I worked in a team and resolved a conflict. A situation where I couldn't get things my way—how did I handle it? These questions are designed to simulate stressful situations, so it’s important to stay calm and composed. ✅ This was a smooth discussion, mainly assessing my core tech skills, communication, confidence, and cultural fit. 🎉 Final Outcome: Selected! ✅  I Rejected Barclay's internship and never did summer internship 🙏 📢 Key Takeaways: Look out for Hackathons 🔍 (most companies have a yearly hackathon nowadays). Be on top of tech trends 🚀 (system design, AI, changing paradigms, etc.). Read technical books 📚 (to have sound technical conversations). Revise your projects & work experience 🏗️ (be prepared to explain them in depth). Prepare for behavioral questions 🗣️ (the STAR method helps structure answers). Be confident & communicate well 💪 (clearly explain your thought process). 💌 Special Thanks: [Shreya Hiwarkar 💙](https://www.linkedin.com/in/shreya-hiwarkar-162b09259/) (who told me about Hack-o-Hire weeks before others). My Team @ Hack-o-Hire 🫂 [Ketan Bajaj](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ketan-bajaj-653006299/) [Aditya Uttarwar](https://www.linkedin.com/in/aditya-uttarwar-ab7795245/) [Soham Deshpande](https://www.linkedin.com/in/soham-deshpande-9aa537264/) 🚀 Final Words I hope this helps anyone preparing for a Barclays internship interview! Best of luck! 🍀🔥 Resources: [My Resume](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cGrWyal11o43l9dF21kBcQJ6teySillW/view?usp=sharing) [Hack-o-Hire PPT](https://drive.google.com/file/d/150AASW5-szQDswIXk6kv8LrNUFNRir0h/view?usp=sharing) [Hack-o-Hire Post on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/nilay-tayadehackohire24-greatexperience-teamwork-activity-7183080500243165184-fyfr?utmsource=share&utmmedium=memberdesktop)

Batch: 2026

eQ Technologic - SDE Interview Experience 👨‍💻🎓 eQ Technologic is a product-based company that visits PICT every year as part of its recruitment drive, offering opportunities for two key roles : Software Development Engineer (SDE) and Quality Assurance (QA). The company follows a highly selective recruitment process, where selections are purely based on strong interview performance, testing the basics and fundamentals of everything mentioned in your resume. For our batch, the company had conducted its campus placement drive virtually in August 2024. 🎯 Round 1 - Online Assessment (1 hour) The OA was conducted on the SHL platform and was divided into two sections- • Aptitude & Logical Reasoning : This section comprised 15 to 20 logical reasoning and aptitude-based questions to be solved within 20 minutes. The questions ranged from easy to medium level, but speed and accuracy were critical factors. • Coding Questions : The second section contained two coding problems of easy to medium level leetcode difficulty to be solved in 40 minutes. These were primarily focused on linear data structures such as arrays, strings and linked lists. 🎯 Round 2 - Technical Interview 1 Following the OA, 22 candidates were shortlisted for the virtual technical interviews of the SDE role. My interviewer was a Technical Lead with over 13 years of experience at eQ. • The interview began with a self-introduction and an in-depth discussion of my resume, projects and summer-internship. • Next, the interviewer asked conceptual questions on the four pillars of Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) and their real-world applications. I was asked to share my screen and explain these concepts in C++, strictly using Notepad for coding. • The discussion then shifted to Database Management Systems (DBMS), covering normalization, ACID properties and database consistency. Additionally, I was asked to solve two SQL queries involving joins and subqueries. • This was followed by three DSA questions based on arrays, strings, and linked lists. I successfully explained and coded the brute-force and optimal approaches for the first two problems. The third problem was slightly challenging, but with some hints from the interviewer, I was able to derive the optimal solution. • Finally, I was asked questions on Operating Systems (OS), covering multithreading and CPU scheduling. • DSA Questions Asked : [i. Reverse a Linked List](https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/reverse-a-linked-list/) [ii. Integer to Roman](https://leetcode.com/problems/integer-to-roman/description/) iii. Reverse a subarray starting from a given index and then left-rotate the original array by shifting the reversed subarray to the start. The interview lasted for approximately 2.5 to 3 hours, making it the longest round in the process. 🎯 Round 3 - Technical Interview 2 Out of the 22 candidates, 11 were shortlisted for this round. My interviewer was a Senior Manager with 11 years of experience at eQ. • The session began with a brief introduction, followed by two easy-medium DSA questions. I successfully explained and implemented the solutions. • The interviewer then provided three SQL queries involving multiple joins and subqueries, which I solved correctly. • The interviewer was satisfied with my problem-solving approach. • DSA Questions Asked : i. Given a very large number (e.g., long long), return the sum of digits at odd and even positions separately. ii. Given an array of size n containing elements from 1 to n in random order, where one number is duplicated and another is missing, find the missing number in O(n) time (single traversal). This round lasted for about 1 hour. 🎯 Round 4 - Problem Solving We were mailed a problem statement and were told to submit the solution in 1.5 hours. We were told to write the code in a text editor without an IDE. They basically wanted to check the capability to write logic and include modularity in the code. Refer the question [here](https://docs.google.com/document/d/138Csf5esKeD-LrTYBwDFiq82GD1nUvhGITwPL9NlHOY/edit?usp=drivelink) 🎯 Round 5 - Techno-HR Interview Out of the 11 candidates, 8 were shortlisted for the final round. My interviewer was the Director and Head of Talent Acquisition at eQ. • The session began with typical HR questions, covering strengths, weaknesses, family background, hobbies and interests. • This was followed by a discussion on my approach and code implementation from the previous round as the interviewer was expecting some optimization. • The interviewer seemed satisfied with my responses and provided positive feedback. The duration of this round was approximately 45 minutes. ✅ Conclusion After a rigorous multi-round selection process, all 8 candidates, including myself, secured a full-time SDE role at eQ Technologic. This journey was a true test of technical expertise, problem-solving ability and interview readiness, pushing me to refine my core knowledge and logical thinking under pressure. The most crucial factor in performing well across all rounds is a strong grasp of fundamental concepts and a deep understanding of everything listed on your resume. The interviewers were highly focused on our thought process, problem-solving approach and coding logic, rather than just the final solution. A clear understanding of data structures, algorithms, OOP principles, DBMS and operating systems will go a long way in tackling the technical rounds. Additionally, effective communication, confidence throughout the process and structured thinking play a key role in leaving a positive impression. So, this was all about my interview experience. Hope you find it helpful!😊Thank you for taking the time to read! 🙌

Batch: 2025

My Selection Journey at MasterCard – From Hackathon to Internship! “Coding builds the foundation, but communication and leadership define the structure!” How It All Started It was around August 23rd, 2024 when I had one of the most memorable experiences of my tech journey the Code for Change Hackathon organized by MasterCard. But the road began much before that, with a structured selection process that tested both logic and leadership. 📌 1. Registration & Shortlisting Students registered for the event. Shortlisting was based on: AMCAT scores CGPA And other academic parameters. Those shortlisted proceeded to the DSA Round. DSA Round Date: August 5th No. of Questions: 2 One on Arrays / Strings One on Trees / Graphs Scoring even 1.5 questions (1 full + half of another) was enough. I’ve never been a daily DSA solver, but I managed to work through the problems and got shortlisted. Hackathon Shortlisting & Mentorship Once selected, we were notified and assigned into random 7-member teams. We had never met before, so building connections and trust was critical. Each team was also assigned a mentor from MasterCard who conducted: Team-building exercises Technology discussions Progress check-ins “Your mentor is not just a guide, they are also part of your evaluation panel.” Leadership and Teamwork: My Role Here’s where things got intense—and interesting. I naturally took the lead in our team. Assigned and divided tasks based on everyone’s strengths. Regularly checked in with each teammate to ensure progress. Ensured we had something substantial to show before each mentor sync. “Taking charge and enabling others to shine is a quality that doesn't go unnoticed.” I wasn’t the most knowledgeable in AI/ML, but I knew my strengths: Flutter Development Web and Backend Systems So, I took responsibility for: JWT Authentication Backend API development using Django 🚀 4. Hackathon Day – Execution and Energy! Duration: 7 hours Problem Statements: 3 from different NGOs We were given a Problem statement: User Authentication Platform development Information Management Our app wasn’t fully complete—because 7 hours isn’t much—but we: Made strong backend progress Integrated essential APIs Kept our mentor updated in real-time The Final Presentation This was my moment to shine. I convinced my team that I’d be the best to present. Walked the judges through our idea, goals, implementation, and innovation. Even though we didn’t win the hackathon, our concept, effort, and clarity stood out. “Good code brings you halfway, but a strong presentation completes the journey.” The Result – Internship Offer! Because of my: Technical contribution Leadership skills Communication and presentation …I was shortlisted for the SDE role. And now, I’ve officially been offered an internship at MasterCard’s Checkout Services Team! 📅 Joining Date: May 19th, 2025 💼 Role: SDE Intern – Mastercard Checkout Services 🗺️ Roadmap to MasterCard Internship | Step | Description | |------|-------------| | Step 1 | Register for the hiring drive (Code for Change) | | Step 2 | Shortlisting based on CGPA + AMCAT scores | | Step 3 | DSA Round (2 questions - Trees & Graphs) | | Step 4 | Selection for Hackathon & team formation | | Step 5 | Team building & mentorship sessions | | Step 6 | Lead team, divide tasks, monitor progress | | Step 7 | Hackathon Day – Code + Collaborate + Contribute | | Step 8 | Present your project to the judges | | Final Step | Get shortlisted for internship | 📝 Final Tips for Aspirants DSA helps, but it’s not the only thing. Strategy matters. Know your strengths. Focus on what you’re good at. Take initiative. Leading a team is always recognized. Keep mentors in the loop. They notice everything. Presentation is powerful. Speak up with confidence. ✨ "Leadership is not just coding the best—it’s about enabling your team and communicating with clarity." 💬 Have questions or need guidance? Feel free to connect with me. Always happy to help juniors crack the Code for Change!

Batch: 2025

Mastercard Code For Change Hackathon experience Result: Runner-up team✅ Rounds: Online Assessment + Offline Hackathon at Mastercard Pune office Hello readers, Harsha this side. I am a 3rd-year undergrad pursuing Information Technology from Pune Institute Of Computer Technology (PICT). I had the opportunity to participate in the Mastercard < Code For Change> Hackathon 2024. Here’s a glimpse of my experience. About the Hackathon: How Did I Learn About the Opportunity? Mastercard introduced its hackathon-based internship hiring process in 2024. This hackathon was specifically for the top 5 colleges from Pune, PICT being one of them. This hackathon had its primary aim to provide NGOs with technical solutions. In mid-July 2024 my college's training and placement department announced the registrations for the event. Eligibility Criteria: Minimum 7.5 GPA aggregate in university At least 75% in both 10th and 12th boards. No active backlogs. Application Portal: I applied through Mastercard’s official Application Portal. After submitting my application, I received a link to take a coding test on HirePro. >Pro tip: Submit a resume with strong projects, volunteering, or internship experiences as it plays a key role in the shortlisting process Online Assessment: Difficulty: Medium🟡 The coding test consisted of 2 questions to be solved within an hour. • The first question was puzzle-related. I spent a considerable amount of time trying to optimize my solution but ultimately submitted a brute-force approach. • The second question was related to trees, which I couldn’t completely solve. To my surprise, I was shortlisted for the offline hackathon :D Pre-hackathon: Before the offline hackathon, all the shortlisted participants were divided into teams of 8 and allocated a mentor from the Mastercard team. A Mentor Connect session was arranged for all the teams on 14th August (also my birthday :D) to help us get to know our team better, which would eventually help us develop an optimal solution on hackathon day. The problem statements were to be released on the day of the hackathon itself. My team members were really fun and engaging. We organized various online team meetings and discussed the tech stacks that all of us were familiar with. We also smartly distributed our roles according to our interests and expertise. Qualities such as communication skills, market research and leadership were also taken into consideration. D-day: The Offline Hackathon All the participants were asked to report to the Mastercard Pune office at 7 am on 23rd August 2024. The problem statements were released at 9:00 am and were allocated on a random basis. These were real-life problems given by NGOs. We were handed over a document where the main problem came with multiple sub-problems specifying categories (high, medium, and low priority), and technologies that were to be addressed. The most important factor was how effectively we were able to solve the problem. During the first 1.5 hours, my team thoroughly brainstormed solutions to address the problem. We divided all of our ideas into a list of must-haves, should-haves, could-haves, and won’t-haves, considering we were time-bound. I made sure to communicate with other teammates & efficiently build the project. I also made sure to showcase and discuss my work with my mentor as they’d be making the decision to select me. We were to submit our Github repository link along with our idea-pitch presentation before 16:45. Throughout the day, Mastercard ensured we were well-fed with breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner. (Their cupcakes were divine!) Post-hackathon: The presentations began at 6 am. I, along with one of my teammates, took the lead in presenting during the event. The presentation is of utmost importance as you showcase your solutions to the senior members including VPs of Mastercard. There were 22 teams in total. All the presentations concluded by 21:30. Results: Teams were asked to have their dinner. Post-dinner, all the participants were eagerly waiting for the results. Mastercard really tested our patience as it was almost 23:00 and results were yet not announced. At 11:30 pm, we saw the judges approaching the presentation hall, and the room fell silent. When I heard, “And the runner-up team is Team 3!” I got literal goosebumps. It was an exhilarating moment for my team. Final Thoughts: It was an amazing experience overall. Truly grateful to the team Mastercard for providing me with such an amazing opportunity. That’s all about my experience. Thank you for reading, I hope it was insightful. Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn for any questions or thoughts. Good luck with your journey! Toodles, Harsha.

Batch: 2026

PhonePe Interview Experience Round 1: The first round was entirely focused on data structures and algorithms. Three questions were asked during this round, mostly from dynamic programming, trees, and graphs. The difficulty level of the questions ranged from medium to hard. Question 1: You are given a tree where each node has a value associated with it. You can pick any node, and the value corresponding to that node will be added to your score. However, once a node is selected, you cannot pick its direct children. Your task is to maximize the score. My Approach: I explained a solution using tree-based dynamic programming concepts. The solution was based on the "pick or don't pick" strategy. I maintained a Boolean variable to decide whether to take the current node or not. Depending on the decision made for the current node, the next process was simulated. Then, I memorized the solution using a DP table of size N2. Question 2: Best Time to Buy and Sell Stock IV My Approach: I explained the solution using a recursive function with parameters like index, transactions used, and a Boolean parameter to indicate whether we should buy or sell. For buying, I added the negative of the price, and for selling, I added the actual price. I memoized the solution using a DP table of size NK2, and then I explained an iterative solution with optimal space complexity using just PREV and CURR, similar to Striver's approach. Question 3: Given a binary tree, find the k-th ancestor of any node and report -1 if the ancestor is not present. My Approach: I explained the solution using binary lifting. In binary lifting, we store the 2^i-th parent for all the nodes. I started by finding the 2^0 th parent for each node using DFS, and then calculated the2^(i+1)-th parent using the 2^i-th parent. This approach is better for query-based problems. The interviewer was impressed since I provided optimal solutions and used concepts like binary lifting to solve the problem. We then had a discussion about PhonePe and the importance of problem-solving for software engineer. Round 2: This round also focused on data structures and algorithms, and the problems asked were more challenging than those in the first round. The first question was about Disjoint Set Union (DSU). The problem involved deleting edges, but DSU is typically used to add edges. To solve this, the offline queries technique was required. By starting the queries from the last one, deleting edges could be treated as adding them, since it’s done in reverse order. This approach allowed for the correct handling of edge removals using the Disjoint Set Union. The second problem was based on geometry. The task was to find the maximum slope between points and connect those points. The solution involved calculating and comparing the slopes to determine the maximum one. I was able to solve the second problem successfully. For the first problem, I shared my idea of using the Disjoint Set Union as part of the solution, even though I didn’t fully solve it. Round 3: During this interview, the focus was on my internship at TraceLink Inc., where I worked for two months. The interviewer started by asking me to describe my overall experience. I talked about the company, the projects I worked on, and the new skills I gained. After that, we discussed my specific tasks in detail. The interviewer wanted to know how I managed the data used to create Grafana dashboards. I explained how I collected the data, sent it to Grafana, and ensured that everything worked smoothly. He was particularly interested in how I avoided race conditions when sending data to the Prometheus server. I explained that I used proper synchronization methods to make sure data was handled correctly and that no conflicts occurred. Next, we talked about GraphQL. The interviewer asked me to explain what it is and why it’s used. I described GraphQL as a tool that helps request exactly the data needed from an API, making it more efficient as it solves the problem of over fetching and under fetching. We then moved on to HTTP protocols. The interviewer asked about the format of HTTP requests and responses. I explained that an HTTP request includes a method, headers, and a body, while the response includes a status code, headers, and sometimes a body. I also talked about common HTTP status codes like 200 (OK), 404 (Not Found), and 500 (Internal Server Error), explaining what each one means. The conversation then shifted to the branching system we used during my internship. I explained how we used Git to manage our code, created separate branches for new features, and merged them after reviewing the changes. The interviewer was interested in how I handled conflicts during this process. I described how I communicated with team members to resolve any issues, carefully reviewed the changes, and made sure everything worked properly after merging. Finally, we discussed the interviewer’s work. He shared details about his projects and the challenges he faced, which gave me a better understanding of the work environment and how my experiences compared to his. VERDICT: Selected

Batch: 2025

Introduction ION Trading is a global leader in trading and workflow automation solutions, specializing in providing software and technology for financial institutions, corporations, central banks, and governments. Founded in 1999, the company offers a range of products that facilitate trading, risk management, treasury management, and data analytics. ION's solutions are used by various market participants, including banks, brokers, and asset managers, to optimize their trading processes and improve operational efficiency. The company's focus is on delivering high-performance, scalable, and reliable systems that cater to the evolving needs of the financial markets. With its headquarters in London and a presence in major financial centers worldwide, ION Trading has grown significantly through strategic acquisitions and innovation in financial technology. Application Process Company Criteria: 10th & 12th: 75% CGPA: 8.43 and above (No Active Backlogs) Selection Process: ⁠Pre-Placement Talk Round 1: Online Test - 22 MCQ and 2 Coding Questions (Hackerrank) Round 2: Technical Interview Round 3: Case Study Round 4: Stakeholder Round 5: Culture Fit Round 6: Future Fit Note: Each round is an elimination round\\ Round 1: Online Test Part 1: 22 MCQ Questions This 22 MCQ Questions were focused on Computer Science Fundamentals - DBMS, OS, OOP, and CNS. Part 2: 2 Coding Questions - 1 Easy 1 Medium Question 1: Given a list of Integers, any nodes that have values previously occured in the list and return the reference the the new head of that list. [![Removing Duplicates From A Sorted Linked List | by Chandler Hanson | JavaScript in Plain English](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:619/1zOc9ld3B2MIHVryYX0vcUA.jpeg align="left")](https://javascript.plainenglish.io/removing-duplicates-from-a-sorted-linked-list-c9e0e62d2c96) Question 2: A Graph problem related to social media and people connected online. The connection nodes were given and edges. This was a disjoint graph. We have to return the number of connected to a particular user. E.g Here in below image H is connected to 2 nodes so if we query H we have to return 2 as answer. ![Closeness centrality in networks with disconnected components | Tore Opsahl](https://toreopsahl.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/social-networkcloseness.png align="left") Round 2: Technical Interview The technical interview was conducted by two interviewers from ION Trading. We started with a brief introduction about myself, as prompted by the interviewers after they reviewed my resume. 1\. LRU Cache Design: One of the interviewers began by explaining the concept of a cache. Although I was familiar with caching, I listened carefully as he detailed it. He then gave me a problem involving the Least Recently Used (LRU) cache, specifying that the get and insert operations must be performed in O(1) time, while maintaining the LRU property. Initially, I thought about using a priority queue, but as I worked through the problem, I recalled the use of a doubly linked list. The interviewer hinted at optimizing retrieval time, suggesting the use of a hash map. I proposed using a hash map to maintain addresses, combined with a doubly linked list for efficient management. This approach met the O(1) requirement, and I successfully explained the pseudocode. 2\. Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) Concepts: The interviewers then shifted to questions about OOP concepts. They asked why OOP is important, and we discussed key principles like encapsulation, inheritance, and polymorphism real life use. 3\. System Design (OOP focused): Uber Taxi Management System: Next, they asked me to design a class-based architecture for an Uber-like taxi management system. I outlined my approach, focusing on how classes would interact to manage drivers, riders, rides, and payments. The interviewers appreciated my design and the thought process behind it. 4\. Programming Challenge: Zigzag Level Order Traversal: We returned to programming questions, and I was asked to implement a level order traversal of a binary tree. While I was writing the code, they asked me to modify it to perform a zigzag (spiral) traversal. I successfully made the adjustments to the code to handle zigzag traversal. (This much I can recall) Round 3: Case Study [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/360572179\Traditional\vs\Online\Education](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/360572179TraditionalvsOnlineEducation) In this round, the interviewer opened a PDF document on his laptop and asked me to read a paragraph related to online and traditional education. After reading, he asked me a series of questions to gauge my analytical thinking and perspective on the topic. 1\. What is better: online education or traditional education? My Answer: I explained that it depends on the situation. For children aged 5-16, traditional education is generally better as it supports overall growth, including social and physical development. For those aged 16 and above, both online and traditional education have their merits. Online education can be more flexible, time-saving, and offer a better understanding through interactive content. 2\. Why not online education for kids? My Answer: I mentioned concerns such as health issues (like eye strain), growth problems due to reduced physical activity, potential for addiction to screens, and the lack of social interaction that can lead to feelings of isolation. 3\. Will online education overtake traditional education? My Response: I believe online education will not completely replace traditional education, but it will certainly impact and complement it. The two can coexist, each serving different needs and preferences. 4\. If various online education platforms like Byju’s are failing or facing losses, what would you do as the CEO or management? My Response: I suggested opening offline centers in collaboration with popular local teachers to create a hybrid learning model. This would combine the strengths of both online and offline education. Additionally, I would focus on reducing unnecessary spending and optimizing resource allocation to improve financial stability. Conclusion: In conclusion, I believe both online and traditional education have their places. The best approach may be a blended model that leverages the advantages of both to meet diverse learning needs. Round 4: Stakeholder This round was conducted with the ION Pune head. The session started with a brief introduction, followed by some personal questions. 1\. Introduction and Family Background: The interviewer asked me to introduce myself and inquired about my family background, showing interest in my personal life. 2\. Managing Multiple Responsibilities: After going through my resume, he seemed impressed and asked how I managed to handle multiple responsibilities, including academics, internships, and personal projects. I shared my approach to time management, prioritization, and staying organized. 3\. Personal Traits: He asked an insightful question: "What bad or false point would your friends tell me about you if I asked them?" This was a reflective moment, and I acknowledged areas where I might have received constructive criticism from friends, emphasizing my willingness to improve. 4\. Internship Experience: We discussed my internship experiences. I explained the tasks I worked on during my internships, highlighting key projects and the skills I acquired. 5\. Projects Overview: The conversation then moved to my personal projects. I discussed various projects, focusing on the Messwala app, detailing its purpose, technology stack, and the challenges faced during development. 6\. Current Work and Interests: I shared information about what I am currently working on, including the skills and technologies I am focusing on to further develop my expertise. 7\. Interest in ION Trading: The interviewer asked why I was interested in working at ION Trading. I discussed my enthusiasm for the finance and trading sector, my desire to contribute to innovative projects, and how ION's values align with my career goals. Conclusion: The interaction was enjoyable and more conversational, resembling an HR interview but with detailed discussions about my background and aspirations. The interview lasted around 20 minutes and left a positive impression. Round 5: Culture Fit Format: Conducted online via MS Teams. Held after successfully passing four previous rounds, with only 30 candidates remaining. Overview: This round was similar to the stakeholders round but had a stronger focus on HR-related topics. Key Points Discussed: Interest in ION Trading: Discussed why I was interested in working at ION Trading. Emphasized alignment with the company’s values and my enthusiasm for contributing to their projects. Cultural Fit: Explored how my personal and professional goals align with ION’s culture and mission. Talked about my career aspirations and how they fit with ION’s objectives. Overall Fit: The interview aimed to assess my compatibility with the company's culture and long-term fit. Process Summary: Day 1: Online Assessment (OA) and PPT presentation. Initial interviews. Day 2: Technical interview, Case Study, and Stakeholders round. Day 3: Received the shortlisted list for culture fit. Day 4: Culture Fit round. Day 5: List of shortlisted candidates for Future Fit was released, and unfortunately, my name was not on the list :) Conclusion: Despite the effort and thorough preparation, I was not selected for the final stage. The process provided valuable experience and insights.

Batch: 2025

Walmart CodeHers 2025 – My Selection Journey In Feb, I applied for the CodeHers 2025 Software Engineering Internship at Walmart Global Tech India through Unstop. Level 1: MCQ Challenge – Computer Fundamentals The first round was a fast-paced test—25 questions in 25 minutes—that assessed our understanding of: Data Structures,Operating Systems, DBMS, Computer Networks, OOPs Level 2 – Coding Challenge Shortlisted candidates from Round 1 moved on to a 90-minute coding round with 2 problem statements (medium to hard difficulty). I managed to fully solve one problem and partially solve the second one After the coding round, shortlisted candidates received a verification mail asking for basic details and confirmation. A few days later, I received the interview mail, confirming my slot and details. Technical Interview 1 The discussion began with questions from my resume.I was asked to solve two string-related problems: 1) Maximum character frequency 2) Reverse words in a string I discussed the logic, optimized the approach, and wrote clean code. Additional topics included: Time and space complexity Technical Interview 2 I was asked a medium-level tree-based DSA question. The interviewer closely observed my thought process, approach to optimization, and how I handled edge cases. I began by explaining a brute-force solution, then gradually moved to a more optimal approach using recursion and clear logic. Once the approach was validated, the interviewer asked me to code it out and also dry run it with sample inputs to test its correctness.. Final Result – Selected! After a thorough evaluation process, I received the final selection email.

Batch: 2026

📝 Siemens Internship Interview Experience 🏢 Company & Role Company: Siemens Role: Intern Graduation Year: 2026 📋 Eligibility Criteria 10th & 12th Percentage: 60% and above CGPA Requirement: Initially 8.0 and above (No active backlogs) > Note: Although the mentioned CGPA cutoff was 8.0, the opportunity was mostly received by students having a CGPA of 9.2 and above. 🔍 Rounds Overview 🧠 Round 1: Online Assessment Shortlisted Students: 120 Duration: 70 minutes Total Questions: 65–70 MCQs Format: The assessment was divided into two sections: Aptitude Section: Included questions on logical reasoning and quantitative aptitude Examples: Worker-time problems, mathematical puzzles, etc. Technical MCQs Section: Involved code snippets where we had to choose the correct output Questions were moderately tricky and focused on DSA concepts Overall level: Medium Shortlisting: Out of 120 students who took the assessment, 60 were shortlisted for the interview round based on their performance. 💻 Round 2: Technical Interview Duration: 50 min Interview Structure: Students were allotted either 1 or 2 technical interviews. I was assigned 1 Technical Interview . 🔹 Interview Highlights: Siemens genrally ask for resumes while filling google form and if you get selected in OA the panel gets alloted to you according to the tech stack metioned in your resume and the interviewer background.My Interviewer was Cloud and Devops head at Siemens. Resume & Tech Stack Discussion I had Docker listed in my resume and the interviewer went straight upto that and asked question related to it. Questions Asked: What is the need of Docker? How do we write DockerFile for an application? What is difference between Docker and Kubernates? Write a docker file for multi image application and proceded by what is difference between docker compose and DockerFile? If a Docker image goes down, how can we ensure reliability? (e.g., data persistence) What is a Bridge Network in Docker? How do we map the ports via cli for docker explain What is difference between interactive and detached mode for intercation using cli. Why can't we write multiple images code on DockerFile instead of compose file? He picked one of the mentioned stacks and asked in-depth conceptual and practical questions. Project Discussion I had lead and contributed to various projects of Credenz including WallStreet in my 3rd year and Credenz App in 2nd year The interviewer showed genuine interest and asked: A high-level architecture diagram of the project. Explain how do we keep the order book in wallstreet to ensure orders are procedded in proper order. How did you implemented the logic for matching engine for the order. Why choose certain tech stacks over others. How do you make sure that someone do not manipulate the market by purchasing significant some of order and then avoid to sell them indirectly increasing the price? Explanation of why I chose certain components/tools over alternatives. Potential challenges or limitations of the chosen architecture. Asked Logic of some features which was implemented which he liked. How do you ensure Intraday order gets completed at the end of the day? What was the purpose of the Credenz App? How do you implemented payment feature in the App? How did you integrated firebase for the quiz event in the app and explain the structure. The interviewer was quite impressed with the projects and the approach. Internship Experience I was asked about my ongoing Flutter Internship at the time: Role and responsibilities during the internship. Specific features I had developed. Asked on which state mangement of Flutter did you worked? What was the purpose of the App? The deployment process I followed, including tools and platforms used (e.g., Play Store, Firebase, CI/CD pipelines, etc.). Software Engineering Concepts Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) Types of Software Testing (e.g., Unit Testing vs Integration Testing vs System Testing) System Design Problem I was given a system design problem. Asked to: -Draw the system architecture -Explain my approach to building and scaling the system -Discuss design trade-offs and component responsibilities 🤝 Round 3: HR Interview Discussion Points: -Educational background and academic percentages -Family background -Short-term and long-term career goals -Whether I plan to pursue higher education in the future -Situational and behavioral questions -Personal qualities and strengths ✅ Verdict: Selected 24 Students along with me was selected for the Internship. That's all about my Siemens internship interview experience. Hope this helps someone preparing for their opportunity!

Batch: 2026

Interview Experience - Management Role (ACA Global, Risk Strategy Department) Introduction I started with a brief introduction about myself, highlighting my background and relevant experience. Since the role was in the Risk Strategy department, they focused the entire interview on my resume. Interview Questions & My Responses How has NCC shaped your leadership qualities? I explained how my experience in NCC helped me develop leadership, discipline, and decision-making skills. Describe a situation in trekking leadership where you made a critical decision. I shared a real-life experience where I had to make an important decision while leading a trekking team. Discussion on My Project – Live Travelling Website for a Company They asked how I would manage 1,000 users per day on the website and increase efficiency. I explained the system design, including load balancing, caching strategies, and optimization techniques. Research-Intensive Discussion on NLP Project They asked about text summarization techniques and how we convert exact text into an abstract summary. I explained my NLP project workflow and research findings. Problem-Solving Questions & Puzzles They asked some logical puzzles, similar to those found on GeeksforGeeks (GFG), and I answered them correctly. Cybersecurity Questions They inquired about different types of cyberattacks and their mitigation strategies. They also asked how I would secure a website from potential security threats. Why Apply for a Management Role with a Strong Technical Background? I explained that my NCC experience and leadership roles helped me develop management and communication skills. I emphasized that I have handled teams, managed events, and effectively communicated in various situations. Final Discussion & Feedback They asked if I had any questions. I requested feedback, and they responded positively. They mentioned that my resume, communication skills, and technical knowledge were impressive. They also asked if I was comfortable traveling from Katraj to Hinjewadi office, to which I responded yes. Final Outcome I believe I talked too much and made the interview more technical, whereas the role was primarily management-focused. I was not selected, but the interviewers were impressed with my profile.

Batch: 2025

🎯 Barclays Hack-o-Hire 2024 Interview Experience Barclays Recruitment Process 📌 Barclays visits campus almost every year and follows a standard recruitment process, including: DSA Rounds CV Screening Technical and HR Interviews However, I participated in [Barclays Hack-o-Hire 2024](https://www.hackerearth.com/challenges/hackathon/hack-o-hire/) during my second year. My team worked on a customer support app capable of: Tracking customer queries across different communication platforms Summarizing queries Attempting preliminary resolution via chatbots Due to this, I directly advanced to the interview process, skipping the online assessment. However, DSA is still crucial regardless of the route taken. The Day of the Interview ☀️ We were called early in the morning, but the actual process started around 10 AM due to logistics. Sitting in a chair, nervously waiting for my turn, I was fortunate to be comforted by [Apeksha Bhosale](https://www.linkedin.com/in/apeksha-bhosale-9676b8203/) didi (which means "older sister" in Indian languages). She helped me rationalize my thoughts and stay calm. A short conversation with [Anand Jahangirdar](https://www.linkedin.com/today/author/anand-jahagirdar-908347a0) sir further boosted my confidence. His friendly and respectful demeanor made me believe the process would be fair and encouraging—and surprisingly, that was the case. Technical Interview ⚙️ The technical round went well. Maybe my Hack-o-Hire participation gave me an edge, but by this point, my confidence had grown significantly. With many TE and BE candidates, the process was taking time. But as we exchanged technical interview experiences, my hope kept increasing. HR Interview 🏛️ My HR interview was conducted by [Khushboo Dubey](https://www.linkedin.com/in/khushboo-dubey-61915434/) ma’am. We discussed various topics, including Marcus Aurelius and other philosophical subjects, before arriving at a crucial question: "If urgent changes are needed and you are unavailable, would you share your credentials with a colleague or supervisor?" I naïvely answered: "Only if I trust the person." This failed the Integrity principle of Barclays' RISES values, which Khushboo ma’am politely pointed out. At that moment, I thought I was done for. However, I calmly explained my thought process and added: "Perhaps I am naïve." (This is still true, by the way.) Maybe sticking to my honest reasoning helped because... The Final Selection 🎉 By 7 PM, I was nervously waiting in the hallway. As my friends were called into the seminar hall one by one, hearing my name was the sweetest feeling. Inside, Anand sir suddenly announced: "There will be a third round now." Immediately, everyone was on alert. But the Know it all [Nilay Tayade](https://www.linkedin.com/in/nilay-tayade/) pointed out: "They do this every year. Just a stress reliever. No extra round." And Fortunatley he was right The most relieved I had felt in a long time was when Anand sir revealed he was just messing with us—we had been selected at Barclays! 🎉 The room erupted in cheers and excitement. Seniors (BEs) shared their own experiences about the long journey to getting Finally selected as they went from company to company and the relief they felt when that finally happened. And that is an eye opener to what all this really meant. 🌟 My Two Cents 💡 Do your research before the interview! Find out who will be interviewing you and what they do. Understand the company’s projects and technologies. Many of my peers had a smooth technical interview because they talked about Barclays' projects and related technologies. This allows you to steer the interview in your favor. I only partially did this, but it makes a huge difference. 💡 If you haven’t cracked a company yet, don’t worry. Race abhi lambi hai! 🏁 Hope this helps! 🚀

Batch: 2026

My Microsoft SWE Internship Interview Experience Application Process In July, I applied for the Software Engineering (SWE) internship Off-campus through the Microsoft Careers portal. Online Assessment (OA) – September 5th After resume shortlisting, I received the invitation for an online assessment. The OA had 2 questions — Leetcode medium to hard — and I managed to solve both the questions. Interview Shortlisting – October 11th I was thrilled to receive an email confirming that I had been selected for the interview round. The interview was scheduled for October 21st, and I had about 10 days to prepare intensively. Technical Interviews – October 21st Microsoft conducted two technical interviews on the same day, both focused on coding and problem-solving. : Technical Round 1 (9:00 AM - 9:45 AM) The interviewer started with a brief introduction and asked about my projects and previous experience. I was given 1 DSA problem of medium-hard difficulty. This problem was based on trees. I came up with a brute-force approach and explained it to the interviewer. Then she asked me to optimize it and code it out on a platform called codility. Then, we had some follow-up questions like the edge cases and time complexity. After this, there were a few questions on OOPS and DBMS. Technical Round 2 (10:00 AM - 11:00 AM) After 10 mins of my round 1, I received a selection email for round 2. This round also began with an introduction and a discussion on my resume. I was asked a medium to hard level recursion and string-based DSA question. The interviewer focused on my thought process, efficiency, and edge cases.I came up with an Optimal approach and explained it to the interviewer Then he asked me to code it out and also dry run it. Towards the end, we discussed Operating Systems and DBMS. Both interviewers were friendly and encouraged me. It was important to explain my thought process and write clean, efficient code. Final Result – Selected! The next day (22nd October), I received the confirmation that I had been selected for the Microsoft SWE Internship! . Key Takeaways Have a strong resume. Highlight relevant projects, skills, and experience. Solve a variety of DSA problems along with CS fundamental subjects. Practice mock interviews with your friends and communicate your approach clearly during coding rounds.

Batch: 2026

🏢 Company & Role Company: ZS Associates Role: Business Technology Solutions Associate Batch/Year of Graduation: 2025 Branch: IT 2.🗓Application Process How did I apply?ZS Campus Beats Hackathon Timeline: April Interview Dates: - August 💬Interview Rounds Round 1: Recorded Interview Round Type: English Proficiency & Scenario-Based Assessment Description: This round consisted of English questions, scenario-based questions, and a listening assessment. Candidates had to answer fluently and logically in the given scenarios. Difficulty Level: Medium Your Experience: A straightforward round that tested communication skills and problem-solving ability. Ensure good internet connectivity and practice common scenario-based questions beforehand. Round 2: Technical Interview Type: SQL, Puzzles, and Guesstimate Description: SQL Queries: One easy query One medium query based on window functions Puzzles (Prepare from GeeksforGeeks to get an idea) Guesstimate Question: "Number of cricket bats used in Pune in a year." Difficulty Level: Medium Your Experience: SQL questions were manageable if you have a solid understanding of databases. The guesstimate question required structured thinking. Puzzles were challenging but preparing from standard sources like GeeksforGeeks helped. Round 3: Business-Oriented Technical Interview Type: Business & Technical Discussion Description: Discussion on my project Business-related questions, such as: How will you convert your project into a business model? If competitors implement the same functionality, how will you overcome them? Technical questions: How will you scale your project on AWS? What AWS features will you use? Technologies used in your project MERN stack implementation details Node.js and MongoDB architecture Difficulty Level: Medium Your Experience: I was able to answer the technical questions correctly, but I lacked a bit in business-related questions. Candidates should prepare for business-oriented discussions along with technical concepts. 📊 Overall Experience & Tips Overall Interview Experience: Positive. The interview process was well-structured, testing both technical and business acumen. What to prepare? 💯 SQL (including window functions) Puzzles (GeeksforGeeks recommended) Guesstimate problems MERN stack (Node.js & MongoDB architecture) AWS scaling strategies Business case studies & market competition strategies Tips for Aspirants:✨ Be thorough with SQL concepts, especially queries involving window functions. Practice common puzzles and guesstimate problems. Prepare to explain your projects in detail and think about their business implications. Have a good understanding of cloud technologies, especially AWS. Improve your communication skills for the recorded interview round. Verdict: Selected

Batch: 2025

🎯 My Barclays Internship Interview Experience Hello! Myself Samarth Mali, final year student at PICT, Pune. I am doing an internship at Barclays. Here, I will share my interview experience and story about how I got into Barclays. Barclays came to our college around the 2nd week of September 2023 for the Technology Summer Intern post during the on-campus internship drive. --- 📌 Barclays Selection Process Barclays conducted two rounds: 1) OA - Online Assessment Round 2) Interview Round --- 🖥️ Round 1: Online Assessment The OA round was conducted online on the company-specific portal. It was an online test, but due to college and company norms, students had to give the test on college computers. Duration: 2 hours Test Structure: 20 MCQs + 5 SQL Queries 📌 Topics Covered in MCQs: C++ Code Snippets Java Code Snippets C++/ Java Theory Questions (OOP Based Mostly) DSA DBMS CNS OS MCQs were simple but tricky at the same time. On the other hand, SQL Queries were quite logical-based. Five questions were given, and students were supposed to write and execute SQL queries in the provided SQL Query Runner. 📌 Key SQL Concepts Required: Statements Clauses Operators Aggregate Functions --- 🏆 Round 2: Interview Experience On the day of the interview, we had a PPT Talk from the Barclays Interview Panel. A copy of our resumes was already provided to the Interview Panel. I had to wait till afternoon until it was my turn for the interview. 🔹 Interview Process 1️⃣ First, I introduced myself to the interviewer, mentioning my academics, technical stack, domain of interest, and extra-curricular activities. 2️⃣ The interviewer had my resume and started asking questions based on it. 📌 Technical Questions Topics: Web Development React DOM NodeJS Asynchronous and Non-blocking I/O features of JS DBMS SQL Query PL/SQL Concepts Indexes, Triggers, Joins MongoDB DSA Real-world application of DSA Previous projects 📌 HR Questions Topics: Club-related activities Team Coordination Team Management My biggest challenges My strengths and weaknesses Situation-based questions Barclays-related questions like "Why do you want to join Barclays?" and Barclays Values (RISES) At the end of the interview, I also asked a few questions to the interviewer. The interview lasted around 1 hour. 📢 On the same evening, results were declared, and I was selected! 🎉 --- 📚 Preparation Tips ✅ Revise the following topics thoroughly: 1) DBMS (Most important) 2) DSA 3) CNS 4) Java Multithreading 5) OS ✅ Have complete knowledge of your project—not just the code and implementation but also how the technology works. ✅ Research the company's values, principles, and current work in technology. All the best with your preparation and test! 🚀

Batch: 2025

🌟 My Barclays Internship Interview Experience CS 2026 | Barclays | Intern 📅 Date: 10 September 2024 I recently had the opportunity to interview for an internship at Barclays, and I’m excited to share my experience to help anyone preparing for a similar path! 🚀 The interview process consisted of two rounds: a Technical Round followed by a Technical + HR Round. Here's a detailed breakdown of each stage: 🚀 The Hackathon That Started It All It all began on April 7, 2024, when 25 teams, each with four members, from six different colleges across India, were invited to Barclays’ Pune office for a 36-hour hackathon. With a grand inauguration ceremony, the hackathon kicked off. We were eager to brainstorm and code solutions for the given problem statement. Our mentors were extremely supportive, guiding us through our initial approach. Their insights boosted our confidence and reassured us that we were on the right track. After 36 hours of relentless coding, the results were announced—we made it to the top 8 finalists! However, there was another challenge ahead: presenting our solution to the CEO of Barclays India and other senior leaders. Unfortunately, we didn’t make it past this round. But the story didn’t end there! On June 14, we received an unexpected notice—we were selected for direct interviews! 🎉 📋 Overview The Barclays recruitment process included the following steps: 36 Hours Hackathon Technical Interview Technical + HR Interview Final Selection ✅ 🛠 Round 1: Technical Interview Mode: Offline Difficulty: Medium—Hard 🟠 The first round was heavily focused on core computer science concepts, data structures, and system design. The interviewer tested my understanding of various topics, ranging from memory management to error handling. 🔍 Key Topics Covered: Data Structures: Arrays, Linked Lists (LL), and Doubly Linked Lists (DLL) Deletion. Stack vs. Heap Memory Management. Operating Systems: Synchronization mechanisms. System Design: Fundamental concepts and practical scenarios. Error Handling: Best practices and implementation. Programming Languages (C and C++): Key differences between C and C++. Function Overloading vs. Overriding. Database Management: ACID properties and implementation in my projects. 💡 Coding Challenge: I was asked to solve problems related to data structures, such as deleting nodes in a DLL and explaining memory management between stack and heap. One interesting question was about ACID properties and how I implemented them in my project, which I managed to explain effectively. I was also asked a question related to System Design. 💼 Round 2: Technical + HR Interview Mode: Offline Difficulty: Medium 🟠 This round was a blend of technical questions and HR discussions, testing both my problem-solving skills and my fit for the company culture. 🔍 Key Topics Covered: Coding Challenges: Reverse a string (My name). Print a pattern based on a given input. Conceptual Questions: Why C++ is not considered fully cross-platform. SQL queries and understanding of Indexes. OOP Concepts: Can constructors be overloaded or overridden? Understanding of try, catch, and throw for exception handling. Behavioral Questions: Situational and scenario-based questions to assess decision-making skills. 💡 Interesting Question: One notable question was about overloading and overriding constructors in C++, which I clarified by explaining that constructors can be overloaded but not overridden. 🗣 HR Segment: In the HR part of the interview, I was asked about: Personal Background: My education and interests. Behavioral Questions: How I handle challenges and team dynamics. Situational Questions: Example scenarios to assess my decision-making skills. The HR interview was conversational, making it a comfortable experience to share my goals and aspirations. 📚 Resources I Used: Coding: Leetcode & GeeksforGeeks. Concepts: CS50x (Harvard’s Intro to CS) & Striver’s YouTube Channel. System Design: Gaurav Sen’s YouTube Channel & Grokking the System Design Interview. 🌟 Key Takeaways: Thorough Preparation: Focus on core concepts like Data Structures, OS, DBMS, and OOP is essential. Coding Practice: Emphasize arrays, linked lists, and string manipulation on platforms like Leetcode and GeeksforGeeks. Clear Communication: Explain your approach confidently during coding problems. System Design Insight: Prepare for system design questions with resources like Gaurav Sen's YouTube Channel. Resume Knowledge: Be well-versed with your projects and contributions. Behavioral Questions: Prepare examples of challenges faced and how you handled them. Hackathon Experience: Participating in hackathons can significantly boost confidence and prepare you for real-world challenges. Stay Calm and Honest: If unsure about an answer, it’s better to admit it honestly. 🎉 Conclusion: The interview process was a great learning experience, blending technical depth with personality assessment. The hackathon played a significant role in preparing me for the challenges I faced during the interviews. Preparing thoroughly on data structures, OOP concepts, and SQL played a key role in my confidence during the interviews. I hope my experience helps fellow aspirants get a better understanding of the Barclays interview process! All the best! 💙 🚀 Thanks for reading! Best of luck for your interviews! ✌️

Batch: 2026

Hi folks, Myself Srujan Mukund sharing my On-Campus SWE Interview Experience of Arista Networks.👇 Arista Networks is a ‘dream category’ company which visits Pune Institute of Computer Technology for SWE role. This year there was tight criteria of 9 CGPA and was visiting the campus after 2 years so every one equally exicted and ready to crack the seat. Round 1: Online Assessment The test consisted of MCQs related to Core Subjects and 3 Coding Questions. MCQs were also having negative marking scheme. Coding question 1: Maximum Subarray Sum. Coding question 2: Graph question-BFS (delayed flights). consist of flight’s timing and delayed flights array and have to return no of corresponding delayed flights. Coding question 3:DP array question. I was able to solve 1 complete (2nd) whereas the other 2 were partially solved. Among 120 candidates 19 Candidate were shortlisted for the Interviews where mostly the total score was considered. Interviews were scheduled in-person at our campus. Round 2: Technical Interview I (1.5 hrs) This round for all candidates were parallelly scheduled and every one of us has to carry laptops for the round they were asking us to write the code over some collaborative platform. The round started with quick introduction firstly my interviewer introduced himself and then I went for my turn and given him a short summary about my profile. First question he asked me was, he showed me a C code Snippet and asked the output it was related to the call by reference and call by value. Then there where 2 Coding question among which 1 was common for all the candidates. Question 1(Common): Largest BST in Binary Tree — he wanted me to write the code from scratch. I solved the problem on paper first as i have not solved it before and explained the approach first and then written the code. He tested the code by giving different test cases and I had to optimize and reverify it. Question 2: Adding two Numbers which are in Linked List form — I had done it before so explained him and started coding it. I was able to solve both of them and then he asked some OS question- What is mutex, semaphore, difference between mutex and semaphore. Some Memory Allocation question in C, Call by reference, Pointers in C. Discussion ended up by question on my Summer Internship, followed by questions from my side. Round 3: Technical Interview II (1 hr) This round was Virtual round immediately after the1st one, some of the candidates were eliminated from round 1.This round started with my introduction and then interviewer wanted me to go through my Resume and explain him my projects. He noted some points and then asked me how would i implement those in my projects. Some discussion on which data structure to use, how would i retrieve the required information from the same. Also asked about the background of the project its team and distribution. Most of the time of this round was project discussion. Then some OS question like what is Virtual memory, Pages, difference between 32 bit and 64 bit OS, what is Physical address space. Some discussion over my semester results. Round 4: Technical + Managerial (45-50 min) This round was also scheduled virtually. After giving our intros he asked me about my internship experience and was bit interested in the work i have done there. I explained him the what technology I have worked on and what was the potential impact of our project. Then he asked me about Databases and as I had mentioned Mysql and MongoDb in my resume, he asked me to list down various queries for both and highlight some similarities and differences. One question he asked was if I have to retrieve from large number of records what could be done for database optimization for faster retrieval. I was firstly no able to think other than partitioning the large data into parts. He was not completely convinced by the answer and after some time i told him that indexing is the optimal solution, which he was expecting me to answer and then some question on What is index, index table, can we have index on 2 or more attribute and what happed to the speed of retrieval if index are added for every col…. Then asked about my carrier goals also asked me about do i have interest for System Software and its working. Explained me some working and changes made from the start of the organization. Round 5: HR(30 min) This Round was last round and 5 candidates were selected for this round. Here HR asked me about my background, hometown, why do I wanted to join arista networks, hobbies and how was the overall experience during entire interview process. Some discussion over compensation they were offering, any prior offer which i was holding and normal HR type questions. Conclusion✅️ At the end after all the process and some playful prank they announced the result and 5 Candidates including me were selected.

Batch: 2025

My Interview Experience at eQ Technologic Round 1: Online Coding Test The first round was conducted on the AMCAT platform and included: 15 Aptitude Questions: Covering quantitative, logical, and verbal reasoning. 2 Coding Questions: An easy pattern-printing problem. A more challenging problem to determine the maximum calls to a function that returns permutations of an array, aiming to find a sorted permutation. Approximately 40 candidates cleared this round. Round 2: Technical Interview The interview was held online via MS Teams. It began with my introduction, followed by a series of coding, DSA, OOP, DBMS, and puzzle-solving questions: Coding Problem: Problem Statement: Given two variables: A = Number of candles B = Number of melted candles required to make 1 new candle Objective: Calculate how long the candle can burn by reusing melted candles. Examples: Input: A = 2, B = 2 → Output: 3 Input: A = 10, B = 4 → Output: 13 Data Structures and Algorithms (DSA): Reverse a Linked List: Provided the code and explained the approach. Binary Search Tree (BST): Explained BST, drew a sample, and demonstrated all three traversal methods (Inorder, Preorder, Postorder) with code. AVL Trees: Briefly explained what an AVL tree is and its use cases. Object-Oriented Programming (OOP): Explained OOP concepts as if the interviewer had no prior knowledge. Covered Classes, Objects, Constructors, and the 4 Pillars of OOP (Encapsulation, Inheritance, Polymorphism, Abstraction). Handled cross-questions confidently. Database Management System (DBMS): Query Problem: Given a student table containing student and department data, I wrote a query to print the number of students in all departments. Successfully executed a similar query on a W3Schools link provided by the interviewer. Discussed ACID properties and explained 3NF (Third Normal Form). Puzzles: Water Jug Problem: 5L and 3L jugs to measure 4L. [Candle Problem](https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/puzzle-the-burning-candles/#:~:text=Measure%2045%20minutes%20and%2015,candle%20with%20one%20end%20unburned.): Solved logically. Round 3: Advanced Technical Interview The interviewer introduced himself and asked me to present my projects, followed by coding and database design challenges: Coding Problems: [Problem 1](https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/chocolate-distribution-problem/): Solved completely. [Problem 2](https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/count-pairs-in-array-whose-sum-is-divisible-by-k/): Solved using a brute-force approach but couldn’t find the optimal solution. [Problem 3](https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/find-two-non-repeating-elements-in-an-array-of-repeating-elements/): Solved with O(n log n) complexity. The interviewer challenged me to achieve O(n) complexity, but I couldn’t do it within the given time. Database Design: Designed a 3NF-compliant database architecture for student and placement company information. Implemented a query to fetch the names of students placed in dream companies. Round 4: Coding Challenge and HR discussion We were emailed a problem statement in the morning and asked to submit the solution within 1 hour using only a text editor (no IDE). The focus was on: Logic Development Code Modularity Problem Statement: There are two teams, “A” and “Z”, each with battleships in a section of the sea represented by a grid. The task was to: Display a position map of the ships. Show ship names in lowercase if a ship is adjacent to an opposing team’s ship. Ensure the solution scales to 5000 ships or more. Example Input: [{"teamName":"A","SectorX":3,"SectorY":5}, {"teamName":"Z","SectorX":7,"SectorY":1}, {"teamName":"Z","SectorX":4,"SectorY":4}, {"teamName":"A","SectorX":2,"SectorY":6}] Example Output: `` +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | A | | | | | | 6 +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | a | | | | | 5 +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | | z | | | | 4 +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | | | | | | 3 +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | | | | | | 2 +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ | | | | | | | Z | 1 +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 `` Discussion: The interviewer asked about: Code Optimization: Discussed possible optimizations and improvements. HR Questions: Shared my strengths, weaknesses, hobbies, and interests. Result: Out of all candidates, 9 (including myself) were selected for the position! 🎉 Overall, this experience helped me enhance my problem-solving skills, gain insights into technical and HR evaluations, and boost my confidence for future interviews.

Batch: 2023

🚀 eQ Technologic - SDE Interview Experience eQ Technologic is a product-based company known for its eQube®-DaaS platform, which provides data integration and accessibility solutions. It helps connect and federate data across multiple enterprise systems, enabling better visibility and decision-making. 🏢 Company & Role Company: eQ Technologic Role: SDE Batch/Year of Graduation: 2026 Branch: IT 📅 Application Process How did you apply? On-Campus (Fully Online Process) Timeline: Application Date: 28/07/2025 Online Assessment Date: 04/08/2025 Interview Dates: 05/08/2025 and 06/08/2025 Offer Date: 06/08/2025 (Late night on email) 💬 Rounds Round 1: Online Assessment (At Home) Type: 14 MCQ (14 minutes) + 1 Coding (45 minutes) Description: 14 MCQs based on ELQ with English section which was little time-consuming. 2 very easy coding questions based on array. Example Questions: (But questions were lengthy to read) Print number between given range. Two strings were given and have to find a character missing in one. Difficulty : Easy Experience: Assessment was easy but time of submission matters. Only 55 students made it to next round. Round 2: Technical Round - 1 Duration: 2 hours Description: The interveiwer was Senior Development Lead with 15+ years of experience at eQ. He began by asking me to give a brief self-introduction and an overview of one of my projects. He then asked how I implemented authentication in my project. I explained JWT-based authentication. This led to further questions on password hashing, why hashing is necessary, and an explanation of symmetric vs asymmetric encryption along with identifying AES as symmetric and RSA as asymmetric. Next, he asked me to describe my database schema and write 3 SQL queries. I wrote queries where I replaced LIMIT with MAX and modified filtering conditions to retrieve data differently. lars of OOP with the help of headphones as example. In the DSA section, he asked me to solve Find the nth node from the back in a linked list. I gave an optimal two-pointer solution. He then moved to OOP concepts, asking me to explain the four pillars of OOP with the help of headphones as example. The interview then shifted to Core Java questions. He asked me to explain string literals vs string objects and their memory management, followed by questions on immutability, the JVM memory model, and garbage collection. In the multithreading and concurrency section, he asked me to explain the synchronized keyword and to write a Java multithreading program. During this part, the discussion moved to OS concepts, where he asked me to differentiate semaphore vs mutex, which I explained using a real-life example. Finally, he presented a real-life problem and asked me to choose an appropriate data structure for it and the question was really challenging. After some discussion, I explained the approach. He then asked me to email the code and a dry-run image. Later, he sent additional constraints and asked me to optimize the solution, which I did and re-submitted. Round 3: Technical Round - 2 Duration: 1 hour Description: The interveiwer was Director Engineering with 21+ years of experience at eQ. He began by asking me to give a brief self-introduction. He asked me about my family background and i shared it. We discussed my academic achievements in detail. He asked me about my internship experience in detail, along with some questions on my intersnhip. He asked me about the AWS services I had used in my internship project and requested detailed information about the AWS SQS (Simple Queue Service) and AWS Cognito. We discussed designing a dynamic queue. He asked me to write 3 SQL queries based on description given. We discussed the different types of JOINs in SQL. I asked him a question regarding the values of eQ, and he gave a deep explanation during the discussion. Round 4: Coding round Duration: 1.5 hour (Started at 7:25 am) Description: Only 18 students advanced to this round. I received a problem statement to print a calendar based on a given start month and number of months. The task focused on code modularity, clean design, and proper formatting. The goal was to assess problem-solving and code organization skills. Round 5: Tech+HR Round Duration: 30-45 Minutes Description: The interveiwer was Director Talent Management with 25+ years of experience at eQ. He began by asking me for a brief introduction. He asked me to make two changes in the code I had written in the previous round. He asked me to state my strengths (no explanation required). He asked me to state my weaknesses (no explanation required) and then suggested ways to improve them. We had a brief discussion about my hobbies. He asked if I had any questions, and explained the question that I asked in detail. 📊 Overall Experience & Tips Some Docs for Reference: Tree Based Question: [Solution Code](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tUYiI9lI8Cu6GbjRzC3FblfQUHMrewYO/view?usp=sharing) and [Image](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Q6BaMiBON7wCpQpCL6dP91tIc4-h5ih/view?usp=sharing) Interveiw Codes: [File](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LI27aijMEBRzcGIgim57iabzge0sP0Ho/view?usp=sharing) Coding test Code: [File](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jkTIfHskMbuNfUOxCI5f3nMMlOywH-Pz/view?usp=sharing) Tips for Aspirants: eQ values patience — the fully online process means you may wait between rounds without updates. Be strong in core CS fundamentals, DSA, projects, and SQL, ready for deep dives, and write clean, modular code you can adapt quickly. Verdict: ✅ Selected! 15 Students including me were selected for Fulltime SDE role

Batch: 2026

Barclays Summer Internship Interview Experience (Pune Office) 📌 Introduction I am from PICT Pune, and in September 2024, I had the opportunity to interview for a Summer Internship at Barclays, Pune. The process was challenging yet exciting. Here's a detailed breakdown of my experience! 🚀 📝 Direct Interview I got in through Barclays Hack-o-Hire 2024, their yearly hackathon for second-year and third-year students. My team and I ranked in the top 27 among 1250+ teams, which resulted in us getting a direct interview without an online assessment (OA). This was a great advantage as I didn't have to compete with hundreds of candidates for an interview via OA. I received an early confirmation (2 months prior) that I would get a direct interview, giving me a head start to solely focus on interview preparation. 🎯 🏆 Round 1: Technical Interview Mode: OfflineDuration: ~35 mins Interviewer: VP @ Barclays I was prepared to talk extensively about my projects, experience at Hack-o-Hire, and core CS subjects (OOP, DSA, DBMS), along with LeetCode-style questions if needed.No DSA or SQL questions were asked, which is fairly uncommon for tech interviews. 📌 Talking Points: Project Discussions & Tech Stack Choices💻 I walked through my key projects, explaining why I chose the tech stack for each and what problems they solved. We discussed architectural decisions and trade-offs. Database & OOP Concepts 📊 I was asked about my database design choices and what measures I would take if I had to migrate to a different database. This led to a discussion on core OOP principles and their real-world applications. Interest in Java & Spring Boot ☕ Since Barclays heavily uses Java, he inquired about my interest and experience with Java and Spring Boot. I explained my familiarity with Java and how I plan to deepen my expertise. Experience at Hack-o-Hire 🚀 We discussed my role, contributions, and learnings from the hackathon. He asked what challenges my team faced and how we overcame them. ✅ Cleared this round and moved to the final interview! 🚀 🔥 Round 2: Tech + HR Interview 👾 Mode: OfflineDuration: ~1 Hr 30 mins Interviewer: VP @ Barclays 📌 Discussion Points: Project Discussion 💻 I explained my projects in detail, including why I built them and the problems they solved. The interviewer appreciated that I found solutions to real-world problems in my projects. He mentioned that I seemed more business-oriented, which he liked. DSA & Algorithmic Thinking 📊 More focus on DSA applications in real life rather than direct coding questions. He asked about sorting algorithms and their real-world applications. I was asked about the Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP), to which I honestly admitted that I hadn’t solved it yet but was actively learning DSA. I had already informed them that I was proficient in linear data structures and was looking forward to mastering non-linear data structures. He was happy with my enthusiasm and willingness to learn. SQL Proficiency 💾 Asked about my SQL problem-solving skills. I mentioned that I had completed SQL 50 on LeetCode, which showed my commitment to learning SQL. Hack-o-Hire & System Design 📲 He asked me about how I designed the app in Hack-o-Hire. This led to discussions on system architecture and database design. Behavioral & Situational Questions 🤝 Focus on teamwork and problem-solving mindset. Questions included: A time when I and collegue had different solutions to solve a problem. A situation where I had too many tasks at same time how i will handle it He was assessing my ability to handle pressure and teamwork in a corporate environment. ✅ The interviewer seemed very happy with my approach and attitude! 🎉 🎉 Final Outcome: Selected! ✅

Batch: 2024

Hi Folks, Myself Srujan Mukund sharing my eQ Technologic SDE Interview Experience.👇 Round 1: Online Assessment (1hr) The test consisted of MCQs related to aptitude for 15 min and 2 Coding Questions for 45 min. Coding question 1: basic array sorting question in increasing and decreasing order on given k. Coding question 2: sort array where even number should come after odd numbers. The test was easy-medium level, the factor was the time and the total score so along with the coding question, mcq score was important. 23 students were shortlisted for Virtual interview rounds. Round 2: Technical Interview I (1hr) Interview were held virtually. The Interview Started with a quick introduction and the interviewer told me that he’ll be judging me on DSA and DBMS. He wanted me to write the code on paper and send it to him on the chat section and then we’ll have a discussion. Question 1: Find length of longest consecutive substring of 1s and 0s in a very very large binary string. I wrote the code using maximum count variable and len variable, explained to him the approach and discussed the edge case of substring at the end. Question 2: This was a DBMS question where they gave me the data and scenario and asked me to create the Sql Table and Relation. Further asked me to retrieve information from the table as he wanted. Discussion on topics like normalization, joins happened. The round ended with some discussion on projects and asked do I have any questions for him.I asked some questions about the company and his role. Round 3: Technical Interview II (2.5–3 hr) This round was scheduled in the evening and was the lengthiest interview I have given. Only few interviews were this much lengthy not all 3rd rounds. The interviewer was interested in DSA concepts and asked me to share a leetcode profile and some discussion over my summer internship about the work and tasks performed there. He Started asking me questions one by one and wanted me to share screen and write code on an IDE/online compiler. I chose C++, the question level was easy medium, he was interested in how i code the solution and what approach did i used. Questions were- first n prime numbers, binary search, merge sort algo, Linked list creation, deletion, update the node, reverse a number, decimal to binary number. Sometimes asked me both in a recursive and interactive way. After each code he used to check the edge case too. These were fundamental questions he wanted to check the approach and coding skills. The last question was, he gave me 2 types of records consisting of some id and description and asked me could you suggest how you could store this and then we have to perform some operation. He wanted file handling but I was not comfortable with that so used normal class, objects and data structures. This question was tricky one as he was not expecting solution with any bound in time or space complexity. A lot more discussion on this question was done and at the end he told me the optimal way he thought of. After this round 10–12 were selected for the next round Round 4: Coding test(90 min) In this round we got a problem statement and have to code it and send it back to them without compiling as it should be the first draft of your code. Main focus was on the Modularity and Code Optimization, and this code was reviewed by the next interviewer on this basis the last round was held. Round 5: HR/Managerial(30 min) In this round some discussion over the submitted code and some refinements were told by him. Interviewer was expecting out of the box thinking. And normal Hr question, strengths, improvements and hobbies and discussion about the company culture and work. He asked me about hobbies and later we went on some discussion over cricket and favorite player. Conclusion✅️✅️: I got selected along with 7 more candidates for SDE and 8 for QA roles. Main thing which could help in the entire rounds were the base fundamentals and key concepts of what you have added to your profile. Interviewer was totally interested in coding approach and logic proposed by us.

Batch: 2025

How I Got the Interview Opportunity? 🎯 This was an On-Campus opportunity provided by my College — PICT (Pune Institute of Computer Technology), Pune. PhonePe is one of the top companies visiting our Campus and is famous for asking good-level DSA questions. It was my Dream Company from First Year itself as all the top Coders from our College used to get placed in PhonePe. So I was excited for the Interview Process. They were the first company visiting for our batch 2022, around the last week of July 2021. After we registered for PhonePe, we got the link to Online Test, which was the first step of the process. 🖥️ Online Assessment Round This round was conducted on PhonePe’s DoSelect Platform, which is similar to any other DSA Test Environment. The duration of the test was 2 hours. There were 4 Coding Questions with Medium-Hard difficulty level. Problems Asked: Count ways to exit matrix [N][M] (4 adjacent directions movements) from given (Sx, Sy) starting point in at most K steps. → Solvable in O(N M K) using DP You can increment any A[i] by 1 (at most K times), find the maximum frequency of any A[i] possible. → Available on LeetCode. Solvable in O(N log N) → Approach: Sort Array. Fix L, find best R using binary search (prefix sums required). Game Theory Problem: Given A and C, start with value A! (A factorial). Each player removes B (B ≤ A!) and B should have at most C distinct prime factors. A, C ≤ 10^6 Answer: Count unique factors of A! If it is ≤ C, first wins else second wins A Hard problem on Tree (not understandable, and no one solved it). The CutOff for this round was 200 out of 400 (100 points per question, partials accepted). Only 9 students (including me) from the whole college who appeared for the test were selected for the next Interview Rounds. 📩 I got the mail the next day that I had cleared the OA and received the link for the First Interview Round, which was scheduled for the next day. 🔹 First Technical Interview Round (1 Hour Long) 📍 Platform: Google Meet & CodeSignal 📍 Difficulty Level: Easy-Medium 📍 Interviewer: SDE-1 at PhonePe (1.5 years of experience) The interview began with a general introduction of mine. He then asked about my Hackerearth Internship and how to set problems, generate test cases, and automate them. DSA Questions Asked: Find the missing number in a sorted array of size N-1 (consisting of all numbers from 1 to N). My Solution: Expected O(log N) → Binary Search ✅ (Very Easy Problem) Pick K elements from either the start or end of the array such that their sum is maximum. My Solution: Iterate on count of prefix elements from 0 to K and take suffix elements accordingly. Expected Time Complexity: O(N) ✅ (Easy Problem) Query Problem: Given an array of integers, answer queries of type L R D — Count numbers from L to R where the number of digits in that number ≥ D. My Solution: O(N log N) precomputation & O(1) query. Used 2D prefix sum array. ✅ (Medium Problem) 📞 Result: I got a call confirming my selection for the next round (with 5 others). 🔹 Second Technical Interview Round (1 Hour Long) 📍 Platform: Same as Round 1 📍 Interviewer: 3+ years of experience at PhonePe After a short introduction, the interviewer asked the following Coding Questions: Covid Spread in a Binary Tree Given a Binary Tree where nodes are people, the deepest leaf node gets Covid+ first, and the virus spreads to neighboring nodes in 1 sec. Find total time to spread in the whole tree. My Solution: The answer is the Diameter of the Binary Tree (one of the farthest nodes is the first Covid+ node). Time Complexity: O(N) ✅ Evaluate a mathematical expression containing brackets, operators, and numbers. My Solution: Used Two Stacks (one for operands & brackets, one for numbers). Time Complexity: O(N) ✅ 📞 Result: After some time, I received a call that I had qualified for the Final Round with 2 others! 🎉 🔹 Third HR Interview Round (1 Hour Long) 📍 Platform: Google Meet 📍 Interviewer: Head of a Department at PhonePe This was a non-technical round with resume discussion and some general questions. Questions Asked: Internships Discussion: Hackerearth: What topics do you usually set problems on? Vicevio (Flutter Internship): How did you improve the architecture & contributions? Have you developed any Android App that solved a daily life problem? 📞 Final Question: Why do you think you are the best fit for PhonePe? 🌟 This was my best round! The interviewer was very friendly, and I felt confident. 🎉 Result: I GOT SELECTED! 🎉 After 2-3 hours, I got a call from PhonePe saying that I had been selected! This was a dream come true for me as I had been aiming for PhonePe since my first year. Getting placed on the first day of the Placement Season made it even more special. 🔥 Some Tips: OA Round was Hard 💻 but Interview Rounds were Easy-Medium (mostly Leetcode-style questions). Keep interacting with the Interviewer instead of staying silent while thinking. Explain easy problems well—most candidates will solve them, but good explanation can make a difference. If you don’t know an answer, admit it early rather than diving in blindly.

Batch: 2022

My Siemens Interview Experience 🎯 📝 Round 1: MCQ Test This round consisted of 29 MCQs covering Aptitude, OOPS, DSA, and C++. 📢 49 students were shortlisted after this test. 🔹 Round 2: Technical Interview 1 (Offline) This round started with some introductory questions: ➔ Give your Introduction ➔ What subjects did you study in Information Technology? ➔ What is your favorite subject? (I said OOPS) ➔ From where did you learn OOPS? (Interviewer was surprised when I mentioned a PDF copy) ➔ How would you rate yourself in C++ on a scale of 1 to 10? DSA & OOPS Questions: 1️⃣ What is pass by reference and pass by address? Write a piece of code for the same. 2️⃣ Conceptual questions on pointers and references (Some were tricky). 3️⃣ Write a code to find the sum of consecutive elements in an array, where the last element should be added to the first. 4️⃣ What are Constructor, Copy Constructor, and Destructor? 5️⃣ Does the compiler always create a default constructor? When is it mandatory to define one? 6️⃣ Explain OOPS features with real-life examples. 7️⃣ You are holding a pen in your hand. Can you apply Encapsulation and Abstraction to it? 8️⃣ Can you apply Encapsulation and Abstraction to a fan? 9️⃣ Puzzle: You have a pile of rice and 1 kg of stone. How will you measure 31 kg of rice? 🔟 If I travel 600 meters in 5 minutes, find my speed in km/hr. 📌 Internship & Technical Discussion: Explain your role in your last internship. What is a REST API? Mention some npm commands. How will you run a file using Node.js? 📞 Final Question: Do you have any questions for me? 🔹 Round 3: Technical Interview 2 + HR (Online) For some students, this round was purely technical. 1️⃣ How was your day? 2️⃣ Introduction 3️⃣ Write a piece of code related to your internship in Notepad. (I wasn't expecting this, so I explained it at a high level and mentioned that I'd refer to documentation for syntax. The interviewer was okay with that and moved on.) 4️⃣ Write code to count the frequency of elements in an array. 5️⃣ Write code to find the missing number in a sorted and unsorted array. 6️⃣ Write code to find duplicates in sorted and unsorted arrays. (Initially, he mentioned that only a single duplicate was present, but later asked me to modify the code for multiple duplicates.) 📌 HR Questions: What is your weakness? Talk about a situation where you faced a challenge and how you overcame it. How would you handle a situation in an organization where you have a liability? Do you have any questions for me? 🔹 Round 4: HR Interview (Offline) This was a general discussion round. 📍 Questions Asked: How was your day? Did you learn something new today? What is your biggest strength and weakness? Why Siemens? What if another company offers you double the salary Siemens is offering? What factors would you consider while analyzing offers from other companies? Why not higher studies? Do you have any questions for me? 🎉 Final Result: 11 students, including me, were selected at the end of the process! 🚀

Batch: 2023

My Druva Experience 🎯 📝 Round 1: Online Assessment (70 mins) This round consisted of: 1️⃣ 9 MCQs based on DSA, Computer Networks (CN), and Operating Systems (OS). 2️⃣ 3 Coding Questions: Finding the third largest string in a given array. Find the missing digit x from the given expression. Fizz Buzz. 📢 40 students were shortlisted after this test. 🔹 Round 2: Technical Round 1 1️⃣ Give your introduction. 2️⃣ Resume-based questions: (Interviewer read my entire resume and briefly asked about all the points, including my internship experience, tech stack used in projects, and extra-curriculars). 3️⃣ What is an API? 4️⃣ Different HTTP methods? 5️⃣ Difference between GET and POST? 6️⃣ Ever wondered how Netflix is developed? (Interviewer was impressed when I mentioned Microservices, so he did not ask anything further. Phew! 😅) 7️⃣ What is your favorite data structure? (I said Stack). 8️⃣ Write a code to reverse a Linked List using Stack. 9️⃣ Write the code for the Tower of Hanoi problem. 🔟 Write a code to find the middle of a Linked List. 1️⃣1️⃣ Write a code to find the factorial of a large number. (I did not know the approach, so I talked about factorial using DP. Thankfully, the interviewer moved to the next question quickly). 1️⃣2️⃣ What is Dynamic Programming? 1️⃣3️⃣ Solve the Rod Cutting Problem using DP. 1️⃣4️⃣ Difference between SQL and NoSQL? 📞 Final Question: Do you have any questions for me? 🔹 Round 3: TechnoHR Round 1️⃣ Give your Introduction. 2️⃣ Do you have any existing offers? 3️⃣ Why not GRE? 4️⃣ What are some of the challenges you faced in engineering? 5️⃣ What is Deadlock? How to avoid it? 6️⃣ What is the Critical Section? 7️⃣ What is a Semaphore? 8️⃣ What is Inter-Process Communication (IPC)? 9️⃣ What are Scheduling Algorithms? 🔟 Who schedules the scheduler in an OS? (I couldn't answer this 😅). 1️⃣1️⃣ What is ARP? Why do we need it? 1️⃣2️⃣ What is meant by a 64-bit operating system? 1️⃣3️⃣ What is Polymorphism? Give examples. 📞 Final Question: Do you have any questions for me? 🎉 Final Result: 6 students, including me, were selected at the end of the process! 🚀 📚 Resources I Followed: 📌 DSA Concepts: [MyCodeSchool](https://www.youtube.com/user/mycodeschool) 📌 DSA Sheet: [Striver's SDE Sheet](https://takeuforward.org/interviews/strivers-sde-sheet-top-coding-interview-problems/) 📌 OS Concepts: [Operating System Playlist](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxCzCOWd7aiGz9donHRrE9I3Mwn6XdP8p) 📌 CN Concepts: [Networking Interview Questions](https://www.interviewbit.com/networking-interview-questions/) 📌 C++ & OOPS: [C++ Playlist](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLYz8uHU480j37APNXBdPz7YzAi4XlQUF)

Batch: 2023

🚀 Interview Experience: Siemens Internship Welcome to my Siemens Internship Interview Experience! I hope this helps future aspirants. 🏢 Company & Role Company: Siemens Role: Intern Batch/Year of Graduation: 2026 Branch: Computer Science/IT/EnTC 🗓 Application Process How did you apply? On-Campus Recruitment Drive Timeline: Application Date: January 2025 Online Assessment Date: Early February 2025 Interview Dates: February 2025 Offer Date: Mid-February 2025 💬 Hiring Rounds Round 1: Online Assessment Type: MCQ-based test (Aptitude, Coding, OOPS, Data Structures, C++) Duration: 1 hour Description: The test consisted of aptitude questions and technical questions covering C++, Object-Oriented Programming, and Data Structures. Around 120 candidates appeared, and 60 were shortlisted for interviews. Difficulty Level: Medium Experience: I found the coding and OOPS questions manageable as I had recently revised them. Round 2: Technical Interview Type: In-person (Coding, Data Structures, OOPS, Projects, Research Paper Discussion) Duration: 45-50 minutes Interviewers: 2 Description: Personal Questions: Introduction, Family Background, Nervousness Level. Project Discussion: Asked to explain the project I worked on. Requested to draw the workflow/architecture diagram of my project. This project later won in the TechFiesta Hackathon, so the interviewers were already impressed. Research Paper Discussion: Asked about my publication and contributions. Data Structures & Algorithms: I mentioned I was comfortable with Trees, Graphs, and DP (since I had recently practiced Striver’s Sheet), but they decided to focus on Linked Lists instead. Questions Asked: Difference between Array/Vector and Linked List. Boilerplate code for Linked List. Auxiliary functions in Linked List. Why did I use class instead of struct for implementing a Node? Given an infinitely long Linked List, how to delete a node with a single pointer? How to detect a cycle in a Linked List? Types of Linked Lists and their differences. OOPS Concepts: 3-4 questions related to Object-Oriented Programming. Puzzle: Given matchsticks, shift them to form three squares. Closing: They asked if I had any questions. I asked 3-4 questions, which made them happy. Difficulty Level: Medium to Hard Experience: I felt confident because I had recently practiced DSA. The project discussion and research paper questions were my strong points. Round 3: HR Interview Type: Online Duration: 20-30 minutes Description: Personal Questions: "You're from Kolhapur but studying in Pune, which city is better?" Asked about my internship and project work. Situational Questions: Given a scenario related to my internship project, how would I handle it? Company & Future Plans: "Why should we choose you?" "Any plans for Masters/MBA?" "What is the motto of Siemens?" (I had read it beforehand.) Closing: She asked if I had any questions. Difficulty Level: Easy Experience: I was confident, and the HR was friendly. Having read about Siemens beforehand helped. 📊 Overall Experience & Tips Overall Interview Experience: Very Positive! The interviewers were friendly and encouraging. What to prepare? 💯 DSA: Linked Lists, Trees, Graphs, Dynamic Programming OOPS: Classes, Objects, Polymorphism, Inheritance Aptitude: Logical Reasoning, Quantitative Projects: Be clear about architecture and implementation HR Round: Learn about Siemens, its values, and motto Tips for Aspirants: ✨ Be confident and engage with interviewers. Revise DSA, OOPS if applying for Siemens. Know about your projects. Ask questions at the end—they appreciate it! Verdict: Selected ✅ Siemens values diversity and innovation, and they were keen on understanding my research work. The technical interview was quite detailed, so be well-prepared.

Batch: 2026

Dell Technologies Internship Interview Experience Company & Role Company: Dell Technologies Role: Intern Batch/Year of Graduation: 2026 Branch: Information Technology Application Process Application Mode: On-campus Timeline: Application Date: September 12, 2024 Online Assessment Date: September 26, 2024 Interview Date: October 4, 2024 Offer Announcement: Results were declared on the same day as the interview. Interview Rounds Round 1: Online Assessment Type: Coding and MCQs Description: The test focused on DSA concepts and core computer science topics. One major challenge was that you were not allowed to pick a preferred programming language. This highlights the importance of being proficient in multiple languages rather than sticking to just one. Questions Asked: Regular expression matching in Java Finding the maximum value in Javascript Creation of a template class in C++ Your Experience: Although the difficulty level of the questions was moderate, the assessment tested knowledge across various topics and languages. A great way to build multi-language proficiency is by leveraging lab assignments at PICT. Since TE labs generally allow language choice, it's beneficial to solve assignments in different languages.This approach will be a time-saver during internship season as you won't have to learn new languages from scratch. Most importantly, code your assignments by yourself instead of relying on generative AI—this will provide long-term benefits. Round 2: Technical Interview Type: Technical + Managerial Description: This round involved in-depth questions based on the resume, as well as DSA problems. Your Experience: Before the interview, thoroughly review every detail on your resume. Ensure you can explain all points in a clear and structured manner. Additionally, consistent DSA practice is key. Participating in competitive programming contests helps simulate high-pressure environments similar to OAs and interviews. Since the company was looking for interns for cloud-related roles, having a basic understanding of cloud computing concepts would be beneficial. Some questions asked were: Questions on projects mentioned in the resume Four pillars of OOP How will you find the quotient and reminder of division without using multiplication and division operations. Puzzle – If you have a string with an uneven burning rate that fully burns in one hour, how will you determine when 30 minutes have passed? Similarly, how can you measure 45 minutes using two such strings? Always remember while giving answers explain each and everything in detail and give answers if you are damn sure about it. Before writing the code in interview discuss approach first, and while writing the code discuss with the interviewer as well and give him idea of what you are doing. Round 3: HR Round Type: Behavioral & Situational Questions Description: This round focused on teamwork and problem-solving abilities. The interviewer presented different scenarios and asked how I would handle them. A particularly interesting question was about the importance of modern vs. legacy software. Overall Experience & Tips Overall Experience: This was my second interview so I had that confindence and learnings from previous interview. The preparation journey was enjoyable, and the interview process was insightful. Key Topics to Prepare: DSA, OOP, DBMS, OS, CNS, Cloud Computing Tips for Students: Treat interviews as discussions, not just Q&A sessions. Always ask questions and seek clarifications when needed. If stuck on a question, don’t hesitate to request a hint from the interviewer. Stay confident, and approach each question with a problem-solving mindset. Verdict: ✅ Selected Good Luck, and Remember: Stay Confident!

Batch: 2026

Shubham Panchal: Interview Experience for Mastercard - SDE1 Note: Interview experiences vary a lot and can be changed on-the-fly depending on the skills and aptitude of an individual. Make sure you prepare yourself in all aspects not just the ones mentioned below. Online Assessment Date: 10th October 2024 Mode: Online (at home) Test Duration: 1 hr No. of questions: 2 (DSA-based coding questions with no tight restrictions on the programming language) Technical Interview 1 Date/Time: 15th October 2024 Mode: Offline (at AIT, Pune) Duration: ~30 mins The first technical interview comprised of: Self-introduction Discussion of projects mentioned in the resume Questions for the interviewer Technical Interview 2 Date/Time: 15th October 2024 Mode: Offline (at AIT, Pune) Duration: ~45 mins The second technical interview comprised of: Self-introduction Writing a code snippet to generate the first 1000 prime numbers Waterfall model vs. the agile model in software development lifecycle Suggest ways to improve a simple website from different perspectives (UI/UX, security, efficiency) HR Interview Date/Time: 15th October 2024 Mode: Offline (at AIT, Pune) Duration: ~5 mins The HR interview comprised of: Occupation of my parents Past life and current interests Plans for masters --- To the developers of this website This is a good initiative taken up by PICT students. Interview experiences can help to some extent in campus placements. Experiences found on the internet are either too old (pre-COVID era) or not relevant to the role/company/campus. Keep the good work up 👍🏻 (and thank you for including a Markdown-based editor!)

Batch: 2025

🌟 My Barclays Internship Interview Experience 🏷️ Introduction Hello, my name is Tirthraj Mahajan. I am a third-year student at PICT, Pune. I had the opportunity to interview for the Summer Internship role at Barclays. Here's a breakdown of my experience: 📝 1st Round - Online Assessment 📌 The Online Assessment (OA) was conducted on the HackerEarth platform with a duration of 1.5 hours. 🔹 Structure of the Test: ✅ 12 MCQ Questions (Based on topics like OOP, Java, Exception Handling, DSA, DBMS, etc.) 🟢 Difficulty Level: Easy ✅ 2 Coding Questions: 1 SQL-based question 1 DSA question related to String Manipulation 🟡 Difficulty Level: Easy to Medium 💻 2nd Round - Technical Interview 📌 After clearing the OA, I was shortlisted for the interview process. ⏳ Duration: 60 minutes 📄 Format: Majorly resume-based >Nearly all the questions, except for the Java-related ones, were based on the keywords in my resume. This means the questions asked to other candidates would vary depending on the content of their resumes. However, a common pattern across all interviews was a strong emphasis on Java-related questions. 🔹 Questions Asked: 🖥️ API & Networking 1️⃣ What do you mean by RESTful APIs? 2️⃣ What are the HTTP verbs and their corresponding status codes? 3️⃣ What is idempotency in API requests? Can you give examples? 4️⃣ What is gRPC, and how does it differ from HTTP requests? 5️⃣ Why is gRPC faster than traditional HTTP requests? 6️⃣ What are WebSockets, and how do they work? 🗄️ Databases 7️⃣ SQL vs NoSQL – When should one choose SQL over NoSQL and vice versa? 8️⃣ Explain the order of execution in an SQL SELECT query. 9️⃣ How would you find the student with the second-highest marks without using OFFSET? 🏗️ System Design & Architecture 🔟 What are microservices, and how do they differ from monolithic architecture? 🔤 Java & OOP Concepts 1️⃣1️⃣ What is the String Constant Pool in Java? How does string equality work concerning memory allocation (Heap vs SCP)? 1️⃣2️⃣ Explain Inheritance, Abstract Base Class, and Interfaces in Java. 1️⃣3️⃣ What is Java Reflection, and how is it used? 1️⃣4️⃣ Explain different types of loops in Java with examples. 🖼️ Project-Specific Questions 1️⃣5️⃣ A question related to image processing based on a project in my resume. Cloud Computing 1️⃣6️⃣ What are some of the Cloud providers you know? 1️⃣7️⃣ Name and explain some services you find on AWS 🎯 3rd Round - HR Interview 📌 After the technical round, we had the HR round. ⏳ Duration: 30 minutes 🔹 Discussion Topics 1️⃣ Self-Introduction & Interview Reflection Asked to give a formal introduction about myself. Brief discussion about my interview experience so far. 2️⃣ Teamwork & Leadership Discussed my group project and how we formed the team. Ethical dilemma question: > "Did any team member deserve more credit due to their unique contribution, or do you believe all members should be treated equally, regardless of contribution?" Follow-up: > "If your team won an award for this project, what would you say in your acceptance speech?" Purpose: To assess whether I prioritize individual contributions or team equality. 3️⃣ Time & Deadline Management How do you manage deadlines and handle time-sensitive tasks? Scenario: > "A teammate is not contributing, and the deadline is near. How would you handle this?" Follow-up: > "How would you prevent such situations from happening in the first place?" 4️⃣ Problem-Solving & Proactiveness Scenario: > "Suppose you get selected for the internship, but your team and manager are not giving you tasks. You only have a few months to gain knowledge. What would you do?" Follow-up: > "If you want to contribute to fixing an issue but don’t know where to start, and your manager and team are too busy to help, what would you do?" 🏆 Key Takeaways ✔️ Resume-Driven Questions – Most questions (except Java-related ones) were based on the keywords in my resume, meaning other candidates had different sets of questions based on their resumes. ✔️ Strong Focus on Java – A common pattern across all interviews was the emphasis on Java-related concepts, especially String Constant Pool, OOP, Inheritance, and Reflections. ✔️ System Design & API Knowledge Matters – Having a good grasp of RESTful APIs, gRPC, WebSockets, microservices, and SQL vs NoSQL is crucial. ✔️ Know Your Projects Well – Questions about my resume project were specific and required deep understanding, not just surface-level explanations. ✔️ The HR round was more than just behavioral—it tested my teamwork, leadership, problem-solving, and proactive approach in a professional setting. ✔️ Being independent, managing deadlines, and handling team dynamics were key focus areas. After successfully completing all rounds, I was selected as an SDE Intern at Barclays! 🚀 This journey has been an incredible learning experience, and I’m thrilled to be a part of Barclays!

Batch: 2026

🚀 NXP Semiconductors - VLSI Engineer Interview Experience NXP Semiconductors is a leading product-based semiconductor company specializing in VLSI design, embedded systems, and secure connectivity solutions. It plays a significant role in the automotive, IoT, wireless communications, and industrial domains, with expertise in chip design, verification, microcontrollers, processors, RF, and mixed-signal solutions. 🏢 Section 1: Company & Role Company: NXP Semiconductors Role: VLSI Engineer Batch/Year of Graduation: 2026 Branch: E&TC 📅 Section 2: Application Process How did I apply? On Campus - Resume Based Shortlisting Application Date: 31/07/2025. Interview Date(s): 12/08/2025. Offer Date: 14/08/2025. 💬 Section 3: Interview Rounds Round 1: Technical Interview - I Duration: 90 minutes (it may vary) Interviewer: Senior VLSI Design Engineer (Not sure about it) Discussion Areas: Digital Communications and Priciples of Communication Systems. Basics of Analog Electronics. Basics of Microcontrollers and PIC. Digital Electronics. Cellular and Computer Networks. Questions Asked: DIGITAL COMMUNICATION: What all subjects were included in your syllabus. What were your favorite and strong subjects. What does MODULATION mean? (I explained what is modualtion, how it works with different waveforms of AM, FM, PM). Explain something about BPSK, BFSK, QPSK, QAM, MSK. (With Waveforms) Explain Spread Spectrum and need of it. Explain FHSS with Transmitter and Reciever Block diagram, Explain how it works with GRAPHS and types of FHSS. Explain DSSS and how it spreads the spectrum. Explain the Concept of Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing i.e. SPECTRUM ANALYSIS. Expalin some Multiple Access techniques with diagrams (FDMA, TDMA, CDMA). Explain some Wifi Protocols such as 802.11 and its types. Explain the block diagram of Wifi with the bandwidth ranges. why data rates are higher for 5 GHz wrt 2.4 GHz and its penetration power. Explain Nyquist Sampling rate and why is it required during sampling process and explain ALAISING effect with proper Spectrum Analysis. Different TYPES of Antennas (I forgot this, answer was Omnidirectional and Directional). ANALOG ELECTRONICS What is a MOSFET? and its types. Explain Planar structure of MOSFET and working of MOSFET. Explain the importance of Gate Capacitance in MOSFET. Explain how the channel width depends on various factors. Where Body Terminal of MOSFET can be used. What is a structural difference between MOSFET and FinFET. Explain Over current and Over Voltage Protection Circuits. MICROCONTROLLERS Which Microcontrollers you used. Explain the Difference between ADC v/s DAC. How Does Quantization works. (Explain with a diagram) Experience: One thing is don't ever miss your SEMESTER syllabus if you want to pursue CORE domain as your carrer. Always prefer studying from STANDARD REFERENCE BOOKS and not LOCAL publications. Always be in contact with the professors and exaplin them what projects you are working in and ask for modifications and suggestions. Round 2: Technical Interview - II + HR Duration: 30 minutes Interviewer: Manager Discussion Areas: Explain something about LPS v/s SMPS. How ZERO VOLTAGE and ZERO CURRENT Switching works. We have these two roles which role you fit into? Some Manegerial Questions. Experience: Be yourself Honestly. 📊 Section 4: Overall Experience & Tips Overall Experience: Never ever think our SYLLABUS is USELESS. It will help you when it needs the most. Always prefer Learning from REFEFRENCE books only. These books are written as per Industry standards. Tips for Aspirants: Be strong in Digital + CMOS fundamentals. Practice Verilog/SystemVerilog coding. Revise Digital Communication, Principles of Communication Systems, Microcontrollers, Analog Electronics and Basics of All Other subjects. Be confident in projects and internships. Better If you cover syllabus from GATE subjects. Verdict: ✅ Selected

Batch: 2026