Share Your Interview Journey 🚀

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

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

Interview Experience 🎯 Application Process In November 2022, I applied for the Software Development Engineer role on the Bloomberg career portal for multiple locations. In December, I received an email saying that I was shortlisted for the interview at Bloomberg Frankfurt and scheduled my interview for January 20, 2023. However, Bloomberg also visited my college for an on-campus recruitment drive for the Pune location on January 17, 2023, for a full-time role. This gave me another opportunity to apply. I'm excited to share my experience to help anyone preparing for an interview at Bloomberg! Overview The Bloomberg recruitment process followed these steps: Screening test (coding + MCQs) DSA interview (same day as the test) System Design interview (after a week) Managerial interview (final round) Final selection ✅ Round 1: Screening Test Platform: HackerRank Mode: Offline (College labs) Time: 1.5 hours Difficulty: Medium—Hard 🟠 Since I was already preparing for the Frankfurt interview, I was well-prepared for the screening test. It consisted of: 4 coding questions (Two worth 50 marks, two worth 75 marks) 21 MCQs (Each worth 5 marks) I solved: 1 question (75 marks) completely ✅ 2 questions (50 marks each) completely ✅ 1 question (75 marks) partially (4/13 test cases) A good number of MCQs ✅ Topics covered: MCQs: Data Structures, Algorithms, OS, DBMS, System Design (Load Balancers, Decoupling of services) Coding questions: Arrays, Strings, Recursion, Dynamic Programming, Sorting, Greedy Algorithms Result: 25 students were shortlisted from 300 applicants. Round 2: DSA Interview Platform: HackerRank Code Pair Mode: Offline (College) Time: 1 hour Difficulty: Medium 🟠 My interviewer was a Team Lead at Bloomberg Pune with 18+ years of experience in banks and hedge funds. After introductions, we moved to the coding question. Coding Question Leetcode Medium level. Divided into two parts: Used unordered map + unordered set for part 1. Used unordered map + priority queue for part 2. After solving, we discussed hashmap internal workings and collision resolution mechanisms. There were also a few resume-based questions. Tips for DSA Round: Keep your concepts crystal clear. Think out loud and explain your approach. Don’t jump straight to coding—ask for clarifications. Cover edge cases. Be flexible in your approach. Resources for DSA: Striver’s YouTube Channel (Highly recommend his Recursion & DP series) GeeksForGeeks & Leetcode (Practice questions) Result: 11 students shortlisted for the next round. Round 3: System Design Interview Platform: HackerRank Code Pair Whiteboard Mode: Offline (Bloomberg Pune Office) Time: 1 hour Difficulty: Medium—Hard 🔴 After a week, I had my System Design round with a panel of two interviewers (one offline, one online). The second interviewer was a Team Lead at Bloomberg Pune who previously worked in Bloomberg New York. System Design Question Not a standard question like Instagram or a food delivery app. Asked to design a high-level system based on three components and a given database structure. I designed a scalable system, but I felt the interviewers weren’t fully satisfied. Before the interview ended, I asked a few questions about Bloomberg’s work culture. Tips for System Design: Ask questions first—don’t jump into designing immediately. Keep the interview interactive (treat it as a discussion). Be flexible—don’t try to force-fit a design pattern. Justify every component/service you add. Resources for System Design: Gaurav Sen’s YouTube Channel (Excellent System Design playlist) Yogita Sharma’s YouTube Channel (Well-explained HLD & LLD concepts) Grokking Modern System Design Interview Arpit Bhayani’s YouTube Channel (Deep dive into System Design concepts) Result: 7 students shortlisted for the final round. Round 4: Managerial Interview Platform: Zoom Mode: Online Time: 1 hour Difficulty: Easy—Medium 🟢 The final interview had two parts (30 minutes each): Part 1: HR Interview Interviewer: Senior Recruiter (Bloomberg London) Questions about internships, resume, and Bloomberg. Asked some general HR questions. I asked a few company-related questions. Part 2: Senior Manager Interview Interviewer: Senior Manager (Bloomberg London) Focused on my projects & internships. Some technical discussions. I asked a few questions at the end. Final Selection: 3 students were selected—I was one of them! 🎉 🎉 Conclusion & Tips Bloomberg gives plenty of time between rounds—use it wisely. Be confident and clear in your answers. Know your resume inside out—projects, internships, etc. If you don’t know an answer, be honest. Research the company & attend Pre-Placement Talks. Be patient—the process may take time, especially off-campus. 🚀 Thanks for reading! Best of luck for your interviews! ✌️

Batch: 2023

My Internship Recruitment Experience at Credit Suisse So it’s been around two months since I interviewed for Credit Suisse, a global Investment bank headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland, for the role of Technology Intern. I have decided to write about my overall experience throughout the whole recruitment procedure. Overview In a nutshell, the procedure for the recruitment looked something like this: As it was an on-campus recruitment drive, I submitted my resume and a few other details. After the resume filtering, I received the online test link. After a couple of days, I got shortlisted for the interviews. After two interviews, I was able to bag the internship. So let’s get started with the whole internship recruitment experience! Round One: The Online Test Clearing the Online Test was a huge challenge for me as I was pretty new to Competitive Programming. The test was conducted on HackerEarth. The pattern was: 2 MCQ questions (6 marks each) 3 Programming questions (Two 50 marks questions and One 100 marks question) The MCQ questions were completely random. The questions I received were based on Microsoft SQL Server and Hadoop Hive, while others received questions based on XML, PostgreSQL, C#, Java, Python, and other topics. I did not know the answer to either of the questions, so I just guessed them, as answering each question was mandatory. The three programming questions were as follows (Not the exact questions, framed according to my memory and rough work): Max Divisor Tree (50 M) Given a tree with a root node N, which has a property that the children of any node are one of the factors of that node (except 1 and the number itself). What is the maximum height of the tree? ✅ I solved this question, passing all 10 test cases. The Abandoned City (50 M) You are in an abandoned city, and the only way to get out is by paying some coins. To collect these coins, you need to traverse some of the N houses. Every ith house has a maximum of Ai coins. You can start traversing from any house but you can only go in one direction (left or right). To get out of the city, you need to pay K coins. Find the minimum number of houses you need to visit to get out of the city (-1 if it is not possible to get out). ✅ I solved this question partially, passing 6/10 test cases. Number of Ones (100 M) You are given a binary string with 3 ones and 2 zeroes. After an operation, it has 4 ones and 3 zeroes. The operations follow the pattern: No. of 1s in ith string = No. of 1s in (i-1)th string + 3 × No. of 0s in (i-2)th string. No. of 0s in ith string = 2 × No. of 0s in (i-1)th string + 2 × No. of 1s in (i-2)th string. Given N, find the number of ones in the Nth string. Return the answer modulo 10⁹ + 7. ✅ I solved this question partially, passing 4/10 test cases. The overall difficulty of the MCQs was Hard, and that of the Programming questions was Intermediate. ✅ 32 students were selected for the second round, and I was one of them. Round Two: The Technical Interview This interview was supposed to be a Technical Interview, and I was expecting a lot of questions about Data Structures and Algorithms. However, it was more like a techno-HR round for me. Platform: Zoom Time: 35-40 mins We were made to wait in the lobby till our turn. Then we were sent into a breakout room from where we were sent to the rooms for the interview. There were 2 interviewers for me. The first one asked tech-oriented questions, while the other asked situation-based questions. Both the interviewers were super friendly. First Interviewer: Can you explain Flutter to me? Explained Flutter and Dart in short. Is Dart/Flutter similar to Kotlin? Explained how Dart has features from various languages like JavaScript and Java. Questions related to my project (Fast n’ Fresh) Discussed responsibilities and tech stack. Asked about my internships and team sizes. Asked about Agile methodology. I had no idea but explained my workflow at previous internships. Asked about DBMS. Mentioned I had it in my current semester and preferred practicals over theory. What is metadata? Guessed it as data about data in a database. What data structures are you comfortable with? Mentioned arrays, queue, stack, linked lists, but not trees and graphs. Second Interviewer: Have you worked with unknown teammates before? How would you handle a team where members ask too many doubts? Would you prefer working with people from different cultures or familiar people? Would working with a disabled colleague affect the project? If a goof-up happened from your side, and the team was ready to share the blame, would you go with the team or take responsibility? ✅ 16 students were selected for the internship, and I was one of them. Conclusion A few tips if you are appearing for the interview: ✅ Be confident while answering questions. ✅ Review every detail in your resume/portfolio. ✅ Be honest and say NO if you don’t know something. ✅ Pay attention during the Pre-Placement Talks. ✅ Be patient! You might have to wait for long hours in the interview process. Thanks for reading! 🎉

Batch: 2023

Interview Experience 🎯 Round 1: Online Coding Test on HackerRank (90 minutes) 1) 2 Leetcode hard coding questions (I don’t remember those now) 2) CS fundamental questions based on OS, CS, OOP, C++ Round 2: First Interview on Google Meet Introduction Given a string, find first non-repeating character in the string. Find height of the binary tree. Difference between deep copy vs shallow copy. What is polymorphism? The interviewer asked if I had any information to share that was not mentioned in my resume. What is a process and a thread in the operating system? What is a deadlock? Asked about Solapur Police employee transfer project (this project is also mentioned in the HIGHLIGHTS & ACHIEVEMENTS section on pict.edu website). Asked about Tech Mahindra internship: How did I get this internship? What work did I do? How was the work divided among 4 interns? Any questions for the interviewer? Round 3: DSA Round on Google Meet (60 minutes) Given a non-empty string of size less than 10, containing only ‘i’ and ‘d’ characters. ‘i’ stands for increment operation. ‘d’ stands for decrement operation. Generate an integer array of the same size containing distinct elements, following the order of the given string. Example: iiidd → 1 2 5 4 3 (used unique integer values < 10) ddii → 3 2 5 6 You are given an array of size 99. It contains unique elements between 1 to 100 in random order. Find the missing number. (Similar question: [GeeksForGeeks](https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/find-the-missing-number/)) Check if two linked lists cross each other or not? I explained my approach orally. Any questions for the interviewer? Round 4: HR Round (Phone Call, 10 mins) 📞 This round was scheduled after receiving the job offers. They asked if I was comfortable relocating to Pune. This round did not affect the offer. 🎉 Conclusion: Selected for Software Engineering role (6-month internship + FTE). Departments were assigned later randomly (Big Data Analytics, Android Development, UI Development, etc.). Thanks a lot for reading! 🚀 All the best for your upcoming interviews!!

Batch: 2023

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

🏢 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

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

🌟 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

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

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 Deutsche Bank Graduate Analyst Interview Experience 🚀 Deutsche Bank visited our college by the end of July for the Graduate Analyst Role. The hiring procedure was quite straightforward, consisting of: Online Coding Round Technical Interview-1 Technical Interview-2 Pro-Fit/Managerial Round HR Round 🖥️ Online Coding Round (27 July’23) This round consisted of 3 questions—each from Easy, Medium & Hard categories—to be solved in 90 minutes. Easy Level Question → Simple array manipulation. Medium Level Question → Based on Maths, took me around 10-15 min to solve. Hard Level Question → Related to Strings, the toughest one, and nobody in our college could fully solve it. I passed 5/12 test cases. Platform: HackerEarth For this round, my experience was not great as the test cases were weak, allowing even brute-force solutions to pass for the Medium-level question. However, a few days later, I received an interview call on 3rd August 2023. 🔹 Technical Round-1 This round started at 11:00 AM and lasted around 2 hours. It was a detailed and rigorous discussion, which helped me a lot in the next rounds. 🔍 Questions Asked: Resume-based project discussion (30-40 min) Reverse a Linked List (Both recursion & pointer approach) Minimum Number of Platforms (Leetcode question) Sum of Subarray (Kadane’s Algorithm for +/- elements) ACID properties and basic DML, DCL, DDL commands Query to print alternate rows in a table SQL vs NoSQL Normalization OOPs concepts and subdivisions Apply OOPs to your main project Problems in Inheritance (Diamond Problem) K-greatest elements using Priority Queue 🔹 Technical Round-2 Started at 2:30 PM, this round was short and lasted 15-20 minutes. Since my Round-1 feedback was strong, the interviewer focused on a few core topics. 🔍 Questions Asked: Resume-based project discussion Find count of subsequences in an array with product < k (Recursion + DP) Basic DFS, BFS question on Graphs (similar to Island Problem on Leetcode) Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) for Car Parking Tracker The panel was impressed by my Competitive Programming profile, which helped me answer questions quickly. ❓ Questions I Asked Them: What were your expectations when you joined DB, and were they fulfilled? Your work experience, number of projects, and tech stack? Challenges you faced and how you overcame them? 🔹 Pro-Fit/Managerial Round Immediately after Round-2, this round started at 3:00 PM and lasted 30-35 minutes. It tested my communication skills, confidence, and personality. 🔍 Topics Discussed: Resume-based project discussion Challenges faced in projects & how I overcame them Family background Interests and hobbies & how I work on them How do I stay motivated for the long run? Plans for higher studies & sponsorship requirements? 🔹 HR Round At 6:00 PM, I had the final HR Round, which lasted 20-30 minutes. 🔍 Questions Asked: Introduce yourself & family background What does Deutsche Bank do? Why Deutsche Bank? You and a friend from another company are approaching the same client. How will you handle it without spoiling your friendship? Your strengths and weaknesses? Any plans for further studies? 🎉 Verdict: SELECTED! Results were announced at 8:30 PM, making it a memorable night! Best of luck to all future aspirants! 🍀🚀

Batch: 2023

🎯 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

🚀 Dell Technologies Internship Interview Experience 🏢 Company & Role Company: Dell Technologies Role: Intern Batch/Year of Graduation: 2026 Branch: Computer Science 📅 Application Process How did you apply? On-campus Timeline: Application Date: 12th of September, 2024 Online Assessment Date: 26th of September, 2024 Interview Dates: 4th of October, 2024 Offer Date: Results were declared on the day of the interview. 💬 Interview Rounds Round 1: Online Assessment Type: Coding and MCQs Description: Questions were mainly asked on DSA concepts and CS fundamentals. You weren't free to choose your own language while solving the questions - so I'd reccommend that you constantly keep in touch with multiple languages as opposed to just coding in the language that you're comfortable in. Questions asked: Regular expression matching in Java Finding the maximum value in Javascript Creation of a template class in C++ Difficulty Level: Easy-Medium Your Experience: Despite the questions being easy, you were tested on a variety of concepts and languages. One very effective way to gain proficiency in different programming languages are your lab assignments at PICT. Usually you are free to choose your own language to solve assignments (atleast in TE labs) and so please solve different assignments in different languages. This'll help save time in the Intern season as you wouldn't have to start any language from scratch. And, of course, please code your assignments on your own, without using generative AI. It genuinely helps you in the long run :) Round 2: Technical Interview Type: Technical + Managerial Description: Resume-specific questions were asked. Additionally, DSA questions were also asked. Your Experience: Before this round, please make sure you know every single thing on your CV. Also make sure that you can explain all of it in an easy-to-understand way. Also solve a lot of DSA problems and be consistent with your practise. Also give a lot of contests and take rating very seriously (so that you have some skin in the game), to simulate the stressful interview and OA environment. Also since the company wanted interns for a cloud-focused role, having some knowledge in the field of cloud computing would definitely be advantageous. Round 3: HR Round The interviewer gave me a few scenarios and asked me what I would do in those situations. Questions were such that they tested whether you could work in a team. Also there was a very interesting question about what's more important - modern software or legacy software. 📊 Overall Experience & Tips Overall Interview Experience: Enjoyed preparing for it and it was a wonderful experience. What to prepare? DSA, OOP, DBMS, OS, Cloud computing Tips for Aspirants: Remember, interviews aren't Q&A sessions, they are more like discussions. So ask a lot of questions. Ask for clarifications where necessary and if you are stuck on a question, ask the interviewer for a hint. Verdict: Selected Good Luck, and Remember: Stay Confident! 😎

Batch: 2026

🎯 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

🔗 A YouTube Video on My Deutsche Bank On-Campus Internship Interview https://youtu.be/16UJw2fAaJs

Batch: 2023

📌 My PhonePe Interview Experience Introduction I’m an undergrad studying in my fourth year of engineering in Computer Engineering at Pune Institute of Computer Technology. As per every year, PhonePe visited our college with the golden opportunity of a full-time SDE Role at their prestigious organization. The drive was open to all BE students as long as they fulfilled the criteria for dream companies set by our college TnP Cell. Gritting my teeth, I went into what was a test of sheer resolve and skills. 📢 PPT (Pre-Placement Talk) We had a Pre-Placement Talk open to all students where they thoroughly discussed the company policies, values, use cases, tech stack, compensation, etc. I jotted down a few notes from the PPT for discussions in later interview rounds, especially the HR round. (Bitter foreshadowing) Round 1: Online Assessment The Online Assessment was held on DoSelect Platform early in the morning at 9 AM. The test had 4 questions and 90 minutes to solve all of them with a score of 100 per question. Problems: In an office of N lanes with desks of only prime lengths, each team is supposed to sit in one lane. The length of the ith lane and the cost of laying one desk in the ith lane are represented by 2 arrays. Find the minimum total cost to complete desking of all N lanes. (Easily solvable with SPF and modular arithmetic.) Rearrange an array of positive integers to maximize the sum of GCDs of adjacent elements in the array. (I managed to pass half the cases with nextpermutation. The most optimal approach probably lies in bitmask DP.) Maximize the members in a team where the ith member will only join if ai members have strictly greater power than him and bi members have power less than him. (I couldn’t solve this one; it's likely solvable with binary search on answer.) Find the total number of ways to execute all functions given that they can only be executed if a given function before them was previously executed. (Didn’t get time to look into it much so can’t say.) I solved the 1st problem completely and the 2nd one partially. 11 people were shortlisted, including me, from the coding rounds for further evaluation. First Technical Interview Round It was an offline interview which roughly lasted for an hour. The mode of the interview was pen and paper. The interviewer was rather zealous and obliging. It seemed as if he had tons of experience under his belt. He attempted to put me in vulnerable situations in even the easiest problems a lot. He started by asking about myself a bit. Then, he asked if I had worked on a project in any database, to which I agreed and told him about one in PHP and SQL. We then discussed my project during my summer internship and my overall experience regarding the same. He later insisted on continuing the interview with Problem Solving / Data Structures questions, to which I willingly agreed. Questions: Merge Two Sorted Arrays Given two sorted arrays of integers, merge them into a single sorted array. (Easily done with two pointers.) Then he scaled the problem to 10 arrays. I suggested using a hashmap, 10 pointers, priority queue, or a binary search tree. Note: He bugged me a lot with even the smallest and unorthodox corner cases not being included in my pseudocode. So always start with requirement gathering and look out for corner cases when approaching interview questions. Find the Pair with Maximum Product Given an array of integers, find the pair with maximum product. (Easily solvable with 4 pointers.) He discussed a lot over the complexities of these approaches and if it is possible to improve them further, even over average cases. Then, he asked if I had any questions for him, to which I responded by asking a few regarding use cases of Contact Graphs in PhonePe. 6 people, including me, made it to the second round. Second Technical Interview Round It was an offline interview which roughly lasted for 45 minutes. The mode of the interview was pen and paper. The interviewer was a bit timid but knew a lot about problem-solving and competitive programming. He started by asking me which direction I wanted the interview to go (either coding or development), to which I responded with coding. Then, he asked me about my favorite data structure. MY FIRST MISTAKE! I responded with graphs, hoping for an extra impression. He asked me stuff about Disjoint Set Union and its complexities. I did manage to answer but it shook my confidence and resolve a lot in the end. Questions: Number of Ways to Cut a Land Given a land with N x M plots, there are T known treasures buried in some of them. You have K sons. In one operation, you can either cut the land vertically and give all plots to the left of the cut to one of your sons or cut the land horizontally and give all plots above the cut to one of your sons. Basically this: [Leetcode Problem](https://leetcode.com/problems/number-of-ways-of-cutting-a-pizza/) MY SECOND MISTAKE! I perceived the problem to be harder than it ever was. I couldn’t answer further. Painters Painting a Roof Alice and Bob are two painters painting a roof of N x M cells. Alice paints the roof horizontally in A1, A2, ..., AN and Bob paints it vertically in B1, B2, ..., BM. To find the bad cell count: I answered with a solution in binary search with O(N log M) Complexity. Array Splitting Problem Literally this problem but without the circular arrangement part. I answered with an O(N) solution by sorting and splitting the array. 4 people were selected from this round. Unfortunately, I got rejected. 🎯 Conclusion I got rejected, but the experience felt worth the hassle. Thanks to Competitive Programming, I made it as far as I could. The drive was great overall, my skills, luck, and resolve weren’t enough, and the best candidates got their well-deserved roles.

Batch: 2023

Barclays | SDE Intern Selection Experience 🔹 Round 1: Online Assessment & Coding Test ✅12 Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs): Java-related concepts, including OOP, exception handling, multithreading, and collections framework. SQL concepts, covering joins, indexes, normalization, and query optimizations ✅ 2 Coding Questions: String Manipulation Problem: A structured coding question requiring efficient handling of strings. I focused on edge cases like empty strings, different letter cases, and performance optimization using built-in Java functions. SQL Query Problem: A SQL query problem, where we had to write an efficient query based on a given scenario. 🔹 Round 2: Technical Interview After clearing the online assessment, I was shortlisted for the first technical interview, which was completely problem-solving and implementation-focused. The interviewer tested both my conceptual knowledge and coding ability. Java concepts (OOP, data structures, and core Java). Writing code snippets on paper to test my syntax knowledge. DBMS-related questions, where I was asked to write SQL queries and draw corresponding SQL tables. System programming questions that tested my fundamental understanding. 🔹 Round 3: Technical + HR Interview The final round was a mix of technical and HR questions. This was a behavioral test in addition to technical discussions, where the interviewer assessed my communication skills, problem-solving mindset, and cultural fit for Barclays. Topics Covered: Resume-Based Questions: In-depth discussion on projects and internships listed on my resume. I was asked to explain the tech stack, challenges faced, and optimization techniques used in my projects. Follow-up questions on performance improvements and how I would handle large-scale applications. Real-World Problem-Solving Scenarios: How would I approach a difficult problem if I got stuck? What debugging techniques do I use when code doesn’t work as expected? A situation-based question on how I would prioritize tasks under tight deadlines. 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

🏆 Avaya Recruitment Process at PICT Avaya recently visited Pune Institute of Computer Technology for full-time SDE positions offering a CTC of 14 LPA+. I was fortunate enough to participate in the entire recruitment process. 📌 Eligibility Criteria: CGPA Requirement: 8.98+ Process Conducted: Same day 📝 Total Rounds: 3 Online Assessment (In College) - 10th August 2024 Technical Round (1 hr 15 mins – 1 hr 30 mins) (Face-to-Face) Technical + HR Round (45 mins – 1 hr) (Face-to-Face) 📌 Online Assessment The test was conducted on i-Mocha platform. It included: 30–35 MCQs (Aptitude, CS Fundamentals, Assembly Language, DSA Code Snippets) 2 Coding Questions (LeetCode Easy-Medium) No negative marking Different weightage for coding & MCQs Strict invigilation (1–2 employees per lab) 🔹 Coding Questions: Array + Greedy Approach with custom logic String Manipulation ✅ I solved both questions. Out of 115 students, 30 were selected for the next round. 📌 Technical Round Two interviewers were present. After a resume discussion & introduction, the following questions were asked: 🔹 Questions Asked: REST APIs & Types JWT Tokens (Serverless vs Server-based, Alternatives) DBMS: ACID Properties (Detailed Explanation + Real-life Examples) Normalization (Necessity, Types, Examples) Projects Discussion: Explained one project in STAR format Questions on WebHooks, Payment Gateways, and SaaS (highlighted in my resume) DSA Question (Linked List, LeetCode Medium) Wrote the most efficient approach on paper → Interviewer was satisfied Sorting, Priority Queues & Time Complexities Real-world implementations & custom modifications based on input data 🧩 Puzzle Asked: Find the fastest 3 horses (GFG Puzzle) Took 3–4 minutes to explain the approach → Solved correctly ✅ Verdict: Selected for the final round 📌 Technical + HR Round Some candidates were asked only HR questions, while others had technical discussions too. 🔹 Discussion Topics: Personal Introduction: Family, Hometown, Qualifications, Past Internships Hackathon Winning Project: Architecture & Execution (10-minute discussion) Behavioral & Situational Questions: Team Conflicts in Hackathon & how I managed it Challenges in Projects/Internships If you could go back in time, what tech would you learn? Who is your inspiration? (I mentioned my parents) What are your aspirations? (Unique answer expected) What makes you unique & why should we hire you? Cricket Discussion: (As I mentioned cricket in my intro) Favorite Player, Captain, Best Cricket Moments & Inspirations Finally, I asked 4–5 questions about Avaya's products, tech stack, and onboarding preparation. ✅ Verdict: Selected! 🎉 Out of 5 final candidates, I made it! 🔥 Conclusion The interview process felt like a two-way conversation, not just Q&A. Great learning experience!

Batch: 2025

🏆 Online Coding Round Duration: 90 minutes Total Questions: 4 📝 Problems Given: Prime Number Cost Problem: Given an array of numbers (Arr) and a cost array (Cost), each number must be formed by summing a single prime number multiple times. The cost of using a prime number x times is x Cost[i]. Example: Arr[i] = 10, Cost[i] = 6 5 + 5 = 10 → Cost = 2 6 = 12 (Minimum cost). Max GCD Sum Problem: Given an array of positive integers, find the maximum sum of GCD(arr[i], arr[i+1]) for all adjacent pairs. You may rearrange the array in any order. Function Dependency Execution Count: Given an array representing dependencies of functions. Example: { -1, -1, 1, 1, 3 } The 1st & 2nd functions execute anytime (-1). 3rd & 4th execute after the 1st. 5th executes after the 3rd. Find total number of ways to execute all functions. Max Group Selection: Given two arrays (A and B), select elements forming the largest possible group. Rules: If i-th element is chosen, include at most A[i] elements before i. Include at most B[i] elements after i. Example: A = { 1, 2, 0, 3 }, B = { 2, 2, 0, 1 } Maximum elements in a group = 3. ✅ Results: Solved 1st problem completely and 2nd problem partially. Got shortlisted for the second round along with 10 other applicants. ⚡ First Technical Interview Round (30–35 min) 🔹 Questions Asked: Maximum Subarray Sum of a Circular Array: Array can contain positive & negative elements. Example: Arr = { 2, -4, 3, -5, 1, 3 } → Answer = 6. Progressed from brute force → optimal (O(n)) approach. Dry ran multiple cases → Interviewer was satisfied. Diameter of a Binary Tree: Initially unaware of this. Interviewer explained the concept. Asked to write pseudo-code for diameter of an N-ary tree. Solved in O(n) time. ✅ Advanced to the next round along with 5 other applicants. 🚀 Second Technical Interview Round (40 min) 🔹 Questions Asked: Chocolate Bar Distribution: Given N chocolate bars of varying lengths. Can split bars but NOT attach them. Distribute them to K students such that each gets equal length. Find max possible length per student. Approach: Binary Search on Answer → O(n log n). Swapped Nodes in a BST: Given a BST where two random nodes were swapped. Find and fix those nodes. Solved in O(n) time. Dry ran multiple cases → Interviewer was satisfied. 🎯 Third HR Interview Round (40 min) 🖥️ Topics Discussed: Computer Networks: How data packets travel. How HTML, TCP/UDP work. Where & how code gets stored & executed. Interviewer helped wherever I got stuck. OOP & Inheritance: Diamond problem in OOP. Behavior of protected & private members in inheritance. 🧩 Puzzles Asked: Finding the Faster Mouse: 12 identical mice → 1 is faster. 4 cakes available. Mice can pause/resume eating, can be rearranged anytime. Find the faster mouse. Solved independently. Fixing Wrongly Labeled Containers: Containers labeled Red, Green, Red+Green but wrongly placed. Balls inside contain only Red, only Green, or both. Find correct labels with minimum ball picks. Solved using 2 balls → Optimized to 1 ball with hint. ✅ Felt good again after solving these puzzles. 🎉 Verdict: Got Selected! 🎉 After 30-minute wait, they felicitated us with goodies. 4 applicants made it to the final selection list. 🔥 Conclusion A dream come true! 💫 Competitive Programming played a major role in my selection. 🚀

Batch: 2023

Hello everyone! I am here to share my experience of the whole process. 🏢 Company & Role Company: Siemens Role: Intern Batch/Year of Graduation: 2026 Branch: Computer Engineering 📅 Application Process How did you apply? On-Campus Timeline: Application Date: 10-01-2025 💬 OA and Interview Rounds Round 1: Online Assessment Type: MCQ Description: Aptitude, programming skills, DSA, OOP, DBMS concepts Tips: Practice aptitude questions. Solve dsa problems daily. Read instructions carefully in the beginning of the test, divide time accordingly and keep checking the timer. Round 2: Technical Interview Type: Technical Description: OOP concepts are asked, explain them with examples, programming skills, solve dsa problems, solve puzzles, have a proper discussion on the projects mentioned in your resume Tips: Must have strong understanding in subjects like OOP, DSA, DBMS, CNS, OS, etc. Keep revising and practing them so that you don't get confused in the interview. You should be able to give proper examples and your explaination should be satisfactory. Don't waste your interviewers' time: Whenever you feel stuck, try for some more time and even after doing so, if you dont come up with a solution, please accept that you need to revise on that topic. Assure that you will go through it after the interview. This is important because this shows your humble attitude (slightly), acceptance and interest in improvement. Avoid silence for a long period of time: Try to keep the session interactive especially when the interviewers' ask you to solve questions (dsa, puzzles) or ask you to write pseudocode. Explain your approach, while solving it / writing it, instead of writing it at once and then explaining it in one go. It will ensure that they are engaged and even if you get stuck in between then atleast it will leave mark that you tried. Different approaches: When you are given a question to solve, you may either come up with single or multiple solutions. In case of single solution, explain your approach, draw it on paper for better visualization, after which the interviewers might ask you to optiomize it. They might even give you a hint, think more on how to do so because when they give us a hint, then it is expected that we solve it in more optimal way. Think for a while, explain while writing and keep it interactive and so on as explained above. In case of multiple solutions however, start with brute force, then keep on optimising it and before moving on towards next approach ask them if they want you to explain the better one. Listen to the interviewers patiently and avoid making a mistake in hearing or understanding their question. Explain projects mentioned in your resume and your contribution in it. Round 3 : HR Interview Round Prepare your introduction, have discussion on extra curricular activites, participation in college events, clubs, hackathons, achievements. Be on time, know your challenges and how you plan to overcome them. Also, this round a mizture of tech and not tech questions so re-read your resume twice or thrice. Have some questions to ask them. Verdict : Selected The selection processes are really meant for people with high patience, the ones who keep trying, find areas on improvement and keep on working on that, so be one of those. You will find that people with opporunities have faced challenges before and they have kept on making theirselves even more capable of deserving the opportunity. I am grateful to be able to help the readers and I hope that I was able to. All the Best and Remember: Stay Confident! 👍💯

Batch: 2026

🚀 Siemens Interview Experience 📝 Online Assessment (HackerEarth Platform) The first round was an online assessment conducted on the HackerEarth platform (shortlisting for this round was done via CGPA). This round had around 75 questions and lasted 1.5 hours. It consisted of questions like: Aptitude-based questions: time-work relations, distance-speed ⏳ Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) concepts Output-based coding questions in C, C++, and Java Out of 120 students, only 60 were shortlisted for the next round, which was a technical interview. 💻 Technical Interview In this round, the interviewer started by asking me to introduce myself. Then, I was asked: Resume-related questions The languages I had mentioned in my resume. He asked me about my project and if I had partnered with any NGO for that. I even told him about my current project on this platform theInterview. But due to restricted access, he couldn't open it on his laptop. Then, I was asked about my internship and my role there. OOP conceptual questions He asked basic questions related to OOP, like the four pillars of OOP and inheritance-related questions. He then asked me to write a code to demonstrate OOP. DSA Questions 🔗 Print Fibonacci series [Fibonacci Series - GFG](https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/fibonacci-series/) I presented both iterative and recursive solutions and explained their complexities. 🔗 Reversing a String [Reverse a String - GFG](https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/reverse-a-string-in-c-cpp-different-methods/) I solved it using the two-pointer technique, though it could have also been solved using recursion. Software Development Life Cycle What are the steps involved during the SDLC process (trust me, guys, this is a very underrated yet important subject in SE!) Follow-up questions: "What happens if there are some errors after deployment?" "What if the client has specific requirements after deployment?" He then asked me what unit testing is and what is meant by patching. At the end of the interview, I was given a chance to ask questions. I inquired about Siemens' involvement in AI and how they are integrating AI agents into their work. 🤖 🏆 HR Interview The final round was an HR interview, conducted online via Teams, where I was asked: Personal questions (things not mentioned in my resume) My family background Scenario-based questions How I see myself in the next five years My plans regarding a master's degree I hope this experience helps others preparing for Siemens' hiring process! 🚀 Remember to stay confident and be yourself. All the best! ✨

Batch: 2026

🚀 Interview Experience At BNY Mellon 🏢 Company & Role Company: BNY Mellon Role: SDE Intern Batch/Year of Graduation: 2026 Branch: CS 📅 Application Process How did you apply?Test link was provided to all students. 💬 Interview Rounds Round 1: Online Assessment Type: Coding Description: 4 DSA questions were to be solved. Difficulty Level: The difficulty level of questions ranged from Easy, Medium, Hard. Your Experience: Easy and medium level questions were based on arrays, hashmaps and strings. Hard level question was based on graphs. Round 2: Technical Interview (Online) Type: Coding Description: This interview round was for 1 hour where they basically wanted to test core understanding on Data Structures and Algorithms. Initial 15 minutes were MCQ based questions covering concepts time complexities, reasoning on which data structure should be used for a particular scenario and justify, etc. There was hands on coding for 45 minutes. In total there 5 questions and we had to solve maximum that could be solved in the time limit. The questions had to be solved in order as they were extended question of the previous one. Difficulty Level: Difficulty ranged from easy, medium , hard as the questions progressed. HR Interview: Type: HR Description: This round was more resume based and the project that I had on. Later behavioral questions were asked and one DBMS query was asked. Good Luck, and Remember: Stay Confident! 😎

Batch: 2025

⏳ 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, and I quickly devised a plan—ask others about the questions they were getting. But guess what? My name was first on the list. Plan failed! 😅 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

🎯 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! ✅  📢 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

🎯 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

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

🎯 My Deutsche Bank Graduate Analyst Interview Experience 🚀 Deutsche Bank visited our college by the end of July for the Graduate Analyst Role. The hiring procedure was quite straightforward, consisting of: Online Coding Round Technical Interview-1 Technical Interview-2 Pro-Fit/Managerial Round HR Round 🖥️ Online Coding Round (27 July’23) This round consisted of 3 questions—each from Easy, Medium & Hard categories—to be solved in 90 minutes. Easy Level Question → Simple array manipulation. Medium Level Question → Based on Maths, took me around 10-15 min to solve. Hard Level Question → Related to Strings, the toughest one, and nobody in our college could fully solve it. I passed 5/12 test cases. Platform: HackerEarth For this round, my experience was not great as the test cases were weak, allowing even brute-force solutions to pass for the Medium-level question. However, a few days later, I received an interview call on 3rd August 2023. 🔹 Technical Round-1 This round started at 11:00 AM and lasted around 2 hours. It was a detailed and rigorous discussion, which helped me a lot in the next rounds. 🔍 Questions Asked: Resume-based project discussion (30-40 min) Reverse a Linked List (Both recursion & pointer approach) Minimum Number of Platforms (Leetcode question) Sum of Subarray (Kadane’s Algorithm for +/- elements) ACID properties and basic DML, DCL, DDL commands Query to print alternate rows in a table SQL vs NoSQL Normalization OOPs concepts and subdivisions Apply OOPs to your main project Problems in Inheritance (Diamond Problem) K-greatest elements using Priority Queue 🔹 Technical Round-2 Started at 2:30 PM, this round was short and lasted 15-20 minutes. Since my Round-1 feedback was strong, the interviewer focused on a few core topics. 🔍 Questions Asked: Resume-based project discussion Find count of subsequences in an array with product < k (Recursion + DP) Basic DFS, BFS question on Graphs (similar to Island Problem on Leetcode) Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) for Car Parking Tracker The panel was impressed by my Competitive Programming profile, which helped me answer questions quickly. ❓ Questions I Asked Them: What were your expectations when you joined DB, and were they fulfilled? Your work experience, number of projects, and tech stack? Challenges you faced and how you overcame them? 🔹 Pro-Fit/Managerial Round Immediately after Round-2, this round started at 3:00 PM and lasted 30-35 minutes. It tested my communication skills, confidence, and personality. 🔍 Topics Discussed: Resume-based project discussion Challenges faced in projects & how I overcame them Family background Interests and hobbies & how I work on them How do I stay motivated for the long run? Plans for higher studies & sponsorship requirements? 🔹 HR Round At 6:00 PM, I had the final HR Round, which lasted 20-30 minutes. 🔍 Questions Asked: Introduce yourself & family background What does Deutsche Bank do? Why Deutsche Bank? You and a friend from another company are approaching the same client. How will you handle it without spoiling your friendship? Your strengths and weaknesses? Any plans for further studies? 🎉 Verdict: SELECTED! Results were announced at 8:30 PM, making it a memorable night! Best of luck to all future aspirants! 🍀🚀

Batch: 2023

🚀 Siemens Interview Experience 🏢 Company & Role Company: Siemens Role: Intern Batch/Year of Graduation: 2026 Branch: IT 💬 Interview Rounds Round 1: Online Assessment Type: Objective Questions Description: The MCQs covered both aptitude and coding skills. The aptitude section included basic questions on time and work, speed, time and distance, analogies, and calendars. The coding MCQs required completing the given code or determining code's output. The programming languages tested were C, C++, and C#, with a strong focus on Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) concepts. Difficulty Level: Medium Round 2:Technical Interview Type: Technical Description: This interviewer asked questions based on my resume and one DSA problem. Example Questions: Introduction Tell me about yourself Work Experience Tell about your recent internship. Describe the project that you are working on in detail and how is it deployed. What did you particulary worked on? Software Development Life Cycle Tell me the steps taken and explain the entire software development cycle using a project as an example. For example there is a project of booking a movie show and if two people are trying to book the same show and same seats, what will the backend logic to make sure that the same seats are not booke for two users? Testing How are you testing the product that you are working on in the internship? Do you have experience working in testing? What is unit testing ? DSA First asked to find the minimum element in an array Asked to find the second minimum and then asked to find the kth minimum element, I did it using PriorityQueue. Asked me to do without it Your Experience: In your introduction focus on the project/internship you are most confident about and highlight that later as well. While doing the DSA question, keep talking about the approach you are using and what is your logic behind it. Round 3 : HR Round Questions: What are you apart from being a PICT Student. What is your family like. Family background What are your plans of doing masters. Where do you see yourself in 5 years Asked about my current internship and why am i not continuing there. -- Good Luck, and Remember: Stay Confident! 😎

Batch: 2026

🚀 Siemens Interview Experience 📝 Online Assessment (HackerEarth Platform) The first round was an online assessment conducted on the HackerEarth platform (shortlisting for this round was done via CGPA). This round had around 75 questions and lasted 1.5 hours. It consisted of questions like: Aptitude-based questions: time-work relations, distance-speed ⏳ Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) concepts Output-based coding questions in C, C++, and Java Out of 120 students, only 60 were shortlisted for the next round, which was a technical interview. 💻 Technical Interview In this round, the interviewer started by asking me to introduce myself. Then, I was asked: Resume-related questions The languages I had mentioned in my resume. He asked me about my project and if I had partnered with any NGO for that. I even told him about my current project on this platform theInterview. But due to restricted access, he couldn't open it on his laptop. Then, I was asked about my internship and my role there. OOP conceptual questions He asked basic questions related to OOP, like the four pillars of OOP and inheritance-related questions. He then asked me to write a code to demonstrate OOP. DSA Questions 🔗 Print Fibonacci series [Fibonacci Series - GFG](https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/fibonacci-series/) I presented both iterative and recursive solutions and explained their complexities. 🔗 Reversing a String [Reverse a String - GFG](https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/reverse-a-string-in-c-cpp-different-methods/) I solved it using the two-pointer technique, though it could have also been solved using recursion. Software Development Life Cycle What are the steps involved during the SDLC process (trust me, guys, this is a very underrated yet important subject in SE!) Follow-up questions: "What happens if there are some errors after deployment?" "What if the client has specific requirements after deployment?" He then asked me what unit testing is and what is meant by patching. At the end of the interview, I was given a chance to ask questions. I inquired about Siemens' involvement in AI and how they are integrating AI agents into their work. 🤖 🏆 HR Interview The final round was an HR interview, conducted online via Teams, where I was asked: Personal questions (things not mentioned in my resume) My family background Scenario-based questions How I see myself in the next five years My plans regarding a master's degree I hope this experience helps others preparing for Siemens' hiring process! 🚀 Remember to stay confident and be yourself. All the best! ✨

Batch: 2026

🎯 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

🚀 Dell Technologies Internship Interview Experience 🏢 Company & Role Company: Dell Technologies Role: Intern Batch/Year of Graduation: 2026 Branch: Computer Science 📅 Application Process How did you apply? On-campus Timeline: Application Date: 12th of September, 2024 Online Assessment Date: 26th of September, 2024 Interview Dates: 4th of October, 2024 Offer Date: Results were declared on the day of the interview. 💬 Interview Rounds Round 1: Online Assessment Type: Coding and MCQs Description: Questions were mainly asked on DSA concepts and CS fundamentals. You weren't free to choose your own language while solving the questions - so I'd reccommend that you constantly keep in touch with multiple languages as opposed to just coding in the language that you're comfortable in. Questions asked: Regular expression matching in Java Finding the maximum value in Javascript Creation of a template class in C++ Difficulty Level: Easy-Medium Your Experience: Despite the questions being easy, you were tested on a variety of concepts and languages. One very effective way to gain proficiency in different programming languages are your lab assignments at PICT. Usually you are free to choose your own language to solve assignments (atleast in TE labs) and so please solve different assignments in different languages. This'll help save time in the Intern season as you wouldn't have to start any language from scratch. And, of course, please code your assignments on your own, without using generative AI. It genuinely helps you in the long run :) Round 2: Technical Interview Type: Technical + Managerial Description: Resume-specific questions were asked. Additionally, DSA questions were also asked. Your Experience: Before this round, please make sure you know every single thing on your CV. Also make sure that you can explain all of it in an easy-to-understand way. Also solve a lot of DSA problems and be consistent with your practise. Also give a lot of contests and take rating very seriously (so that you have some skin in the game), to simulate the stressful interview and OA environment. Also since the company wanted interns for a cloud-focused role, having some knowledge in the field of cloud computing would definitely be advantageous. Round 3: HR Round The interviewer gave me a few scenarios and asked me what I would do in those situations. Questions were such that they tested whether you could work in a team. Also there was a very interesting question about what's more important - modern software or legacy software. 📊 Overall Experience & Tips Overall Interview Experience: Enjoyed preparing for it and it was a wonderful experience. What to prepare? DSA, OOP, DBMS, OS, Cloud computing Tips for Aspirants: Remember, interviews aren't Q&A sessions, they are more like discussions. So ask a lot of questions. Ask for clarifications where necessary and if you are stuck on a question, ask the interviewer for a hint. Verdict: Selected Good Luck, and Remember: Stay Confident! 😎

Batch: 2026

🌟 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

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

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

📌 My PhonePe Interview Experience Introduction I’m an undergrad studying in my fourth year of engineering in Computer Engineering at Pune Institute of Computer Technology. As per every year, PhonePe visited our college with the golden opportunity of a full-time SDE Role at their prestigious organization. The drive was open to all BE students as long as they fulfilled the criteria for dream companies set by our college TnP Cell. Gritting my teeth, I went into what was a test of sheer resolve and skills. 📢 PPT (Pre-Placement Talk) We had a Pre-Placement Talk open to all students where they thoroughly discussed the company policies, values, use cases, tech stack, compensation, etc. I jotted down a few notes from the PPT for discussions in later interview rounds, especially the HR round. (Bitter foreshadowing) Round 1: Online Assessment The Online Assessment was held on DoSelect Platform early in the morning at 9 AM. The test had 4 questions and 90 minutes to solve all of them with a score of 100 per question. Problems: In an office of N lanes with desks of only prime lengths, each team is supposed to sit in one lane. The length of the ith lane and the cost of laying one desk in the ith lane are represented by 2 arrays. Find the minimum total cost to complete desking of all N lanes. (Easily solvable with SPF and modular arithmetic.) Rearrange an array of positive integers to maximize the sum of GCDs of adjacent elements in the array. (I managed to pass half the cases with nextpermutation. The most optimal approach probably lies in bitmask DP.) Maximize the members in a team where the ith member will only join if ai members have strictly greater power than him and bi members have power less than him. (I couldn’t solve this one; it's likely solvable with binary search on answer.) Find the total number of ways to execute all functions given that they can only be executed if a given function before them was previously executed. (Didn’t get time to look into it much so can’t say.) I solved the 1st problem completely and the 2nd one partially. 11 people were shortlisted, including me, from the coding rounds for further evaluation. First Technical Interview Round It was an offline interview which roughly lasted for an hour. The mode of the interview was pen and paper. The interviewer was rather zealous and obliging. It seemed as if he had tons of experience under his belt. He attempted to put me in vulnerable situations in even the easiest problems a lot. He started by asking about myself a bit. Then, he asked if I had worked on a project in any database, to which I agreed and told him about one in PHP and SQL. We then discussed my project during my summer internship and my overall experience regarding the same. He later insisted on continuing the interview with Problem Solving / Data Structures questions, to which I willingly agreed. Questions: Merge Two Sorted Arrays Given two sorted arrays of integers, merge them into a single sorted array. (Easily done with two pointers.) Then he scaled the problem to 10 arrays. I suggested using a hashmap, 10 pointers, priority queue, or a binary search tree. Note: He bugged me a lot with even the smallest and unorthodox corner cases not being included in my pseudocode. So always start with requirement gathering and look out for corner cases when approaching interview questions. Find the Pair with Maximum Product Given an array of integers, find the pair with maximum product. (Easily solvable with 4 pointers.) He discussed a lot over the complexities of these approaches and if it is possible to improve them further, even over average cases. Then, he asked if I had any questions for him, to which I responded by asking a few regarding use cases of Contact Graphs in PhonePe. 6 people, including me, made it to the second round. Second Technical Interview Round It was an offline interview which roughly lasted for 45 minutes. The mode of the interview was pen and paper. The interviewer was a bit timid but knew a lot about problem-solving and competitive programming. He started by asking me which direction I wanted the interview to go (either coding or development), to which I responded with coding. Then, he asked me about my favorite data structure. MY FIRST MISTAKE! I responded with graphs, hoping for an extra impression. He asked me stuff about Disjoint Set Union and its complexities. I did manage to answer but it shook my confidence and resolve a lot in the end. Questions: Number of Ways to Cut a Land Given a land with N x M plots, there are T known treasures buried in some of them. You have K sons. In one operation, you can either cut the land vertically and give all plots to the left of the cut to one of your sons or cut the land horizontally and give all plots above the cut to one of your sons. Basically this: [Leetcode Problem](https://leetcode.com/problems/number-of-ways-of-cutting-a-pizza/) MY SECOND MISTAKE! I perceived the problem to be harder than it ever was. I couldn’t answer further. Painters Painting a Roof Alice and Bob are two painters painting a roof of N x M cells. Alice paints the roof horizontally in A1, A2, ..., AN and Bob paints it vertically in B1, B2, ..., BM. To find the bad cell count: I answered with a solution in binary search with O(N log M) Complexity. Array Splitting Problem Literally this problem but without the circular arrangement part. I answered with an O(N) solution by sorting and splitting the array. 4 people were selected from this round. Unfortunately, I got rejected. 🎯 Conclusion I got rejected, but the experience felt worth the hassle. Thanks to Competitive Programming, I made it as far as I could. The drive was great overall, my skills, luck, and resolve weren’t enough, and the best candidates got their well-deserved roles.

Batch: 2023

🔗 A YouTube Video on My Deutsche Bank On-Campus Internship Interview https://youtu.be/16UJw2fAaJs

Batch: 2023

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

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

Interview Experience 🎯 Application Process In November 2022, I applied for the Software Development Engineer role on the Bloomberg career portal for multiple locations. In December, I received an email saying that I was shortlisted for the interview at Bloomberg Frankfurt and scheduled my interview for January 20, 2023. However, Bloomberg also visited my college for an on-campus recruitment drive for the Pune location on January 17, 2023, for a full-time role. This gave me another opportunity to apply. I'm excited to share my experience to help anyone preparing for an interview at Bloomberg! Overview The Bloomberg recruitment process followed these steps: Screening test (coding + MCQs) DSA interview (same day as the test) System Design interview (after a week) Managerial interview (final round) Final selection ✅ Round 1: Screening Test Platform: HackerRank Mode: Offline (College labs) Time: 1.5 hours Difficulty: Medium—Hard 🟠 Since I was already preparing for the Frankfurt interview, I was well-prepared for the screening test. It consisted of: 4 coding questions (Two worth 50 marks, two worth 75 marks) 21 MCQs (Each worth 5 marks) I solved: 1 question (75 marks) completely ✅ 2 questions (50 marks each) completely ✅ 1 question (75 marks) partially (4/13 test cases) A good number of MCQs ✅ Topics covered: MCQs: Data Structures, Algorithms, OS, DBMS, System Design (Load Balancers, Decoupling of services) Coding questions: Arrays, Strings, Recursion, Dynamic Programming, Sorting, Greedy Algorithms Result: 25 students were shortlisted from 300 applicants. Round 2: DSA Interview Platform: HackerRank Code Pair Mode: Offline (College) Time: 1 hour Difficulty: Medium 🟠 My interviewer was a Team Lead at Bloomberg Pune with 18+ years of experience in banks and hedge funds. After introductions, we moved to the coding question. Coding Question Leetcode Medium level. Divided into two parts: Used unordered map + unordered set for part 1. Used unordered map + priority queue for part 2. After solving, we discussed hashmap internal workings and collision resolution mechanisms. There were also a few resume-based questions. Tips for DSA Round: Keep your concepts crystal clear. Think out loud and explain your approach. Don’t jump straight to coding—ask for clarifications. Cover edge cases. Be flexible in your approach. Resources for DSA: Striver’s YouTube Channel (Highly recommend his Recursion & DP series) GeeksForGeeks & Leetcode (Practice questions) Result: 11 students shortlisted for the next round. Round 3: System Design Interview Platform: HackerRank Code Pair Whiteboard Mode: Offline (Bloomberg Pune Office) Time: 1 hour Difficulty: Medium—Hard 🔴 After a week, I had my System Design round with a panel of two interviewers (one offline, one online). The second interviewer was a Team Lead at Bloomberg Pune who previously worked in Bloomberg New York. System Design Question Not a standard question like Instagram or a food delivery app. Asked to design a high-level system based on three components and a given database structure. I designed a scalable system, but I felt the interviewers weren’t fully satisfied. Before the interview ended, I asked a few questions about Bloomberg’s work culture. Tips for System Design: Ask questions first—don’t jump into designing immediately. Keep the interview interactive (treat it as a discussion). Be flexible—don’t try to force-fit a design pattern. Justify every component/service you add. Resources for System Design: Gaurav Sen’s YouTube Channel (Excellent System Design playlist) Yogita Sharma’s YouTube Channel (Well-explained HLD & LLD concepts) Grokking Modern System Design Interview Arpit Bhayani’s YouTube Channel (Deep dive into System Design concepts) Result: 7 students shortlisted for the final round. Round 4: Managerial Interview Platform: Zoom Mode: Online Time: 1 hour Difficulty: Easy—Medium 🟢 The final interview had two parts (30 minutes each): Part 1: HR Interview Interviewer: Senior Recruiter (Bloomberg London) Questions about internships, resume, and Bloomberg. Asked some general HR questions. I asked a few company-related questions. Part 2: Senior Manager Interview Interviewer: Senior Manager (Bloomberg London) Focused on my projects & internships. Some technical discussions. I asked a few questions at the end. Final Selection: 3 students were selected—I was one of them! 🎉 🎉 Conclusion & Tips Bloomberg gives plenty of time between rounds—use it wisely. Be confident and clear in your answers. Know your resume inside out—projects, internships, etc. If you don’t know an answer, be honest. Research the company & attend Pre-Placement Talks. Be patient—the process may take time, especially off-campus. 🚀 Thanks for reading! Best of luck for your interviews! ✌️

Batch: 2023

🏢 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 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

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

🚀 BNY Summer Internship Interview Experience I am from PICT Pune, and in late August 2024, I had the opportunity to interview for a Summer Internship for BNY. It was the first company that had arrived for 3rd year summer internships, and it was definitely worth the hype. The process was challenging, confusing, and invigorating. Here's a detailed breakdown of my experience! 😍 🏢 Company & Role Company: Bank of New York Role: SDE Intern Batch/Year of Graduation: 2026 Branch: IT 📅 Application Process How did you apply? On-Campus Timeline: Application Date: within ~1 week before test Online Assessment Date: 24th August, 2024 Interview Dates: 26th August (2 interviews) Offer Date: upcoming (🤞) 💬 Interview Rounds Round 1:Online Assessment Type: Coding Description: The round consisted of 4 questions, 2 easy/medium and 2 hard. The questions were mostly DSA based, but easier questions did not require much DSA knowledge, mostly basic math, stacks, etc. The hard questions used graph, DP, trees, and some advanced data structures like segment trees. The questions were selected from question bank (2 from easy category and 2 from hard). I don't remeber the exact questions but the concepts used were as follows. Example Questions: A simple mod exponentiation problem. We had to calculate 2^n mod 1e9+7. However, the question was garbed as a graph question, something along the lines of 'find all possible graphs with nodes numbered 1 to n'. Elemntary knowledge of graph was needed to simplify it to mod exponentiation. 🤩 Purely implementation problem. AFAIR, it required no special data strucutre, or logic, just arrays, knowledge of a programming language (Python, C++, Java, or Assembly, if that's what you know). In difficulty I would say it fell at 900-1000 level on CF rating. ☺️ I don't have a clue of what this question was. But it was almost just as hard as next, if not more. I chose to skip this so I could focus on the next one. 🫥 I got a question of DP on strings. Atleast, that's what I felt. Majority of my time went here. I (again) don't remember the problem. I was unable to pass all the test cases despite spending ~1hr+ here. 🥲 Difficulty Level: a. and b. easy, c. and d. hard Your Experience: There were people who had soved all 4, and many who had solved 3. Even among those who had solved just 2, they had passed more cumulative test cases on the 2 hard questions than me. But who got selected? Seemingly random people. I think the company chose to focus not just on no. of test cases passed but also the approach to each problem, and code quality. Most other companies don't do this, and I have no idea how BNY did this (since there were 100s of students), so I can't be sure. Maybe they chose a hidden criteria, but I don't have conclusive evidence for anything. Round 2: Online Technical Interview Type: Technical Description: Round divided into 2 major rounds. In first part, 3 quick fire questions were asked. In second part, 3 coding questions were asked, and we hade to type out the code for them during the meet in a shared code editor, in our preferred language. Example Questions: Quick fire questions. For example, what is time and space complexity of hash map? It wasn't very hard, and focusing on college DSA would be enough in most cases. 3 of these questions and it took barely 2 - 3 minutes. 🔍 Coding test. First was very easy, it was something along the lines of mapping items and stores, and finding some information about them. I used arrays, hashmaps to solve it. Second was easy too but tough to understand. It was something like: I have 2 cars, and these cars are starting from different locations towards same final destination, and their paths meet somewhere in the middle. There were several stations along the route of both cars, with some (or no) people on every station. A person would board the car that arrives at his station first. We had to tell, in the end, which car would have which persons. The interview time was over before I could get the 3rd question.💡 Difficulty Level: Easy to easy-medium Your Experience: If you, a person who has basic grasp on dsa/cp, encountered these problems in wild, you would have probably spat on them and moved on. The difficulty was not in the question itself, but rather doing it with an interviewer staring at you and you having to explain every step of your thinking process. The interview was cut short due to time because it is tough to explain everything AND code accurately, handling edge cases and logic. I slipped a little on edge cases and therefore took way longer on 2nd coding question that I would like to admit. Other than that, the interview was okayish. #### Round 3: Interview I will update this soon, thanks for the patience!! 🎉 Final Outcome: Selected! In conclusion, my on-campus interview experience with BNY was both challenging and rewarding. The process tested my technical knowledge, problem-solving skills, and ability to communicate effectively under pressure. Engaging with the interviewers and learning about the company’s culture gave me valuable insights into the industry. Regardless of the outcome, the experience was a great learning opportunity that will help shape my future career.

Batch: 2026

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

🏆 Online Coding Round Duration: 90 minutes Total Questions: 4 📝 Problems Given: Prime Number Cost Problem: Given an array of numbers (Arr) and a cost array (Cost), each number must be formed by summing a single prime number multiple times. The cost of using a prime number x times is x Cost[i]. Example: Arr[i] = 10, Cost[i] = 6 5 + 5 = 10 → Cost = 2 6 = 12 (Minimum cost). Max GCD Sum Problem: Given an array of positive integers, find the maximum sum of GCD(arr[i], arr[i+1]) for all adjacent pairs. You may rearrange the array in any order. Function Dependency Execution Count: Given an array representing dependencies of functions. Example: { -1, -1, 1, 1, 3 } The 1st & 2nd functions execute anytime (-1). 3rd & 4th execute after the 1st. 5th executes after the 3rd. Find total number of ways to execute all functions. Max Group Selection: Given two arrays (A and B), select elements forming the largest possible group. Rules: If i-th element is chosen, include at most A[i] elements before i. Include at most B[i] elements after i. Example: A = { 1, 2, 0, 3 }, B = { 2, 2, 0, 1 } Maximum elements in a group = 3. ✅ Results: Solved 1st problem completely and 2nd problem partially. Got shortlisted for the second round along with 10 other applicants. ⚡ First Technical Interview Round (30–35 min) 🔹 Questions Asked: Maximum Subarray Sum of a Circular Array: Array can contain positive & negative elements. Example: Arr = { 2, -4, 3, -5, 1, 3 } → Answer = 6. Progressed from brute force → optimal (O(n)) approach. Dry ran multiple cases → Interviewer was satisfied. Diameter of a Binary Tree: Initially unaware of this. Interviewer explained the concept. Asked to write pseudo-code for diameter of an N-ary tree. Solved in O(n) time. ✅ Advanced to the next round along with 5 other applicants. 🚀 Second Technical Interview Round (40 min) 🔹 Questions Asked: Chocolate Bar Distribution: Given N chocolate bars of varying lengths. Can split bars but NOT attach them. Distribute them to K students such that each gets equal length. Find max possible length per student. Approach: Binary Search on Answer → O(n log n). Swapped Nodes in a BST: Given a BST where two random nodes were swapped. Find and fix those nodes. Solved in O(n) time. Dry ran multiple cases → Interviewer was satisfied. 🎯 Third HR Interview Round (40 min) 🖥️ Topics Discussed: Computer Networks: How data packets travel. How HTML, TCP/UDP work. Where & how code gets stored & executed. Interviewer helped wherever I got stuck. OOP & Inheritance: Diamond problem in OOP. Behavior of protected & private members in inheritance. 🧩 Puzzles Asked: Finding the Faster Mouse: 12 identical mice → 1 is faster. 4 cakes available. Mice can pause/resume eating, can be rearranged anytime. Find the faster mouse. Solved independently. Fixing Wrongly Labeled Containers: Containers labeled Red, Green, Red+Green but wrongly placed. Balls inside contain only Red, only Green, or both. Find correct labels with minimum ball picks. Solved using 2 balls → Optimized to 1 ball with hint. ✅ Felt good again after solving these puzzles. 🎉 Verdict: Got Selected! 🎉 After 30-minute wait, they felicitated us with goodies. 4 applicants made it to the final selection list. 🔥 Conclusion A dream come true! 💫 Competitive Programming played a major role in my selection. 🚀

Batch: 2023

🚀 BNY Summer Internship Interview Experience 🏢 Company & Role Company: Bank of New York Mellon Role: SDE Intern Batch/Year of Graduation: 2026 Branch: Computer Engineering 📅 Application Process How did you apply? On-Campus Timeline: Application Date: ~1 week before the test Online Assessment Date: 24th August 2024 Interview Dates: 26th August 2024 (2 interviews) Offer Date: 20th May 2025 💬 Interview Rounds 🔹 Round 1: Online Assessment Type: Coding Description: The assessment consisted of four DSA questions: 2 Easy 2 Medium Topics covered: Stacks, Strings, and Graphs Performance: Solved 1 question completely Remaining partially solved (~50% test cases passed) 🔹 Round 2: Online Technical Interview Type: Technical Duration: 1 Hour Description: Focused on algorithm analysis Questions: 3 Algorithmic concept questions 2 Medium-level DSA problems Performance: Solved all questions optimally within the given timeframe 🔹 Round 3: Technical + HR Interview Type: Technical + HR Duration: 45 Minutes Conducted by: VP at BNY Mellon Description: Covered DBMS, OOP (Java focus), and System Design Analytical questions were asked Discussed my interest in Machine Learning & Data Analytics ML & Data Science discussions included engaging conceptual questions Performance: Answered confidently and left a positive impression 🎉 Final Outcome ✅ Selected! If you want to know more about my interview experience and my journey you can watch this youtube video: https://youtu.be/rYGFET0amJc?si=lkg8vtS4nwX8UoQc

Batch: 2026

Barclays Full Time Placement Interview Experience Round 1 - Online Assesment Few Technical mcqs based on CNS,OS and DBMS, 1 SQL query and 1 Medium to Hard coding question. Round 2 - Tech Interview It was different for everyone since it was based on panelists, My tech Round comprised of a lot of DBMS, DSA(simple questions on linkedlist and trees), real life application of OOPS and a lot of majorly on my project. My interview was for around 1 hour 20 mins ish, My interviewer asked me first question after screening through my resume that was a real life application question based one of my project where he had told me write a code in CPP for onboarding users on a platform and storing the data in a data structure of linked list and storing the data in metadata and finally saving individual user data in a file structure, which requried me to write file handling code in CPP. This section was very time consuming and he was mostly testing if I was able to think of all edge cases in the flow and write appropriate code. Later there were questions on DSA(trees, linkedlist), DBMS, mostly about Normalisation, Transactions and Concurrency etc etc. This round depends a lot on panelist, my interviewer was a more keen on DBMS, so although Barclays is very focused on Java background, my interviewer didnot grill me on Java and CPP (which was in my resume) so it worked for me. Other panelists weren't same, they were asking Java and OOPS in Java releated questions a lot even if you don't have Java in your resume. Round 3 - Tech + HR In the last round around 23 students were selected. My Interview was fully based on my resume. I had a good discussion about my projects then web dev based questions on react typescript, node etc, a few situational questions and questions about my hackathons. Finally All the 23 students qualified for the last round got the offers for full time.

Batch: 2025

Barclays | SDE Intern Selection Experience 🔹 Round 1: Online Assessment & Coding Test ✅12 Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs): Java-related concepts, including OOP, exception handling, multithreading, and collections framework. SQL concepts, covering joins, indexes, normalization, and query optimizations ✅ 2 Coding Questions: String Manipulation Problem: A structured coding question requiring efficient handling of strings. I focused on edge cases like empty strings, different letter cases, and performance optimization using built-in Java functions. SQL Query Problem: A SQL query problem, where we had to write an efficient query based on a given scenario. 🔹 Round 2: Technical Interview After clearing the online assessment, I was shortlisted for the first technical interview, which was completely problem-solving and implementation-focused. The interviewer tested both my conceptual knowledge and coding ability. Java concepts (OOP, data structures, and core Java). Writing code snippets on paper to test my syntax knowledge. DBMS-related questions, where I was asked to write SQL queries and draw corresponding SQL tables. System programming questions that tested my fundamental understanding. 🔹 Round 3: Technical + HR Interview The final round was a mix of technical and HR questions. This was a behavioral test in addition to technical discussions, where the interviewer assessed my communication skills, problem-solving mindset, and cultural fit for Barclays. Topics Covered: Resume-Based Questions: In-depth discussion on projects and internships listed on my resume. I was asked to explain the tech stack, challenges faced, and optimization techniques used in my projects. Follow-up questions on performance improvements and how I would handle large-scale applications. Real-World Problem-Solving Scenarios: How would I approach a difficult problem if I got stuck? What debugging techniques do I use when code doesn’t work as expected? A situation-based question on how I would prioritize tasks under tight deadlines. 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

Hello everyone! I am here to share my experience of the whole process. 🏢 Company & Role Company: Siemens Role: Intern Batch/Year of Graduation: 2026 Branch: Computer Engineering 📅 Application Process How did you apply? On-Campus Timeline: Application Date: 10-01-2025 💬 OA and Interview Rounds Round 1: Online Assessment Type: MCQ Description: Aptitude, programming skills, DSA, OOP, DBMS concepts Tips: Practice aptitude questions. Solve dsa problems daily. Read instructions carefully in the beginning of the test, divide time accordingly and keep checking the timer. Round 2: Technical Interview Type: Technical Description: OOP concepts are asked, explain them with examples, programming skills, solve dsa problems, solve puzzles, have a proper discussion on the projects mentioned in your resume Tips: Must have strong understanding in subjects like OOP, DSA, DBMS, CNS, OS, etc. Keep revising and practing them so that you don't get confused in the interview. You should be able to give proper examples and your explaination should be satisfactory. Don't waste your interviewers' time: Whenever you feel stuck, try for some more time and even after doing so, if you dont come up with a solution, please accept that you need to revise on that topic. Assure that you will go through it after the interview. This is important because this shows your humble attitude (slightly), acceptance and interest in improvement. Avoid silence for a long period of time: Try to keep the session interactive especially when the interviewers' ask you to solve questions (dsa, puzzles) or ask you to write pseudocode. Explain your approach, while solving it / writing it, instead of writing it at once and then explaining it in one go. It will ensure that they are engaged and even if you get stuck in between then atleast it will leave mark that you tried. Different approaches: When you are given a question to solve, you may either come up with single or multiple solutions. In case of single solution, explain your approach, draw it on paper for better visualization, after which the interviewers might ask you to optiomize it. They might even give you a hint, think more on how to do so because when they give us a hint, then it is expected that we solve it in more optimal way. Think for a while, explain while writing and keep it interactive and so on as explained above. In case of multiple solutions however, start with brute force, then keep on optimising it and before moving on towards next approach ask them if they want you to explain the better one. Listen to the interviewers patiently and avoid making a mistake in hearing or understanding their question. Explain projects mentioned in your resume and your contribution in it. Round 3 : HR Interview Round Prepare your introduction, have discussion on extra curricular activites, participation in college events, clubs, hackathons, achievements. Be on time, know your challenges and how you plan to overcome them. Also, this round a mizture of tech and not tech questions so re-read your resume twice or thrice. Have some questions to ask them. Verdict : Selected The selection processes are really meant for people with high patience, the ones who keep trying, find areas on improvement and keep on working on that, so be one of those. You will find that people with opporunities have faced challenges before and they have kept on making theirselves even more capable of deserving the opportunity. I am grateful to be able to help the readers and I hope that I was able to. All the Best and Remember: Stay Confident! 👍💯

Batch: 2026

🚀 BNY Summer Internship Interview Experience 🏢 Company & Role Company: BNY Mellon Role: SDE Intern Batch/Year of Graduation: 2026 Branch: Computer Engineering 💬 Interview Rounds 🔹 Round 1: Online Assessment Type: Coding Description: The assessment consisted of four DSA questions: 2 Easy 2 Medium Topics covered: Stacks (datastructure design), Strings, and Arrays Performance: Solved 2 question completely Remaining partially solved (~90 % test cases passed) 🔹 Round 2: Online Technical Interview Type: Technical Duration: 1 Hour Description: Focused on algorithm analysis Questions: 4 Data Structures conceptual questions 1 Medium-level DSA problem Performance: 45 minutes time was allocated to coding question. It was on speed on interviewee how many DSA questions will be asked to him. I wasn't aware about this properly and ended up taking consuming all of my time for that question. It affected me in process, as students selected had slowed atleast 1.5 question (1st ques solved fully and approach of 2nd question) Final Outcome Not Selected 😓

Batch: 2026

Landing an Internship at Amazon 🚀 Landing an internship at Amazon is an exciting yet challenging endeavor. With a competitive selection process, knowing how to navigate each step is essential. Based on my experience interviewing for the Summer 2024 internship, this guide offers an overview of the recruitment process. Step 1: Application Register on Amazon Jobs 🔹 Search for internship roles that match your skills. 🔗 [Apply Here]("https://www.amazon.jobs/en/jobs/2750545/sde-i-intern-6m-july-dec") Resume Ready Keep an ATS-friendly resume handy. Apply & Network Submit your application and reach out to Amazon full-time employees (not interns) for a referral with your job ID, resume, and a short pitch highlighting ‘why you would be a great fit’. If you get shortlisted for the next round, you will receive a link for the Online Assessment. Note: Each round is eliminatory. Step 2: Online Assessment (OA) If shortlisted, you’ll complete an OA with three parts: 1️⃣ Coding Assessment (60 min) 🔹 Two questions on data structures and algorithms. 🔹 Difficulty: Medium. Tip: Focus on practicing coding questions within a timed setting to improve speed and accuracy. 2️⃣ Workstyle Assessment (15 min) 🔹 Personality-based, aligned with Amazon’s Leadership Principles. Tip: Familiarize yourself with Amazon’s Leadership Principles. 3️⃣ Work Simulation (60 min) 🔹 Role-specific scenarios. Step 3: Interviews If you clear the Online Assessment, you will be invited for an interview on Amazon Chime, where you will be interacting with Amazonians. Technical Interview 🔹 The interview kicks off with a short intro about your academic background and skills. 🔹 You’ll solve two coding problems in a shared live coding environment. Tips: Explain your thought process and approach as you work. Be open to real-time feedback. The interviewer will be looking for logical thinking and adaptability. Leadership-Based Interview The final round focuses on Amazon’s core values — ‘Leadership Principles’ to assess your cultural fit. Expect behavioral questions that ask you to demonstrate these principles through past experiences. Tip: Amazon values authenticity, so be sincere and thoughtful about your motivations and experiences. Note: This guide is based on my experience interviewing with Amazon for the Summer 2024 internship. While there may be some variations in the hiring process, I hope this gives you a helpful overview. Best of luck! #day1culture #amazonian #sdeIntern #techjourney #faang

Batch: 2025

🏆 Avaya Recruitment Process at PICT Avaya recently visited Pune Institute of Computer Technology for full-time SDE positions offering a CTC of 14 LPA+. I was fortunate enough to participate in the entire recruitment process. 📌 Eligibility Criteria: CGPA Requirement: 8.98+ Process Conducted: Same day 📝 Total Rounds: 3 Online Assessment (In College) - 10th August 2024 Technical Round (1 hr 15 mins – 1 hr 30 mins) (Face-to-Face) Technical + HR Round (45 mins – 1 hr) (Face-to-Face) 📌 Online Assessment The test was conducted on i-Mocha platform. It included: 30–35 MCQs (Aptitude, CS Fundamentals, Assembly Language, DSA Code Snippets) 2 Coding Questions (LeetCode Easy-Medium) No negative marking Different weightage for coding & MCQs Strict invigilation (1–2 employees per lab) 🔹 Coding Questions: Array + Greedy Approach with custom logic String Manipulation ✅ I solved both questions. Out of 115 students, 30 were selected for the next round. 📌 Technical Round Two interviewers were present. After a resume discussion & introduction, the following questions were asked: 🔹 Questions Asked: REST APIs & Types JWT Tokens (Serverless vs Server-based, Alternatives) DBMS: ACID Properties (Detailed Explanation + Real-life Examples) Normalization (Necessity, Types, Examples) Projects Discussion: Explained one project in STAR format Questions on WebHooks, Payment Gateways, and SaaS (highlighted in my resume) DSA Question (Linked List, LeetCode Medium) Wrote the most efficient approach on paper → Interviewer was satisfied Sorting, Priority Queues & Time Complexities Real-world implementations & custom modifications based on input data 🧩 Puzzle Asked: Find the fastest 3 horses (GFG Puzzle) Took 3–4 minutes to explain the approach → Solved correctly ✅ Verdict: Selected for the final round 📌 Technical + HR Round Some candidates were asked only HR questions, while others had technical discussions too. 🔹 Discussion Topics: Personal Introduction: Family, Hometown, Qualifications, Past Internships Hackathon Winning Project: Architecture & Execution (10-minute discussion) Behavioral & Situational Questions: Team Conflicts in Hackathon & how I managed it Challenges in Projects/Internships If you could go back in time, what tech would you learn? Who is your inspiration? (I mentioned my parents) What are your aspirations? (Unique answer expected) What makes you unique & why should we hire you? Cricket Discussion: (As I mentioned cricket in my intro) Favorite Player, Captain, Best Cricket Moments & Inspirations Finally, I asked 4–5 questions about Avaya's products, tech stack, and onboarding preparation. ✅ Verdict: Selected! 🎉 Out of 5 final candidates, I made it! 🔥 Conclusion The interview process felt like a two-way conversation, not just Q&A. Great learning experience!

Batch: 2025