eQ Technologic - SDE Interview Experience 👨‍💻🎓

eQ Technologic is a product-based company that visits PICT every year as part of its recruitment drive, offering opportunities for two key roles : Software Development Engineer (SDE) and Quality Assurance (QA). The company follows a highly selective recruitment process, where selections are purely based on strong interview performance, testing the basics and fundamentals of everything mentioned in your resume.

For our batch, the company had conducted its campus placement drive virtually in August 2024.

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🎯 Round 1 - Online Assessment (1 hour)

The OA was conducted on the SHL platform and was divided into two sections-

• Aptitude & Logical Reasoning : This section comprised 15 to 20 logical reasoning and aptitude-based questions to be solved within 20 minutes. The questions ranged from easy to medium level, but speed and accuracy were critical factors.

• Coding Questions : The second section contained two coding problems of easy to medium level leetcode difficulty to be solved in 40 minutes. These were primarily focused on linear data structures such as arrays, strings and linked lists.

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🎯 Round 2 - Technical Interview 1

Following the OA, 22 candidates were shortlisted for the virtual technical interviews of the SDE role. My interviewer was a Technical Lead with over 13 years of experience at eQ.

• The interview began with a self-introduction and an in-depth discussion of my resume, projects and summer-internship.

• Next, the interviewer asked conceptual questions on the four pillars of Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) and their real-world applications. I was asked to share my screen and explain these concepts in C++, strictly using Notepad for coding.

• The discussion then shifted to Database Management Systems (DBMS), covering normalization, ACID properties and database consistency. Additionally, I was asked to solve two SQL queries involving joins and subqueries.

• This was followed by three DSA questions based on arrays, strings, and linked lists. I successfully explained and coded the brute-force and optimal approaches for the first two problems. The third problem was slightly challenging, but with some hints from the interviewer, I was able to derive the optimal solution.

• Finally, I was asked questions on Operating Systems (OS), covering multithreading and CPU scheduling.

• DSA Questions Asked :

1. i. Reverse a Linked List
2. ii. Integer to Roman
3. iii. Reverse a subarray starting from a given index and then left-rotate the original array by shifting the reversed subarray to the start.

The interview lasted for approximately 2.5 to 3 hours, making it the longest round in the process.

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🎯 Round 3 - Technical Interview 2

Out of the 22 candidates, 11 were shortlisted for this round. My interviewer was a Senior Manager with 11 years of experience at eQ.

• The session began with a brief introduction, followed by two easy-medium DSA questions. I successfully explained and implemented the solutions.

• The interviewer then provided three SQL queries involving multiple joins and subqueries, which I solved correctly.

• The interviewer was satisfied with my problem-solving approach.

• DSA Questions Asked :

• i. Given a very large number (e.g., long long), return the sum of digits at odd and even positions separately.
• ii. Given an array of size n containing elements from 1 to n in random order, where one number is duplicated and another is missing, find the missing number in O(n) time (single traversal).

This round lasted for about 1 hour.

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🎯 Round 4 - Problem Solving

We were mailed a problem statement and were told to submit the solution in 1.5 hours. We were told to write the code in a text editor without an IDE. They basically wanted to check the capability to write logic and include modularity in the code.

Refer the question here

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🎯 Round 5 - Techno-HR Interview

Out of the 11 candidates, 8 were shortlisted for the final round. My interviewer was the Director and Head of Talent Acquisition at eQ.

• The session began with typical HR questions, covering strengths, weaknesses, family background, hobbies and interests.

• This was followed by a discussion on my approach and code implementation from the previous round as the interviewer was expecting some optimization.

• The interviewer seemed satisfied with my responses and provided positive feedback.

The duration of this round was approximately 45 minutes.

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✅ Conclusion

After a rigorous multi-round selection process, all 8 candidates, including myself, secured a full-time SDE role at eQ Technologic. This journey was a true test of technical expertise, problem-solving ability and interview readiness, pushing me to refine my core knowledge and logical thinking under pressure.

The most crucial factor in performing well across all rounds is a strong grasp of fundamental concepts and a deep understanding of everything listed on your resume. The interviewers were highly focused on our thought process, problem-solving approach and coding logic, rather than just the final solution. A clear understanding of data structures, algorithms, OOP principles, DBMS and operating systems will go a long way in tackling the technical rounds. Additionally, effective communication, confidence throughout the process and structured thinking play a key role in leaving a positive impression.

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So, this was all about my interview experience. Hope you find it helpful!😊Thank you for taking the time to read! 🙌