Shrawani Gaikwad

Barclays | SDE Intern Selection Experience

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🔹 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.

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🔹 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.

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🔹 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:

1. In-depth discussion on projects and internships listed on my resume.
2. I was asked to explain the tech stack, challenges faced, and optimization techniques used in my projects.
3. Follow-up questions on performance improvements and how I would handle large-scale applications.

Real-World Problem-Solving Scenarios:

1. How would I approach a difficult problem if I got stuck?
2. What debugging techniques do I use when code doesn’t work as expected?
3. 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! 💙