The process began with a 1.5-hour Online Assessment (OA) that included one medium and two hard questions. I successfully solved all of them, which advanced me to the interview rounds.
Round 1: Technical Interview
- Q1: Rotten Oranges
I was tasked with solving a problem involving a grid of oranges, where some were rotten. The objective was to determine how long it would take for all the oranges to become rotten. - Q2: House Robber
I was asked to write the recursive solution first, followed by the tabulation method, and finally optimize it to O(1) space complexity. - Q3: 0-1-2 Sort
Since there was extra time, the interviewer gave me a third problem. I was asked to implement the most optimal approach using pointers. The interviewer was satisfied with my solution.
Round 2: Technical Interview
- Q1: Koko Eating Bananas
I explained the O(n log n) binary search solution, which the interviewer found satisfactory. - Q2: Low-Level Design (Library Management System)
I was asked to design a Library Management System and provide the code for it. The interviewer seemed content with my approach and implementation. - Note: This round varied for other candidates. Some were asked about OOP, DBMS, OS, or their projects and internships.
Round 3: Technical Interview
This round was held late at night, from 9:30 PM to 10:30 PM. The interviewer, who held a director-level position, had his child on his lap throughout the interview, and it was clear he wasn’t fully engaged in the process. He asked random implementation-based questions, seemingly just to pass the time. Regardless, I completed the tasks, and he appeared satisfied with my code.
Issues with the Process
To my disappointment, the HR rounds had already taken place, and candidates had been selected before my interview was conducted. It seemed as though they were rushing through the process due to the late hour. Moreover, my interviews were delayed multiple times, which I found unprofessional and frustrating.
