my first technical round and as the pandemic was not hit then, it was an F2F round.
Here the emphasis was more on my projects, technical depth of my core subjects. I worked on Java and so was asked in depth about the same. Some topics asked were :
- Java OOPS
- Immutability in Java
- GC (garbage collection) and how GC works
- Brief discussion on Strings and String pool
The discussion lasted for around 1-1.3 hours. After some discussion on Java and my projects, the interviewer moved on to DSA and algorithms.
We needed to write code snippets on a piece of paper. So make sure you are able to write clean, proper and understandable code without any mistakes. (there is no backspace on paper :D)
Some of the topics were :
- Linked List (finding loops, meeting points andd reversal)
- Tree (mirroring, shortest path to leaf, etc)
- Heaps (median of continuous stream of data)
Some of the LC problems that can be practiced for the same are listed below :
https://leetcode.com/problems/reverse-linked-list/
https://leetcode.com/problems/linked-list-cycle-ii/
https://leetcode.com/problems/symmetric-tree/
https://leetcode.com/problems/find-median-from-data-stream/
The key to this round was self confidence. there's no need to panic if you make a mistake anywhere. The interviewers were much helpful and very friendly. Just be yourself and make sure to give your best approach.
Round 3
This was the 2nd technical round. The gap between 1st and 2nd technical round was very short, merely 20-30 minutes.
This round too consisted of DSA, Algorithms and basics of core subjects plus some puzzles. Similar to previous round, we had to write code on a piece of paper.
Some of the topics asked in this round were :
- Linked List (yes again :p) but here, we were asked to rather give proof of our approach too. Everyone knows that we can detect a loop in a Linked List with 'fast and slow pointers' method. But here the emphasis was on why the fast pointer was skipped 2 nodes. We had to give a mathematical explanation/proof for that. (Be sure to know the depths of your answers)
- DP
- Backtracking
- Tree
some questions were also asked on core subjects. some of the topics were :
- Security and Encryption (RSA algorithm, Symmetric and Asymmetic encryption)
- Database basics, Acid properties
- Networking basics, subnetting, HTTP request/response mechanism
- 1-2 general puzzles
Staying calm was the key in this round. The round was such to test the patience of candidate and check how further the candidate can stretch the limits without giving up. (NOTE : try each question rather than just giving up without trying.)
Round 4
This was the final round. the round was taken by the HR head and was around 30-40 minutes long.
This round consisted of some basic HR questions such as hobbies, vision in future, etc.
But, some questions will also be asked based upon the resume. I had some projects on Java and Machine learning listed and was asked some queries for the same.
Some mathematical puzzles were also asked.