Summary
I successfully cleared 4 rounds of interviews for the GPT Intern role at ADP in June 2025, which included an Online Assessment, two Technical Interviews focusing on Java, SQL, and projects, and an HR interview. I was offered the position.
Full Experience
Round 1: Online Assessment (MCQ-Based)
Platform: ADP Pariksha
Format:
- Total Sections: 3
- Logical Reasoning – Patterns, sequences, puzzles
- Aptitude & Quantitative – Basic math, profit-loss, percentages
- Java MCQs – OOPs, exceptions, collections, strings
Duration: ~60-75 minutes
Tip: Focus on core Java concepts and practice aptitude regularly from platforms like PrepInsta or GeeksforGeeks.
Round 2: Technical Interview 1 (Java + SQL + Resume Discussion)
- Walkthrough of my resume
- Questions on Java:
- Difference between ArrayList and LinkedList
- Java threads
- OOP principles with examples
- Exception handling
- SQL Queries:
- Joins (asked to write queries)
- Diff btw Truncate and Delete
- Query to find second highest salary
- GROUP BY and HAVING usage
- Basic OS/DBMS theory (only 1–2 questions)
- Python Prog to print the frequency of characters in the string
Overall focus: Java fundamentals, SQL queries, and how well you understand your resume
Round 3: Technical Interview 2 (Project-Centric)
- Deep dive into my major projects
- Told to write the code of one of my project
- Asked about:
- Architecture and tech stack
- Real-life use case and scalability
- Challenges faced and how I solved them
- Follow-up questions on Git usage and teamwork
Tip: Be ready to write and explain each line of code and design choices for your projects. Keep your GitHub clean and updated.
Round 4: HR Interview
- Tell me about yourself
- Tell me about your family background
- Why should we hire you?
- Where do you see yourself in the next five years?
- Comfortable relocating and working at night shifts?
- A few scenario-based behavioral questions
Friendly and conversational round. They were checking for attitude and cultural fit.
Final Result:
✅ Selected
Interview Questions (15)
Explain the differences between ArrayList and LinkedList in Java.
Discuss Java threads.
Explain Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) principles with relevant examples.
Discuss exception handling mechanisms in Java.
Explain different types of SQL Joins and be prepared to write queries using them.
What is the difference between TRUNCATE and DELETE commands in SQL?
Write an SQL query to find the second highest salary from a table.
Explain the usage of GROUP BY and HAVING clauses in SQL.
Write a Python program to print the frequency of each character in a given string.
Tell me about yourself.
Tell me about your family background.
Why should we hire you for this role?
Where do you see yourself in the next five years?
Are you comfortable with relocating and working night shifts?
Answer a few scenario-based behavioral questions.
Preparation Tips
My Preparation Strategy:
- DSA: LeetCode Easy/Medium (Arrays, Strings, HashMaps)
- Java: Notes + practice from GFG
- Aptitude
- Resume & Projects
Takeaways:
- Projects + Java + SQL are key for ADP GPT Intern roles
- Keep answers crisp and structured
- Mock interviews help a lot
Feel free to reach out if you’re preparing. Happy to help!
Summary
I participated in ADP's Campus Hiring Drive 2025 for a Software Development Internship, enduring an online assessment and three interview rounds. Although I wasn't selected after the first technical round, the experience provided valuable insights into top companies' expectations.
Full Experience
Recently, I had the opportunity to participate in the ADP Campus Hiring Drive 2025 for their Software Development Internship. As a final-year B.Tech CSE student, this was a challenging process.
Although I didn’t make it to the final offer stage, I walked away with valuable insights and a better understanding of what top companies like ADP expect.
Let me take you through my experience.
Job Details Role: Campus Intern — Software Development Duration: 3 Months Stipend: ₹30,000/month Location: Hyderabad (Internship) Eligibility: 60%+ across academics, 6.0 CGPA minimum, no backlogs Skills Expected: Java, Python, Node.js, SQL, Problem-Solving
Selection Process ADP’s hiring process was both competitive and rigorous.
~990 candidates were shortlisted for the online assessment held virtually. ✅ I cleared the online test. ~29 students were shortlisted for in-person interviews conducted at our campus (VIT-AP).
Round 1 — Technical Interview (In-Person) The first round kicked off around 9:30 AM after a short Pre-Placement Talk.
The interview began with no self-introduction, just my name and where do I belong then straight to coding.
Questions I was asked:
-
Write and explain Quick Sort with an example? Others were asked Palindrome checks, Merge Sort, Selection Sort etc.
-
When I got stuck, I was asked to write any sorting algorithm → I wrote Bubble Sort and optimized it.
Follow-ups:
-
Which sorting algorithm is best?
-
Why is Quick Sort better than Merge Sort?
-
Time complexities of both?
-
Quick Sort being in-place, unlike Merge Sort?
- What are the two searching methods? Explain how binary search is applied to an array? Time complexities and why?
Resume-Based Questions:
-
Details of my internships — especially my intern at EY (using SAP) despite having an AI & ML background?
-
Why I chose AI & ML specialization? (as many of us have AI & ML as our specialization and similar projects).
-
Questions on problem-solving platforms? → I mentioned LeetCode(Solved over 600) and CodeChef.
-
Recently solved problem: Detect start of a cycle in a linked list?
-
Implement insert node in middle of a linked list?
-
Explain types of polymorphism with code?
-
What is inheritance and example?
-
Write a data augmentation technique used in a past internship — couldn’t recall it fully as it was 2 years back.
-
What is PyTorch? (skill mentioned on my resume), reading a CSV using Pandas, and filtering data with conditions — missed syntax under pressure.
-
Have you done any projects or built something using Agentic AI?
Overall, the interviewer observed my confidence, communication, and even my outfit. He remained neutral throughout — no expression even when I answered correctly. The round lasted ~30 mins.
I was put on hold for Round 2 but wasn’t called later.
Round 2 — Technical Interview (For Shortlisted Only) Only 9 students were called for the second technical round.
What I heard from friends:
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Deep dive into projects and internships.
-
Some were asked to bring their laptops and run their code live and explain code snippets.
-
More DSA based on the performance of 1st round — What are Collections?
-
Few were asked Mapping from ER Model to Relational Model(one-to-one, one-to-many etc), Write an SQL query and Networking(OSI model layers and their significance).
Round 3 — HR Interview All 8 students who cleared the 2nd round also cleared HR. Questions asked were basic HR questions from any interview.
Key Takeaways
- Learn all sorting algorithms — They are no longer optional! Interviewers use them to filter candidates quickly.
- Master your resume — If it’s on your resume, they will ask about it. Be ready to explain and even code your project techniques.
- Stay calm when you get stuck — It’s okay to not know everything. Show your thought process.
- Practice basic pandas, SQL, and DSA regularly — It really pays off in tech interviews.
Final Thoughts Although I didn’t make it past Round 1, this experience taught me what top-tier companies like ADP expect. It pushed me to revise core DSA, brush up on resume-based knowledge, and reflect on how to present myself under pressure.
If you’re preparing for internships, make sure your DSA, projects, and communication are all on point. You never know what they might ask — but one thing is certain: they’ll test depth, not just keywords.
Interview Questions (10)
Write and explain Quick Sort with an example. Includes follow-up questions: Which sorting algorithm is best? Why is Quick Sort better than Merge Sort? Time complexities of both? Quick Sort being in-place, unlike Merge Sort?
When I got stuck, I was asked to write any sorting algorithm. I wrote Bubble Sort and optimized it.
What are the two searching methods? Explain how binary search is applied to an array? Time complexities and why?
Detect start of a cycle in a linked list?
Implement insert node in middle of a linked list?
Explain types of polymorphism with code?
What is inheritance and example?
Write a data augmentation technique used in a past internship.
What is PyTorch? (skill mentioned on my resume), reading a CSV using Pandas, and filtering data with conditions.
Have you done any projects or built something using Agentic AI?