Summary
I interviewed for an SDE intern (AI/LLM) role at Groww through a referral. I completed two technical rounds covering DSA, AI/LLM concepts, and a design-style problem. Ultimately, I was rejected as the feedback was not positive.
Full Experience
I received an interview opportunity at Groww for an SDE intern role focused on AI/LLM, thanks to a referral from an employee. All the interview rounds were scheduled for the same day.
Round 1 — DSA (1 hour): This round focused on core data structures and algorithms. I was given two LeetCode problems: "Single Element in an Array" and "Container With Most Water." For both problems, I first presented a brute-force solution and then discussed an optimized approach. After solving, the interviewer briefly asked about my projects. I felt this round went quite well.
Round 2 — DSA + AI (1 hour, back-to-back): The first half of this round involved a deep dive into my AI/GenAI projects and my understanding of LLMs. This seemed to be aimed at gauging my interest and knowledge in the field. In the second half, I faced a design-style problem, which was not a typical DSA question. The task involved forming pairs (specifically, 3 girls and 2 boys) based on certain priorities. I had to write pseudocode and explain my reasoning for the solution. Overall, this round also seemed to go fine.
HR Round & Outcome: An HR round was initially planned, but just before it could start, I was informed that the feedback from the previous rounds wasn't positive. Consequently, the HR round did not take place, and I did not move forward in the process.
Interview Questions (3)
I was asked to solve the 'Single Element in an Array' problem. I started with a brute-force approach and then discussed optimized solutions.
I was given the 'Container With Most Water' problem. I started with a brute-force approach and then discussed optimized solutions.
This was a design-style problem, not typical DSA. The task was to form pairs of people based on certain priorities, specifically forming groups of 3 girls and 2 boys. I needed to write pseudocode and explain my reasoning for the approach.
Preparation Tips
My preparation primarily focused on core data structures and algorithms, which proved useful for the LeetCode problems in the first round. However, my knowledge in AI/ML wasn't as strong as perhaps expected, and I believe this might have negatively affected the feedback and my overall performance. Although I didn't receive an offer, it was a valuable learning experience.