Summary
I interviewed for a Software Engineer role at National Stock Exchange (NSE) in Mumbai in October 2024 as a fresher and successfully received an offer. The process involved an online assessment, a technical round, and an HR round.
Full Experience
I recently interviewed for the Software Engineer position at National Stock Exchange (NSE) in Mumbai, as part of an on-campus drive in October 2024. I'm a fresher from a Tier 1 NIT. The entire process led to an offer with a CTC ranging from 8 to 10 LPA. The interview structure consisted of three main rounds: an online assessment, a face-to-face technical discussion, and a final HR round.
Round 1: Online Assessment
This initial round was an online assessment split into two sections. The Aptitude section was of easy to moderate difficulty, testing general problem-solving skills. The Coding MCQ section was more challenging, ranging from medium to hard, and covered a broad spectrum of topics including Java, C++, Python, Database concepts, and Networking fundamentals.
Round 2: Face to Face Technical Round
This was a rigorous one-hour technical interview. I was asked to implement the Sieve of Eratosthenes algorithm to find prime numbers. Following that, I had to provide the complete code and offer a detailed explanation for both Merge Sort and Quick Sort algorithms. We also delved into MongoDB Schema design principles. The interviewer extensively questioned me about my projects, often asking 'why this, why that' to understand my design choices and problem-solving approach. There were also questions concerning different types of APIs and when it's appropriate to use each. I was tasked with writing an SQL query to find the nth highest salary, and we discussed various other DBMS concepts.
Round 3: HR Round
The final round was a standard HR interview. I was asked typical behavioral and situational questions to assess my fit for the company culture and role.
Interview Questions (5)
Implement the Sieve of Eratosthenes algorithm to efficiently find all prime numbers up to a given limit.
Provide the complete code and a detailed explanation for both Merge Sort and Quick Sort algorithms. Discuss their time and space complexities, and compare their performance characteristics.
Discuss principles and best practices for designing schemas in MongoDB. Explain how to model data effectively for specific use cases, considering factors like normalization, denormalization, and embedded vs. referenced documents.
Explain different types of APIs (e.g., REST, SOAP, GraphQL, gRPC) and discuss the appropriate scenarios for using each type. Highlight their respective advantages and disadvantages.
Write an SQL query to find the Nth highest salary from a given employee table. Demonstrate robust handling for cases where N might exceed the number of unique salaries.
Preparation Tips
For the technical rounds, I focused on fundamental Data Structures and Algorithms, specifically practicing sorting algorithms like Merge Sort and Quick Sort, and number theory algorithms like the Sieve of Eratosthenes. I also revised core database concepts, including MongoDB schema design and advanced SQL queries, particularly for problems like finding the nth highest salary. Additionally, I reviewed different types of APIs and their use cases. For the HR round, I prepared by going through the top 50 HR questions available on InterviewBit, ensuring I had thoughtful answers for common behavioral questions.