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On-campus Summer,2021 Internship Barclays
Summary
I successfully interviewed for a Technology Summer Intern position at Barclays, which involved an online assessment, a business insights round, and a technical round, ultimately resulting in an offer.
Full Experience
I recently interviewed for the Technology Summer Intern position at Barclays. The entire process was conducted virtually and consisted of three distinct rounds.
Online Assessment (2 hours)
The online assessment was divided into two parts. Part 1 presented a fictitious business narrative, followed by a series of MCQs based on various given situations. Part 2 comprised 5 technical comprehension-based questions (20 minutes), 8 behavioral video questions (2.5 minutes each), and a programming question (30 minutes). For the programming question, I was also required to explain my code and record the explanation within 2 minutes.
Interview Round I (Business Insights) (45 minutes)
In this initial interview round, the interviewer primarily focused on the projects I had listed on my resume. Following this discussion, we engaged in a Q&A session centered around a real-world business situation. The questions were highly technical, exploring how my projects and skills could be relevant and useful in addressing that specific scenario.
Interview Round II (Technical) (1 hour)
This round delved into a wide range of technical topics:
- Operating Systems (OS): Questions covered the definition of an OS, its core functions, and detailed concepts such as scheduling, memory management, and file management.
- Object-Oriented Programming (OOPs): The discussion included inheritance, with a request for real-life examples, and exception handling.
- C++: Questions about C++ libraries, its advantages over other programming languages, the Standard Template Library (STL) in C++, and primitive data types with examples.
- Data Structures & Algorithms (DSA): I was asked about the differences between Depth-First Search (DFS) and Breadth-First Search (BFS), their implementations, and real-life applications. We also discussed the distinctions between LinkedLists, arrays, queues, and stacks, along with their time complexities for insertion, search, and deletion. Additionally, I was asked about various searching algorithms I knew and why binary search is generally considered superior to ternary search.
- DS related real-life questions:
- A scenario where I needed to manage a long list of characters, ensuring constant-time insertion and the ability to access the entire list/word without a loop. The hint provided suggested using a string, noting that
cincould handle large inputs. - Another problem involved maintaining a list of student names and marks, continuously sorted by their marks. The hint here was to use a
vector of pair, which could then be sorted using a custom comparator function.
- A scenario where I needed to manage a long list of characters, ensuring constant-time insertion and the ability to access the entire list/word without a loop. The hint provided suggested using a string, noting that
- Behavioral: Standard questions about my strengths, weaknesses, and how my values aligned with Barclays' principles.
During the interview, I was also asked about computer networks and DBMS, and I honestly stated that I had not studied these subjects. Ultimately, I received an internship offer from Barclays!
Interview Questions (8)
Given a set of characters, print all possible combinations of a specified length.
Discuss the definition of an Operating System, its core functions, and explain fundamental concepts like Scheduling, Memory management, and File management.
Explain inheritance with real-life examples and discuss the principles and implementation of exception handling in Object-Oriented Programming.
Discuss common libraries in C++, the advantages of using C++ over other programming languages, the Standard Template Library (STL) in C++, and define primitive data types with illustrative examples.
Explain the differences between Depth-First Search (DFS) and Breadth-First Search (BFS), describe their implementations, and provide real-life examples. Discuss the distinctions between LinkedLists, arrays, queues, and stacks, including their time complexities for insertion, search, and deletion. Additionally, describe various searching algorithms you know and explain why binary search is generally preferred over ternary search.
Design a data structure or approach for managing a long list of characters where insertion takes constant time, and the entire list/word can be accessed without needing a loop. (Hint: Consider using a string, potentially with cin for handling large inputs).
Given names and marks of students, describe an approach to efficiently maintain this list continuously sorted with respect to their marks.
Discuss your personal strengths and weaknesses, and explain how your values and professional conduct align with Barclays' core principles and organizational culture.
Preparation Tips
I attribute my success in securing the internship to thorough preparation using LeetCode. A key takeaway from my experience is the importance of being honest and transparent with the interviewer. For instance, when I was asked about subjects like computer networks and DBMS, I openly admitted that I hadn't studied them, rather than attempting to make random guesses. This honesty seemed to be appreciated.