EPAM Systems Interview Experience (2025) | Selected 🎉

First of all, I would like to thank the entire LeetCode community. Reading interview experiences shared by other candidates on LeetCode Discuss helped me a lot in improving my preparation and understanding real interview processes.

Now, I feel it's my turn to give back to this wonderful community by sharing my own interview experience. I hope this post helps someone preparing for EPAM Systems or similar companies.

• YOE: Fresher
• College: Tier 69
• Graduation Year: 2025
• Company: EPAM Systems
• Role: Jr Software Engineer
• Package: 8 LPA Fixed (60K per month in hand)
• Application Platform: Naukri (OFF Campus Opportunity)
• Drive Location: Hyderabad, India
• Drive Date: November 29, 2025
• Final Result: Selected

Application Process and Online Assessment

I applied to EPAM Systems through Naukri and received an online assessment on November 25, 2025.

The assessment consisted of:

• Aptitude questions.
• Two coding questions.

I was able to solve one of the two coding questions and was shortlisted for the recruitment drive.

Round 1: Written Coding Test

Candidates attending the drive: Approximately 950

The first round at the recruitment drive was a written coding test.

Problem Statement

We were given a list of pairs containing a string and an integer. We had to read the input, calculate the sum of integers associated with each string, and print the strings whose final sums were nonzero.

Example:

Input:

Suresh 10
Suresh 20
Aditya 20
Aditya -20

Output:

Suresh 30

Explanation:

• Suresh's total is 10 + 20 = 30.
• Aditya's total is 20 + (-20) = 0.
• Since Aditya's final sum is zero, we don't print Aditya.

My Approach

I know this looks like a simple problem, but I wanted to demonstrate a good understanding of input handling and data structures.

• Created a Pair class to store the string and integer values.
• Used Java's Scanner class to read the input.
• Used a HashMap to calculate the sum associated with each string.
• Printed only those strings whose final sum was nonzero.

I wrote my solution on paper and submitted it for evaluation.

After evaluating the written tests, the recruiters shortlisted a few candidates for the next round.

Round 2: Group Discussion (GD)

The topic for the group discussion was:

"Impact of UPI on Rural Areas"

There were 10 candidates in my group discussion panel, and only 5 were selected for the next round. Several panels were conducting group discussions simultaneously.

My Contribution

I spoke about how UPI can help small shopkeepers and businesses in rural areas.

My points included:

• Shopkeepers can check their transaction history and account balance through UPI applications.
• Digital payment records can help them understand their sales.
• By analyzing sales patterns, shopkeepers can identify which products sell the most.
• They can use these insights to manage their inventory and restock products that are in high demand.

I was fortunate to be among the five candidates selected from my panel for the technical interview.

Round 3: Technical Interview 1

After waiting for some time, I was invited for my first technical interview.

The interview was quite relaxed, and the interviewer appreciated the fact that I had solved 800+ problems on LeetCode.

Interview Questions

• Tell me about yourself.
• Solve Valid Parentheses (LeetCode problem).
• Implement binary search using recursion.
• What is the difference between an abstract class and an interface in Java?
• How do you store images in an SQL database?
• What are alternative ways to store images?
• What is a REST API?
• Why did you choose MongoDB instead of SQL for your project?
• Explain the projects mentioned in your resume.
• Answer follow-up questions about Java and my projects.

My Experience

I couldn't give a satisfactory answer to the question about storing images in SQL. The interviewer explained the correct approach to me.

He also asked several follow-up questions about my projects and the technologies I had used.

Overall, the interview went very well. I got the impression that I would be shortlisted for the next round.

Round 4: Technical Interview 2

After the first technical interview, I was called for another technical round.

Interestingly, some candidates had only one technical interview, while others had two. At that time, I didn't know why.

After joining EPAM Systems, I met my first technical interviewer about this. He explained that his level was lower, so he wasn't authorized to conduct the entire technical evaluation alone. That was why I had to attend a second technical round.

Interview Questions

The interviewer asked me questions related to React.js, project architecture, JavaScript, and behavioral scenarios.

React.js and Project Architecture:

• Tell me about yourself.
• Draw and explain the architecture of your project.
• If data comes from the backend, how would you fetch and display it in React? (I wrote code for that in react but didn't use useEffect hook, he said this component will rerender infinite times because I didn't use useEffect Hook)
• What is useEffect in React?
• What is the dependency array in useEffect?
• What happens if we remove the dependency array from useEffect?
• What happens if we call a state update inside useEffect without specifying a dependency array?
• Write React code to implement a counter with increment and decrement buttons.
• How do you pass data from a parent component to a child component?
• What are the different ways to share data between components in React?

Behavioral and Situational Questions:

• If another person on your team is performing better than you, how would you handle the situation?
• How would you maintain code quality in a project?
• How do you learn a new technology?
• How would you handle situations where a teammate performs better than expected?
• How would you contribute to maintaining quality and collaboration within a team?

The interviewer also asked approximately 8–10 leadership and behavioral questions.

My Experience

When asked how I would fetch data from the backend and display it in React, I became nervous and forgot to use useEffect appropriately.

The interviewer pointed out that my implementation would cause repeated executions and asked me about the dependency array. I initially gave an incorrect answer about what happens when the dependency array is omitted, and he corrected me.

When asked how to pass data from a parent component to a child component, I answered Context API. He asked for other approaches, and I gave an answer that method uses store.js file. He said recoil.

This round taught me that knowing a concept is different from being able to explain it clearly and apply it under interview pressure.

Round 5: HR Interview

HR Interview Questions

• Tell me about yourself.
• Tell me about your family and background.
• Describe a feature that you are proud of in one of your projects.
• What are your achievements?
• What offers have you received?
• How many interviews have you attended so far?
• Why are you attending this interview when you are already working at Cognizant?
• Why do you want to join EPAM Systems?

My Experience

I told the HR interviewer that I was working at Cognizant (I just joined there 10 days ago and I am in my training and there is no notice period in Cognizant and I can join immediately) in a testing role, but I was very interested in software development.

I explained why I wanted to move into development and tried to convince him that this opportunity aligned better with my career goals.

An advice here, if you are working in a company and went for a fresher drive don't mention about your experience. if the HR guy felt that this job could be given to a jobless guy i may be doomed. luck may not be always your side.

After the interview, the HR representative discussed my candidature with another person. I waited for around 10 minutes, after which they called me and informed me that I was selected!

Final Result: Selected at EPAM Systems

At total they selected about 50 students that day and 40 students the next day from that location. greatful that i am in one of them. Currently i am working

After going through the online assessment, written coding test, group discussion, two technical interviews, and the HR interview, hearing that I had been selected made me incredibly happy.

Honestly, it was one of the happiest moments of my life. I felt a kind of happiness that I hadn't experienced before.

I am grateful to God and grateful to life for giving me this opportunity.

Key Takeaways

• Practice DSA consistently: Solving 800+ LeetCode problems helped me build confidence during the technical interview.
• Don't underestimate simple coding questions: Even straightforward problems can test your understanding of input handling, data structures, and problem-solving.
• Prepare for written coding tests: Practice writing complete solutions on paper without depending on an IDE.
• Participate actively in group discussions: Make relevant points, explain them clearly, and listen to other participants.
• Know your projects thoroughly: Be ready to explain the architecture, technologies, design decisions, and trade‑offs.
• Revise your fundamentals: For a Java and React interview, make sure you understand core Java concepts, SQL, REST APIs, React hooks, state management, and component communication.
• Practice behavioral questions: Prepare genuine examples demonstrating teamwork, learning, accountability, handling failure, and maintaining code quality.
• Stay calm during interviews: Even if you make mistakes, listen to the interviewer, understand the feedback, and try to improve your answer.

I hope this interview experience helps candidates preparing for EPAM Systems and other software engineering roles.

Keep grinding one day you will see its results.

All the best to everyone preparing for interviews. Keep learning, keep practising, and never give up.