Flipkart | SDE-1 | 2024 grad | June 2024
Summary
I successfully navigated through multiple rounds for a Flipkart SDE-1 position, involving coding and behavioral interviews, ultimately receiving an offer.
Full Experience
I initiated my application for the SDE-1 role at Flipkart through an HR-floated form on LinkedIn. The interview process consisted of four rounds.
Round-1 (Online Test)
This round comprised 3 coding questions, with a duration of 90 minutes, conducted on the SHL platform. All questions were based on graph and dynamic programming concepts. I cleared this round and received an email notification after 10 days.
Round-2 (PS/DS Round)
Approximately 10-12 days after the initial application, my first technical round was scheduled. I was asked two data structures and algorithms questions. I solved "Symmetric Tree" in about 15-20 minutes and "Maximal Square" in about 30 minutes. I received an email confirming my progression to the next round on the same day, with Round 3 scheduled for the following day.
Round-3 (PS/DS Round)
This round felt a bit tougher than the previous one, featuring three questions. I spent considerable time on "Minimum Number of Jumps to Reach End", detailing my thought process from a brute force approach to an optimized greedy solution. For "Square Root with Given Precision", where N was up to 10^18, the interviewer provided helpful hints, leading me to realize the binary search approach. The final question was "Sliding Window Maximum", which I had solved multiple times before. I was asked to provide an optimized solution directly and completed it in just 10 minutes. Within a few hours, I received a mail for the Hiring Manager round, which was initially scheduled for the same day but postponed to the next due to emergencies.
Round-4 (HM Round)
The Hiring Manager round lasted around 50 minutes. The discussion primarily revolved around my past internships, my favorite projects, and numerous behavioral questions.
Five days after this round, I received the selection mail.
Interview Questions (5)
Preparation Tips
For my preparation, I focused on solving medium and hard-level Data Structures and Algorithms (DSA) questions from LeetCode. My approach was to always start with a brute-force solution and then iteratively optimize it, continuously communicating my thought process throughout. For the managerial/HM round, I thoroughly reviewed my projects and internships, preparing to discuss them in detail.