Flipkart | SDE-1 | India | June 2024

I recently had an interview opportunity at Flipkart for an SDE-1 role after filling out a Google form and being shortlisted for the online assessment.

Online Assessment (June 16th, 2024 - SHL Platform)

The online assessment consisted of three DSA (Data Structures and Algorithms) questions, all at a LeetCode Medium-Hard difficulty level. I was only able to solve two questions completely.

1. A Graph-based problem, which was similar to Reconstruct Itinerary.
2. Another problem, Create Maximum Number.
3. A Tree-based problem (I don't recall the specifics).

Technical Interviews (June 20th, 2024)

I received an email on June 19th inviting me to the next round of interviews, which took place the very next day. There were three interviews in total:

Round 1: Problem Solving and Data Structures (PSDS) — 60 minutes

This round started with introductions. The interviewer asked about my favorite data structure, and I mentioned LinkedList, explaining why. They then provided a Google Doc link with two problems:

1. A linked list problem similar to Reverse Linked List II, but instead of positions, two unique node values were given to define the sublist to be reversed. I spent a good 30-40 minutes on this, coding it completely on Google Docs and dry-running it with 2-3 examples.
2. Gas Station. For the second question, I had limited time. I explained my initial thoughts and suggested a greedy approach, which the interviewer acknowledged was on the right track and didn't ask me to code.

The interview concluded with me asking a few questions.

Round 2: PSDS Round 2 (60 minutes)

This round felt relatively easier compared to the first one. I managed to solve both coding questions with correct approaches and discussed multiple solutions along with their time complexities. One was a DFS/DP-based problem, and the other was a Two Pointers/DP solution to find the total number of good subarrays under some condition (which I unfortunately forgot).

With some time remaining, the interviewer asked theoretical questions about graphs. We then had a good discussion about Flipkart, their team, technologies, and the challenges they face. There were two interviewers present, with one observing, and I also had a good discussion with the observer at the end.

Round 3: Hiring Manager (HM) Round (45 min)

The interview began with introductions; the Hiring Manager shared a detailed introduction about himself, his experience at Flipkart, the technology used, and his team. I then gave a brief introduction about myself.

The interviewer shared a Google Doc link for a design problem: Design a calculator with basic functionalities (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division) that can store the last five operations and allow users to modify any stored operation. We discussed suitable data structures for this task, considering different options like doubly linked lists, vectors, and ultimately settling on a deque. We had an in-depth discussion about the challenges associated with each data structure choice (e.g., why a vector might not work). I then coded the solution using an object-oriented approach, and the interviewer was satisfied.

Next, we discussed a project I had worked on. I demonstrated my deployed project, which seemed to impress the HM, and he requested to see the code. I explained my approach, leading to a good conversation of over 20 minutes. We then moved on to another project.

Finally, we discussed HR-based questions, including achievements, moments of pride, instances of failure, and my internship experience (or lack thereof), particularly how I managed college requirements without an internship. This round was quite long, lasting about 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Conclusion

I was ultimately rejected. I believe my chances were likely fewer because I felt I messed up in the last round. It was scheduled so quickly, and I found it challenging to adjust, so things didn't go according to plan. However, I learned a lot from the HM round, even if the first two felt more straightforward. While the last round was a challenging experience, it highlighted areas for improvement, particularly in my soft skills.