Flipkart SDE-1 | Interview Experience | Off Campus 2024
Summary
I successfully navigated the Flipkart SDE-1 off-campus hiring process in early 2024, which included an online assessment, two challenging Data Structures & Algorithms rounds, and a final Hiring Manager discussion. Despite the rigorous nature of the interviews, I found the overall experience positive and ultimately received an offer.
Full Experience
Background
I am a 2023 CSE graduate from a Tier 2 college, with previous experience as an SDE intern at Amazon for 6 months. I applied off-campus for an SDE-1 position at Flipkart in February/March 2024, sending out numerous applications without a referral. I believe my Amazon internship played a significant role in getting shortlisted for the Online Assessment (OA).
Online Assessment: 3 Questions, 90 mins
The OA consisted of three questions which I found slightly difficult, primarily due to their confusing/poor wording. I managed to pass approximately 70% of the test cases overall.
PS/DS Interview 1: 45 mins
This round was solely focused on Data Structures and Algorithms, with no theoretical questions. The expectation was to explain all possible approaches in increasing efficiency, write code on a whiteboard, debug it, dry run, and thoroughly discuss the time and space complexity. I made sure to follow the advice from Flipkart's SDE Interview Guide on their website.
PS/DS Interview 2: 1 hour
This was another dedicated Data Structures and Algorithms round, focusing on more complex problem-solving.
Hiring Manager/Culture Fit Round: 30 mins
This round felt more like a discussion than a typical interview. I was prepared to showcase qualities relevant to Flipkart. We started with introductions, then discussed my reasons for choosing Flipkart over other companies, what I liked and disliked about their app/website, various situational questions, feedback I had received from my previous manager, what I would change about my previous company, and what would make me consider leaving a job.
Overall Thoughts & Feelings
The entire interview process was quite rigorous, certainly more challenging than my Amazon intern interview. I found all the interviewers to be very pleasant, well-spoken, and encouraging. They clearly explained their expectations, were happy to answer my questions, and allowed me to make mistakes and correct them without feeling judged. None of them spoke down to me, which was a refreshing change compared to some previous startup interviews. The process was also very fast, with all interviews conducted on continuous days, starting just four days after the OA. I received the result on the same day as the HM round.
Interview Questions (13)
Given a list of strings, where each string consists of '1's and '0's. You are also given two integers, X and Y. Determine the maximum number of strings you can choose from the list such that the total count of '1's across all chosen strings is less than X, and the total count of '0's across all chosen strings is less than Y.
Given an array, split it into subarrays where each subarray must either have a size of 1 or its sum must be at least K. This problem typically involves 2-dimensional dynamic programming.
Given a list of jobs, each with an associated deadline and profit. The goal is to select a subset of jobs to perform such that each job takes one unit of time, only one job can be performed at a time, and the selected jobs are completed by their respective deadlines, maximizing the total profit.
You have an undirected, connected graph of n nodes labeled from 0 to n - 1. You are given a graph where graph[i] is a list of all the nodes connected with node i by an edge. Return the length of the shortest path that visits every node in the graph. You may start and stop at any node, and you may revisit nodes multiple times and reuse edges.
Explain your reasons for wanting to join Flipkart over other companies.
What aspects do you like and dislike about the Flipkart app or website?
Respond to hypothetical scenarios to demonstrate problem-solving abilities, decision-making, and interpersonal skills in a professional context.
What constructive feedback did your previous manager give you, and how did you address it?
If you could, what would you change or improve about your previous company?
What factors or circumstances would lead you to consider quitting or leaving a job?
Preparation Tips
Tips / Tricks / Advice that helped me:
- Practice asking questions: The type of questions you ask can reveal a lot about your fundamental understanding and skillset. I practiced this by doing mock interviews with friends.
- Structured approach to DSA: In DSA rounds, I made it a point not to rush. I would start by clearly writing down the input, output, and constraints in my own words as soon as I read the problem. Misreading a question is a significant mistake in these interviews.
- Articulate your thought process: I focused on explaining my thought process step-by-step, including the observations I made, the methods I considered and eliminated, and the data structures I thought of (along with their pros and cons). Hypothesizing out loud was a crucial part of my strategy.
- Focus on conceptual understanding: I believe you can't succeed by simply memorizing code or algorithms, even if you solve a thousand problems. It's essential to be able to visualize solutions and truly understand why something works and when to use specific approaches.
- Problem-solving resources: Prior to the Online Assessment, I had completed about 100 problems from NeetCode 150. In the four days between the OA and Interview 1, I worked through Striver's SDE Sheet, which I found to be an excellent resource for understanding every concept needed for the interviews.