Flipkart | SDE1 Interview | 2021
Summary
I underwent a three-round virtual interview process for an SDE1 position at Flipkart, including machine coding, problem-solving, and a hiring manager discussion. Despite successfully navigating the technical challenges and receiving positive feedback, I was surprisingly rejected without any specific reasons.
Full Experience
My interview journey for the SDE1 role at Flipkart involved three virtual rounds. The first round, a Machine Coding challenge, required me to build a Facebook-like feed platform. I focused on a modular, OOPS-based console application, passing all test cases and demonstrating its functionality, though I did skip exception handling due to time.
The second round was centered on Problem Solving and Data Structures. We discussed a "Source to Destination" problem which I found vague, and then moved to a more specific "Flipkart bidding system" problem. For the bidding system, where I needed to find the highest non-repetitive number in a stream, I discussed various approaches and ultimately implemented a solution using a combination of a hashmap and a max-heap, which the interviewer accepted.
The final round was with the Hiring Manager. This was more conversational, covering my projects and background. We also delved into the Producer-Consumer problem, discussing its handling and requiring me to code a solution, which I did. I felt positive about all rounds, receiving positive feedback from both technical interviewers and the HM.
Despite what I felt was a strong performance and solving the problems presented, I later received a rejection email without any specific feedback, which was quite unexpected and disappointing given the smooth process.
Interview Questions (3)
Design and implement a console application for a Facebook-like feed platform. The application should handle posts, users, upvotes, downvotes, and post ranking. The code needs to be modular, well-structured, and pass specific test cases, demonstrating OOPS concepts.
Given a stream of integers representing bids, at every instant, find the winner, defined as the bidder with the highest non-repetitive bid (or highest non-repetitive number).
Discuss the Producer-Consumer problem in operating systems/systems, explore various ways to handle it, and then code a solution.
Preparation Tips
My preparation involved a strong focus on problem-solving and data structures, which was beneficial for the PSDS round. For the system design and machine coding aspects, my prior experience and understanding of OOPS and system design principles helped me tackle the challenges like the Facebook feed platform and the Producer-Consumer problem.