Goldman Sachs Associate | 3+ Years Experience | Offer

My interview process for the Associate role at Goldman Sachs was quite thorough, unfolding over approximately 2-2.5 months. It began with an online coding round on Hackerrank, where I tackled two easy coding questions within 120 minutes. After clearing this, my resume was shortlisted for further rounds.

Round 1 (Coderpad + Voice Call)

This round involved two easy-medium level questions on Coderpad. I had to write complete runnable code and pass all test cases.

1. Minimum Distance Between Two Words with Middle Character Definition: I was given a string and two words within it, and I needed to find the minimum distance between them. The distance was uniquely defined as the number of characters between the middle characters of the two words. An existing brute-force implementation with logical bugs was provided, and my task was to identify and fix these bugs, then add new test cases and implement code for them.
2. Minimum Path Sum: I was asked to solve the classic 'Minimum Path Sum' problem.

Rounds 2-6 (Zoom Video Call + Coderpad)

These rounds were conducted on the same day, each lasting about 60-70 minutes.

Round 2 (DSA)

After a quick introduction, we delved into data structures and algorithms.

1. Array Difference (with Occurrences): I was given two unsorted arrays and asked to find (arr1 – arr2) and (arr2 – arr1). The difference was defined as all elements from the first array not present in the second, critically considering the number of occurrences. For example, if arr1 = [3, 5, 2, 7, 4, 2, 7] and arr2 = [1, 7, 5, 2, 2, 9], then arr1 - arr2 = [3, 7, 4] and arr2 - arr1 = [1, 7].
2. H-Index: I had to calculate the h-index for a given array of citations.
3. H-Index II: This was a follow-up, asking for the h-index from a sorted array of citations.
4. H-Index from Data Stream: The next follow-up involved calculating the h-index from a continuous stream of citations after each new input.

Round 3 (DSA, Projects)

This round involved a detailed discussion about the projects I had worked on, including technologies and design patterns used.

1. Balance a Binary Search Tree: I was asked to balance an imbalanced BST, returning a balanced version with the same node values.
2. Maximum Number of Events That Can Be Attended: This problem involved finding the maximum number of events that could be attended given a list of events with start and end days.
3. Numeric Puzzle: ABCD * 4 = DCBA: I was presented with a puzzle to find the values of A and D for a 4-digit number ABCD such that ABCD * 4 equals DCBA.

Round 4 (Java, Design)

This round began with an introduction and technical discussion about my most recent project.

1. HashMap Internal Working: I had to explain the internal working mechanism of a HashMap.
2. JVM Architecture: I discussed the architecture of the Java Virtual Machine.
3. Java vs. Other OOP Languages: I explained how Java differs from other object-oriented programming languages.
4. Java Garbage Collector Details: We had a detailed discussion on the Java Garbage Collector.
5. Relational Database Design: I was asked to design a relational database and explain the data structures I would use in its implementation.

Round 5 (Hiring Manager)

This was a hiring manager round.

1. Design a Garbage Collector: I was asked about how I would design a garbage collector if given the task.
2. Wrapper Class in Java: I explained what a wrapper class is and why it is needed in Java.
3. Type Erasure in Java: I also elaborated on type erasure in Java and its purpose.
4. Reason for Leaving Current Organization: I discussed my reasons for wanting to leave my current role.
5. Why Goldman Sachs?: I articulated my motivations for joining Goldman Sachs.

The interviewer also explained my potential role within the team. Overall, the interview experience was smooth and very well-arranged. It was a comprehensive process that led to an offer for the Associate position.