Make my trip interview experience for SSE 1 frontend

MakeMyTrip (MMT) - Senior Software Engineer I (Frontend) Interview Experience

Role: Senior Software Engineer I - Frontend
Experience: ~3 Years
Interview Process: 3 Technical Rounds
Outcome: Selected

Round 1 - DSA, React Machine Coding & Resume Discussion

The first round consisted of a DSA problem, a React machine coding question, and discussions around my previous work experience.

1. DSA - Minimum Platforms Required

I was asked the classic Minimum Platforms Required for a Railway Station problem, which is also available on GeeksforGeeks.

Given the arrival and departure times of trains, determine the minimum number of platforms required so that no train has to wait.

2. React Machine Coding - Stopwatch

I was asked to implement a stopwatch using React.

The task involved building a functional stopwatch with basic controls such as starting, pausing, and resetting the timer.

3. Resume-Based Discussion

The remaining discussion focused on my current project and the responsibilities mentioned in my resume.

The interviewer asked about the features I had worked on, my contributions, and the technical decisions made during development.

Round 2 - High-Level Design & React Machine Coding

The second round focused on understanding my current project's architecture and testing my React implementation skills.

1. HLD - Current Project Architecture (15-20 minutes)

The interviewer asked me to explain the high-level architecture of my current project.

I used Excalidraw to draw the architecture and walk through the different components, their responsibilities, and how they interact.

I had approximately 15 minutes to explain the design.

2. React Machine Coding - Search with Debouncing and AbortController

I was asked to implement a search functionality in React with the following concepts:

• Search input and API integration
• Debouncing user input to avoid unnecessary API calls
• Using AbortController to cancel previous or pending API requests
• Handling rapidly changing search queries

This question primarily tested React hooks, asynchronous API handling, and the ability to avoid unnecessary network requests and race conditions.

Round 3 - Detailed HLD, Webpack, AI & Scenario-Based Questions

The third round was a more detailed technical discussion covering system architecture, frontend tooling, AI usage, and practical engineering scenarios.

1. Detailed HLD - Current Project (30-40 minutes)

Similar to Round 2, I was asked to explain the architecture of my current project using Excalidraw.

However, this discussion went into significantly more detail.

The interviewer explored the architecture, design decisions, component interactions, and the reasoning behind the technical approaches used in the project.

2. Frontend Tooling & Architecture

Some of the questions discussed were:

• What is a bundler?
• What is dependency injection?
• How is dependency injection used in Webpack?

3. AI-Related Questions

The interviewer also asked about AI usage in software development:

• How is AI being used in your current organization?
• How do you optimize token usage when working with AI tools?

4. Scenario-Based & Collaboration Questions

There were also practical engineering questions, including:

• How would you collaborate with a coworker when there are Git merge conflicts?
• How would you resolve conflicts involving changes made by multiple developers?
• How do you approach technical disagreements or collaboration challenges?

The round was largely discussion-oriented and focused on evaluating technical depth, architectural understanding, and real-world engineering experience.

Overall Interview Experience

The MakeMyTrip interview process consisted of three technical rounds, with a good mix of DSA, React machine coding, system design, frontend fundamentals, and project-based discussions.

One thing I noticed was the strong emphasis on understanding my current project. Both the second and third rounds involved explaining the project's architecture using Excalidraw, with the third round going deeper into the implementation and design decisions.

My key takeaways:

• Be thorough with the architecture of the projects mentioned in your resume.
• Practice React machine coding questions involving hooks, API calls, debouncing, and request cancellation.
• Understand frontend tooling and concepts such as bundlers, Webpack, and dependency injection.
• Be prepared to explain your technical decisions and the trade-offs involved.
• Expect practical, scenario-based questions around collaboration and day-to-day engineering challenges.