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Summary
I interviewed for a Software Engineer role at Mastercard in Pune in September 2024 and successfully received an offer. The process included an online assessment, two technical rounds, and a final HR discussion.
Full Experience
My interview journey for the Software Engineer position at Mastercard in Pune began with an Online Assessment. This round consisted of two coding questions, and I had one hour to complete them.
The first Technical Round, lasting between 20 to 50 minutes, started with my introduction. Following that, I was given a Data Structures & Algorithms question to determine if two strings were anagrams. The interviewer then delved into Object-Oriented Programming, asking me to explain polymorphism with an example. Next, I faced a DBMS question, where I had to explain the ACID properties. Finally, I discussed my projects in detail, including the rationale behind my technology stack choices.
The second Technical Round, approximately 50 minutes long, commenced with the interviewer reviewing my resume thoroughly. The first major question was a system design problem, asking how a lift works. The interviewer then simplified it to a scenario with only one user, which I successfully solved. Following this, I was presented with a classic puzzle: "There are two bulbs inside a room and two switches outside. You can enter the room only once. Identify which switch belongs to which bulb." The interviewer further explored this by asking for variations such as 3 bulbs 1 switch, 3 bulbs 3 switches, and 2 bulbs 3 switches. We then moved on to questions related to my project, database concepts, and various API operations. Towards the end, some HR-like questions were asked, covering my family background, academic performance (10th, 12th, current CGPA), positions of responsibility, and hobbies.
The final HR Round, a brief 10-15 minute session, started with my introduction. The interviewer asked standard HR questions like "Why a finance firm?" and "Why Mastercard?" We also discussed the role and compensation. Similar to the previous round, I was asked about my family background and positions of responsibility.
Ultimately, I was selected and received an offer for the Software Engineer role.
Interview Questions (5)
Check if two given strings are anagrams of each other.
Explain the concept of polymorphism in Object-Oriented Programming (OOPS) with a suitable example.
Explain the ACID properties (Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, Durability) in the context of Database Management Systems (DBMS).
Design how a lift (elevator) system works. The question was later simplified to consider only one user using the lift.
There are two bulbs inside a room and two switches outside the room. You can enter the room only once. You need to identify which switch belongs to which bulb. The interviewer also modified this question with multiple variations like 3 bulbs 1 switch, 3 bulbs 3 switches, and 2 bulbs 3 switches.