Nielsen Interview Experience (MTS-2), Oct'2025
Summary
I interviewed at Nielsen for the MTS-2 role in October 2025 and successfully received an offer after completing three rigorous rounds focused on Data Structures & Algorithms, System Design, and a technical-managerial discussion.
Full Experience
My interview journey at Nielsen for the MTS-2 role consisted of three rounds.
Round 1: DSA + Computer Science Fundamentals
This round started with a basic introduction. I was then presented with two Data Structures and Algorithms questions. Due to time constraints, we couldn't delve into Computer Science Fundamentals.Round 2: HLD + LLD (System Design)
This round focused on system design, where I was tasked with designing a movie ticket booking system, similar to BookMyShow. I began by clarifying requirements and then proceeded to outline a high-level flow for the system. I identified the necessary entities and their relationships, after which I drew a High-Level Design (HLD) of the overall system, incorporating services, an API gateway, and appropriate databases. We extensively discussed edge cases like concurrency and high traffic, and I explained various locking mechanisms (pessimistic, optimistic) along with database properties and different database options. In the remaining ten minutes, I quickly covered the Low-Level Design (LLD) of parts of the system.Round 3: Tech + Managerial (with Engineering Manager)
This final round involved an Engineering Manager. It started with a brief introduction from both sides. We then delved into an in-depth discussion about my previous company's role and projects. I drew an HLD of one of my past projects, explaining the technologies used and the approaches taken, including the rationale behind my choices and alternative options.Ultimately, I received an offer.
Interview Questions (3)
Given an array arr and a target value, find the count of distinct sets of {a,b,c,d} indices such that arr[a] + arr[b] + arr[c] + arr[d] = target. The indices a, b, c, d must be distinct.
Given an array arr, pick pairs of indices {i, j} for which 2*arr[i] <= arr[j]. Each index can only be part of one pair. Return the maximum number of such marked indices (total count of i and j chosen) in the array.
I was asked to design a movie ticket booking system similar to BookMyShow. This involved discussing basic requirements, outlining a high-level flow, identifying required entities and their relationships, and drawing an HLD of the overall system including services, API Gateway, and databases. We also covered edge cases such as concurrency and high traffic, discussing solutions like locking mechanisms (pessimistic, optimistic) and various database options and properties. Finally, I provided a quick Low-Level Design (LLD) for parts of the system.