PayPal | SWE-Intern | 2024 | Virtual | Selected
Summary
I interviewed for a Software Engineer Intern position at PayPal and successfully received an offer. The process included an online test with a coding question, a virtual technical interview focusing on live coding, and a virtual HR interview.
Full Experience
I am a pre-final year student pursuing B.E. CSE at Anna University, MIT, and I applied for the SWE Intern 2024 position at PayPal. The interview process consisted of three rounds.
Round 1: Online Test (30-10-2023)
This round, conducted on Hackerrank, had 5 MCQ questions from DSA and OOPS, and 1 coding question. I had 40 minutes to complete it. The coding question was 'Break Sort'. After about 15 days, I heard back from PayPal University Hiring regarding my selection for the next round.
Round 2: Technical Interview - Live Coding (Virtual) (22-11-2023, 9 am)
This virtual round started with introductions from both myself and the interviewer. My interviewer then asked some basic technical questions and inquired about my language preference before we moved to the live coding session, which was conducted on Hackerrank. The question was 'Kth Permutation Sequence (With arrays)', described by the interviewer as a LeetCode Hard problem. The interviewer explained the problem and provided test cases, giving me 5 minutes to develop an approach. I clearly explained my strategy, handled cross-questions, and covered all edge cases, which satisfied the interviewer. I then proceeded to code my solution, adding comments and explaining each line. I also performed a dry run for two given cases, explaining every step thoroughly, which also satisfied the interviewer.
Round 3: HR Interview (Virtual) (22-11-2023, 2 pm)
This virtual round also began with introductions. We discussed my projects in detail, including team dynamics, how work was split up, my contributions, and who led the team. I was also presented with some tricky situational questions designed to assess my prioritizing and analytical skills. The interviewer seemed satisfied with my answers, offering some minor corrections here and there. Finally, I asked some questions about the company.
The interviewers were very friendly and kind throughout the process, and I truly enjoyed the experience. This was a great opportunity for me.
Result:
After 20 days, I received the result: I was selected for the SWE Summer Internship 2024. The internship duration is 12 weeks, with a stipend of 100,000/- per month, located in Chennai/Bangalore.
Interview Questions (2)
Given an array arr of n positive integers, the following operations can be performed 0 or more times:
- Choose an index i where 0 <= i < n
- Choose 2 integers, x and y, such that x + y = arr[i]
- Replace arr[i] with two elements, the two values x and y
Example
n = 3
arr = [3, 4, 3]
The array can be sorted in 2 operations:
Choose i = 0 arr[0] = 3. Choose x = 1 and y = 2. Replace arr[0] with x and y arr = [1, 2, 4, 3].
Choose i = 2 arr[2] = 4. Choose x = 2 and y =2. Replace arr[2] and arr = [1, 2, 2, 2, 3].
Return 2.
I was asked to solve the Kth Permutation Sequence problem, focusing on an array-based approach. The interviewer explained the question and provided test cases, then gave me 5 minutes to devise an approach. I explained my approach and handled cross-questions, covering edge cases. After the interviewer was satisfied, I coded the solution with comments and explaining each and every line. Then, I performed a dry run for two cases, explaining each step during the dry run with comments.