5 min read · Sep 15, 2020
There are a lot of things one should prepare for the placements. I have divided this article into different sections for simplicity and better understanding. Along with the study materials, I will be sharing my own placement experience.
This article is in context of software companies only
- Resume
- Coding Questions
- Puzzles and Quant
- OOPs Concept
- Different CS topics (OS, Networking, and DBMS)
- System Design
Resume compromises of:
Generally, interviewers ask questions from projects, internships, and publications. But if there is a separate round on resume, they can ask about a specific skill mentioned in your resume or questions from courses that you have mentioned. Once you add somewhere that you had used a particular framework or language, then expect a question on that.
For example, you have mentioned Java or Python, then it is advisable to know their internal working as well.
In resume, it’s better to describe your project in points and mention parts in which you have done significant work. You can also mention about different technologies used and the impacts of the project.
Questions on projects can be:
- Projects’ goals
- Problems faced in the project.
- Projects’ impact.
- Why this particular method/ technology is used in the project?
One can expect questions from different data structures(Link list, Arrays, Binary Tree, and Graph) and algorithm (sorting, searching, dynamic programming, traversing).
Useful Sources for practice are Leetcode, Geeksforgeeks, and Interviewbit. You can participate in weekly Codeforces challenges to get the gist of pressure that you may feel during online rounds. Weekly challenges on Leetcode, Codeforces, and Hackerranks are also useful.
Apart from that, there is a google doc having most of the previous year questions asked in various companies.
Sources for different puzzles and quant questions are:
- Geeksforgeeks
- Interview bit
- Fifty Challenging Problems in Probability with Solutions
- Brainstellar
- CSE Blog
The best source to prepare for OOPs is Geeksforgeeks.
class, objects, encapsulation, abstraction, polymorphism and inheritance are well covered in gfg.
Again, Geeksforgeeks is the best source.
Basic SQL queries, Normalization, ER model, Types of database keys
Good Source:
OSI model, TCP/IP, UDP, HTTP vs HTTPS, IPv4, IPv6, IP subnets.
I haven’t seen many questions from Networking and DBMS in online tests or interviews, but to be on the safe side, prepare for them.
rest API designs, Object-Oriented designs, working of different highly scalable systems
There are very few companies that ask questions from System design. In online tests, only one company (Zauba) asked about it. But during interviews, companies like App dynamics, Nutanix, and Amazon can ask to design a system.
Some reliable sources are:
I started my preparation from mid of August when my summer internship was about to end. I practice different questions on Codeforces, participated in challenges on Leetcode and Codeforces, completed all sections on Interviewbit, and some from Geeksforgeeks.
For puzzles and quant questions, I mainly relied on sources, as mentioned earlier. I have some minors in CSE subjects, including OS and DBMS. Topics covered in Geeksforgeeks and other sources are also very much similar to subject-minors that I have attended.
After all these preparations, I was able to get shortlisted in around 30 companies, including GS, Cohesity, Sprinklr, Appdynamics, and Nutanix.
On day 0, there was a total of 6 software companies, and I was shortlisted for 2 GS and Cohesity.
Many students were shortlisted for the GS interviews (Around 50). By seeing the crowd at the GS interviews, I decided to go for Cohesity Interview first as only 6–7 students were shortlisted. The interview went average and didn’t get the offer.
After 2 hours or more, I arrived at the GS interview. During GS interviews, some students were asked coding questions (from Geeksforgeeks), and some were asked Quant questions based on the profile that a student is interested in. There were two profiles Analyst and Software Engineer. Since the questions were from Geeksforgeeks, most of the students were able to solve them. After giving two rounds of interviews and getting every problem right, I didn’t get the offer.
After getting a 4-hour sleep, begins the day 1 of the placement. So here I was shortlisted in 3 companies Nutanix, Sprinklr, and Appdynamics.
In Nutanix, there were four rounds, Coding, System Design, Resume, and HR round. During the coding round, the interviewer asked me a DP problem, and it’s further extended versions. In the system design round, I was asked to design some parts of Zomato. And then Resume and HR round.
That went well, So here comes the Sprinklr interview. There was a total of 3 rounds, coding + aptitude, coding + system design, and HR Round. That also went well.
After that, there was no time left for the Appdynamics interview. So, I went back to my Hostel. After 1–2 hours, I received my final offers from Nutanix and Sprinklr 😄.
- Do not rely only on a few companies as you may or may not be able to get shortlisted for a particular company. Many factors can contribute to your success, including luck too.
- There are chances that a company will take walk-in interviews or may call students from the waitlist. So even if you are not shortlisted in a company, there is still a chance.
- Do not wait and waste time for the next round of interviews in a company if it went below average. Try in the other companies in the same slot.
- Also, get your priorities sorted, and don’t be late for the company at a higher priority. Big companies may not like to wait.
- There are certain factors that can influence the selection, such as interviewer, question set, and luck. For example, in online tests of some companies like Google, Squarepoint Capital, Microsoft, there are different sets. Some sets are effortless, and some may be tough. Since companies repeat questions, including Microsoft, Google, and Uber, so some people may be able to solve it in less time, or some may not be able to solve it. All I can say is prepare well.
If you are are looking for a detailed explanation on IIT on-campus placements, give it a try. IIT Campus placements
