DEV Community: AthenaSquare

Microsoft Design Challenge 2022 Experience

AthenaSquare — Sun, 08 Jan 2023 13:55:36 +0000

👉Case study can be found here

February 11, The time starts… Now!

I came to know about this challenge on LinkedIn. It was quite exciting as this challenge was unheard to me and the opportunity to intern for Microsoft was a dream. Being a nationwide competition, the stakes were high. At that point in time, I was still in my learning phase and considered myself a novice. (I still do, learning never stops)

Immediately I opened up the website to register and that is where all of my excitement came to fall. This competition was only for students graduating in 2023/2024. Being a second-year student I was not eligible to participate. After thinking about it, something inside me wanted to do this challenge as a “mock test”, to better analyze my weak zones and time management skills. I didn’t have anything to lose, quite the opposite rather as I would have a case study for my portfolio. Now the fun part begins; Thinking!

Chapter 1: Preparation and scouting

This being my first design challenge, I had no clue how to present my project, what the judges were looking for, and so on. To begin I started by browsing the internet and looking up the previous winners of this challenge. I spent close to 5 days researching and understanding how to present the deliverables.

Ⅰ. Looking up previous submissions

I looked up Google and found the case studies of previous winners of the design challenge. Created a notion page to note down all the common aspects of the submissions of the winners. Browsing through a lot of projects, I started to see a pattern. Took inspiration, and took notes.

How did this help? I Noted down all the similarities, unique aspects, presentation style, and style guide, and created a checklist for myself which was to be included in my final submission.

Ⅱ. Talk. Talk. TALK!

After tracking down the winners, I messaged all of them on LinkedIn. Asking them about their experience, squeezing out any information I could get which could help me with my submission. I reached out to Kshitij from whom I took a lot of inspiration for my project (even this article :P), who was very helpful and took out his time to clear any of my doubts. Sometimes my questions were absolutely stupid but he was patient enough and answered those as well.

Ⅲ. Documentation

I made a notion page to document all the leads, articles, and whatever I could find related to this challenge.

Ⅳ. Ideation

I always take my phone in the bathroom while showering. You may ask why? The reason is that mostly all the ideas that come to my mind happen while I take a shower. The problem sector I chose was -Well Being. I decided to work upon a solution that incentivizes the entire process of working out and exercising. The problem statement was; How to improve the well-being of working professionals in a way that does not feel like a task. The process included identifying the problem, understanding the user pain points and them coming up with a digital solution. Easier said than done :)

The ideation phase took close to 4 days, 2 days were spent researching, forming questions for interviews, conducting them, and forming a questionnaire.

Juggling college studies, learning and this project was difficult but fun. I spent close to 3+ hours every day on this project. For 10 days straight, all I did was ideate subconsciously, thinking about the ifs and whys.

I followed the Double Diamond Design process.

Research- I conducted interviews and created a questionnaire(which received 15+ responses)to understand the pain points of the users. Before the interview, I had already prepared a list of questions to ask the participants to keep the process consistent. For the secondary research, I browsed Twitter, Reddit, and Google to collect data and understand the problems faced more clearly. While doing this I noted that during work from home, a lot of working professionals have started to feel back pain from the long hours they spend sitting. I noted these problems to later assess them in my project.
Brainstorming- I put myself in the shoes of different types of users to better empathize with them and form a solution that caters to most if not all types of users.
👉 The complete case study can be found here

Read the case study

Ⅴ. Tidying up! Phewww 😓

2 days were remaining, the deadline was on 21st February. The content was ready, what now remained was the presentation and the promo video. I was scared of the later part because I had never created a promo video or any product video. Panic!!

As said earlier, the notion checklist page came in clutch so that I don’t miss anything in my presentation. Because the number of allowed pages(20) is limited, I had to be very careful about what information I used. The true meaning of the word “concise” I understood that day. After completing the presentation, all that was left was to create the promo video. It took me 1.5 days to understand how to create one and another 5 hours to gather all the assets for my video. It was midnight, the submission was at 9 AM, and it was a race against time. I hid the clock to not focus on it.

At 2 AM I was done with the After Effects part of the video. Relieved, I started the render and to my shock (cliffhangers form a good story, trust me!) the render stopped and gave an error at 95%. It took 40 mins to reach 95%. I thought that it was a bug and rendered it again, same story. After doing this one more time, I improvised and cut short the video to only 94% of the original video. It got rendered but I had wasted a lot of precious time, I had no time to slow down. Quickly I launched up Premiere and started to create the story which I had formulated. Highlights of the video were-problem emphasis, uniqueness of the solution, and accessibility.

The video plays a key role in the initial round because that is what catches attention most as video content is entertaining and easier to digest. It builds the story you are trying to narrate.

🪄 The deliverables are now complete. What a relief. Oh wait, it’s 7:30 AM!!

Promo Video for Submission
I made my submission at 8:15 AM on 21st February. Knowing that I was not eligible this year, I did not expect a response from the team.

I was happy and proud knowing that I completed the challenge. It was a great learning experience and I encourage all the eligible folks to participate.

After a month I received a mail that read that I was not eligible and that they will not be considering my project.

Ⅵ. What I learned

The Problem statement should be crystal clear to you. Spend some time while writing the problem statement.
It is imperative that you document everything somewhere
I believe that the problem you are trying to solve should be very specific. Trying to create a generalized solution for a wide range of problems can lead to something with no depth to it which means that it solves problems partially and none of the problems is solved fully.
Time management and smart utilization of time are key
There is never a perfect project, stop overthinking and move on with the process.
Research well. Secondary research will save your time and also will help you note the pain points quickly (make sure to double-check the authenticity of the article). Learn how to conduct good interviews, and how to formulate questions. Data synthesis after the session is the most important part.
Don’t get overwhelmed by other’s submissions :)
TALK TO PEOPLE! It helped me immensely in my submission
You will make mistakes, it is a part of the process. Get up and get going!
Be honest and enjoy the process. Don’t take any shortcuts, it will most probably come back to trouble you during the entire process of selection.
It was an enjoyable experience for me. See you, next year folks! 🎩

Wells Fargo Interview Experience

AthenaSquare — Wed, 04 Jan 2023 14:25:49 +0000

Interviewee- Charvi Sethi
College- IGDTUW
CTC- 24 LPA

Online Assessment

The Online Assessment consisted of three sections: logical reasoning, English, and coding questions.

I began the assessment with the logical reasoning section, which consisted of 45 minutes of questions designed to test my problem-solving and analytical skills. I found the questions to be challenging but manageable, and I made sure to carefully read and consider each one before answering.

Next, I moved on to the English section, which was a 15-minute test of my grammar and vocabulary. This section was relatively straightforward, and I could complete it quickly.

Finally, I tackled the coding questions, which consisted of two 30-minute questions designed to test my coding skills and knowledge of algorithms and data structures. I spent some time thinking through the problems and then wrote and debugged my code.

Further, I got shortlisted.

First Round of Interviews

The interviewer began by asking me some theory-based questions about algorithms, which I could answer to his satisfaction. He then asked me about a crypto-based project that I had listed on my resume, which stood out to him. I could talk about the project in detail and explain the technologies I used and the challenges I faced.

The interviewer seemed impressed with my answers and asked me more technical questions. These questions were focused on different programming languages and frameworks that I had listed on my resume. I could answer most of these questions confidently, but for a couple of them, I admitted that I had limited experience and explained how I would learn more if I were to take on a role that required those skills.

Also, Naratting a friend’s experience. This time, the interviewer was different, and the interview began with more theory-based questions about algorithms.

After answering these questions, the interviewer asked about her experience with dynamic programming. She gave examples of problems she had solved using dynamic programming and explained her approach.

Toward the end of the interview, the interviewer asked her about their long-term career goals and how she saw herself fitting into the company. She told him that she was excited about the opportunity to work at Wells Fargo and contribute to developing innovative software solutions.

Second Round of Interviews

After the technical round, I received another email notification that I had been shortlisted for the final round, which was a technical + HR round. In this round, I had the opportunity to choose between two positions: summer analyst and software development engineer (SDE). I decided on the SDE position and was offered the job shortly after.

My friend, who was also interviewing for a software engineer position at Wells Fargo, had a different experience. She also had a technical round, followed by a technical + HR round as the final round. In her final round, she was asked some dynamic programming questions. She was also offered the SDE position and accepted it.

Here are some tips for you folks:

Practice solving coding challenges on websites like Leetcode or HackerRank
Review the basics of tree algorithms, as these are common topics in coding interviews
Brush up on your knowledge of Object Oriented Programming, as these topics may be covered in theory questions
Be prepared to write code on a whiteboard or online coding platform
Take your time and think through your solutions carefully
Be able to explain and defend your problem and be open to feedback and suggestions from the interviewer
Take your time and think through your answers carefully. Good luck with your interview preparations, and I hope these tips help you succeed!

Barclays Interview Experience

AthenaSquare — Tue, 27 Dec 2022 15:26:02 +0000

Interviewee — Saloni Prakash
Website — https://home.barclays/
Profile — Summer Intern [ 2 Months ]
Internship Stipend — Rs. 75,000 per Month
Location — PAN India

Round 1– Online Assessment

This was the first round and it consisted of 15-20 MCQs on topics like SQL, C++, and Python. Apart from this, there were 2 coding questions on the topics — Back Tracking and Dynamic Programming. The questions of this round were of medium-level difficulty. The Time limit for Assessment was 30 mins.

Round 2 — Interview [HR + Technical]

This round started with HR Questions which were quite general — Tell me about yourself, why Barclays, and Strengths & Weaknesses, then in the technical part — questions were asked related to OOPs(Object Oriented Programming) and DSA (Data Structure & Algorithms). The questions of this round were of a moderate level of difficulty. The interview went for around 40-45 mins.

Result — Selected.

Topics to be prepared well to ace the interview-
— OOPs (Object Oriented Programming)
— DSA (Data Structure & Algorithms)
— Back Tracking
— Dynamic Programming

Media.net Interview Experience

AthenaSquare — Tue, 27 Dec 2022 15:20:53 +0000

Interviewee — Sourabh Mishra
AthenaSquare Profile — https://athenasquare.org/sourabhmishra1262
Company — Media.Net
Website — https://www.media.net
Profile — Site Reliability Engineer / DevOps [ 6 months + FTE ]
Internship Stipend — 1 lac / Month
Salary — 16 Lacs (Fixed) + Other benefits
Location — Mumbai / Bangalore

Round 1: Online Assessment

It was the first round. Multiple choice questions were asked from topics — Computer networks, Linux, Operating Systems, DBMS, and Programming. This was followed by 2 coding questions on arrays and trees [Difficulty — Medium]. Prepare the Computer networks, Linux, Operating Systems, DBMS and Programming concepts well to ace the first round.

Round 2 — Online Assessment DevOps

This was the second round of online assessments. This OA round was more about testing one’s knowledge of TCP/UDP protocols or how sockets work. Some questions about the SQL database were also asked.
The questions were like this, a link was mentioned in the question that was acting as the server to serve the client request. I was supposed to create a client socket and connect it to that server. Some further queries were mentioned, which I was supposed to solve. After requesting the server, I got the output, which I needed to enter in the answer box given. Similarly, for SQL databases, there was some remote SQL database setup for which I was supposed to write queries and get output.
The answers were checked on the fly as you kept entering them. I was able to complete all the tasks and, hence, cleared this round.

Round 3 — Machine Coding round

The machine coding round involves solving a design problem in a matter of a couple of hours. It requires designing and coding a clean, modular and extensible solution based on a specific set of requirements. In a machine coding round, the general expectation is that you’ll write object-oriented code. Writing everything in a single file without any classes is just not acceptable in the interview. I was supposed to create multiple classes each containing properties and methods only related to that particular class.
I was given a server or an instance whose IP and password were given to me. I had to SSH to that server and write code on that server only. My task was to set up a TCP socket on that server that connected to some already existing remote server. Then we have to complete some tasks given to us. In my case, 9 tasks were given to complete, and I had to complete all the tasks in order to clear the round. I was given 4 hours to complete the same while being monitored on zoom.
There will be some test cases that you have to pass. After that, I was asked questions related to the code I wrote and a few concepts associated with the same.

Round 4 — Technical Interview 1

Questions were asked related to computer networks, OS, and DBMS in depth. I was asked to implement a few solutions like creating a subnet. Study these subjects with real applications. The questions are asked by creating a real scenario and you will be asked to implement it.
Questions are asked in real depth. You must understand the concepts very well.
At last, 2 DSA questions were also asked [difficulty — medium and easy]
Also, there were some general questions asked about the SRE role and the motivation for this role will also be tested.

Round 5 — Technical Interview 2

It was more of a system design round. I was asked about concepts around system design in depth. It was about load balancers, scaling, databases, and about my project. Make sure you prepare for your project nicely as the interviewer will ask about core concepts from your project. I was asked about Docker and other DevOps technologies that I mentioned in my resume. You are expected to have a basic understanding of high-level system design.

Round 6 — Technical Interview 3

This was the final round. I was given a design question in which I was given a hypothetical situation where I had a very large file. Some servers were provided in which we could process the file. I was asked to provide a way of how I will compute that big file efficiently on the provided servers in the minimum amount of time and with the minimum amount of resources used. This round went for around 90 minutes.

Result — Selected.

Topics to be prepared well to ace the interview-

Computer Networks
Operating System
DBMS
High-level system design
Good Project
Data structure and algorithm
DevOps and technologies [Bonus]
Development [Frontend + Backend] — [Bonus]

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Sigmoid Interview Experience

AthenaSquare — Tue, 27 Dec 2022 15:14:07 +0000

Interviewee — Purushottam Dubey
AthenaSquare Profile — https://athenasquare.org/dflag44
Website — https://www.sigmoid.com/
Profile — SDE [ 6 months + FTE ]
Salary — Rs. 15.63 Lacs (Basic Pay)
Location — Bangalore

Round 1: Online Assessment

It was the first round. There were 30 Multiple choice questions which include questions related to debugging, DBMS, and OS. There were some questions where I was asked to write SQL queries for some use cases. This was followed by 3 coding questions i.e 1 hard and 2 medium difficulty questions.
Prepare the core concepts of CSE like OS, DBMS, and SQL well to ace the first round. You need to clear this round to get an interview call.

Round 2 — Tech Interview 1

This was the second round. This round started with my brief introduction. Make sure you give a short and sweet introduction of yourself. The introduction should not be for more than a minute.
I was asked to code 2 coding questions on my preferred IDE.
The first coding question was finding the longest common substring. This question was easy and standard. The second question was comparatively hard. It involved finding the maximum number in the k-sized window in an array of integers.
At last, one SQL query was asked in which I was asked to find the second largest number in a column from a table and return that number.

Round 3 — Tech Interview 2

This was the third round. This round also started with a brief intro of both the interviewee and the interviewer following which a coding question was asked to code.
The question was to create a tree from the given level order traversal of the tree. This is a standard question and you can find it easily on the internet.
The other questions which were asked in this round were related to time and space complexities. Like what is the time complexity of a queue, priority queue, and some techniques of tree transversals. The questions asked in this round were mostly of medium difficulty.

Round 4 — HR Interview

This was the third and last round. Some standard HR round questions were asked. The subsequent question that was asked was what are your interests and hobbies.
Then there was a discussion on designing a better traffic system in India for managing the increasing traffic in an efficient way.
Make sure you are confident and clear while answering the question. Prepare yourself for the standard HR question before the interview itself.

Result — Selected.

Topics to prepare well to ace interview-
— Data structures and algorithms [Trees, arrays, strings]
— Project
— Computer Networks
— Operating System
— DBMS

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Cashfree Interview Experience

AthenaSquare — Tue, 27 Dec 2022 15:09:27 +0000

Interviewee — Nikhil Kushwah
Website — https://www.cashfree.com/
Profile — SDE [ 6 months + FTE ]
Internship Stipend — 40k / Month
Salary — 15 Lacs (Base Pay)
Location — Bangalore

Round 1 — Online Assessment

This was an OA round. There were 10 Multiple choice questions which include questions related to debugging, DBMS, and OS. This was followed by 3 coding questions i.e. 1 hard, 1 medium, and 1 easy level of question. The topic of coding questions was- Strings, Dynamic Programming, and greedy.
Prepare the core concepts of CSE like OS, DBMS, SQL, Strings, Dynamic Programming, and greedy well to ace the first round. You need to clear this round to get an interview call.

Round 2 — Technical Interview 1

This was the second round. I was asked to code 2 coding questions
The first one was on strings and the second question was based on dynamic programming on strings. The first question was easy and standard. The second question was comparatively hard as it involved dynamic programming on strings.
The time limit for this round was 1 hour.

Round 3 — Technical Interview 2

This was the third round. The first few questions were on fundamental topics — Operating Systems [OS] and Database Management Systems [DBMS]. The other questions which were asked in this round were related to Networks, Compiler Design, and Object Oriented Programming [OOPs].
This round went on for 1 hour.

Round 4 — Technical Interview 3

This was the fourth round. The questions that were asked were based on resumes and some project-based questions.
The subsequent questions were project applications, real-life implantation of DSA, and what is your interest — backend or frontend and why. This round went around for 30 mins.
This company requires strong college academics and a good college CGPA is important.

Round 5 — HR Interview

This was the fifth and last round. Some standard HR round questions were asked. The subsequent questions were related to the resume. Then there was a discussion on what you expect from Cashfree.
Also, one or two questions related to life situations in corporate life or in the company. Make sure you are confident and clear while answering the questions. Prepare yourself for the standard HR question before the interview itself. This round was short and went around for 15 mins.

Result — Selected.

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Samsung Interview Experience

AthenaSquare — Fri, 16 Dec 2022 06:10:41 +0000

Interviewee - Abhishek Thakur
FTE - 12 base (15.5 CTC)
Athenasquare - https://athenasquare.org/AbheeshekThakur
Location - Delhi

Online Assessment:

The Online Assessment was held in Offline Mode. Samsung representatives were present for invigilation to ensure that the whole process was conducted offline and strictly with the rules to avoid cheating.

The problem presented to us was related to BFS (breadth-first search) or DFS (depth-first search) traversal in a matrix. At first, the problem seemed confusing, mainly because it looked like a dynamic programming question. However, upon closer examination, it became clear that it was a straightforward BFS/DFS traversal question.

In the question, we were given a matrix with several points or cells that needed to be covered. There were also certain constrictions on moving between the cells in the matrix. For instance, it was specified that we couldn't travel to specific cells during our traversal.

The task was to determine the starting point from which we could reach all the target places in the minimum number of steps. This required us to carefully analyse the matrix and devise a strategy for traversing it in the most efficient manner possible.

Overall, I found the experience of taking the OA test to be challenging yet rewarding. The BFS/DFS matrix traversal problem required me to think critically and apply my knowledge of algorithms to solve complex problems.
I managed to clear it & progress to the next round of the selection process.

Round 1:

My interview started with a brief discussion of questions in the Online assessment. The Solution was discussed and was asked about the time complexity and Space complexity. I considered the trade-offs between time and space complexity and sought to strike a balance between the two.

During my interview, I was asked various technical questions, including ones on trees, the properties of AVL trees, and the concept of polymorphism and encapsulation in object-oriented programming.

To approach these questions, I first explained how to add nodes to a tree and the basic properties of AVL trees. I was then asked about the concept of polymorphism and the difference between compile-time and runtime polymorphism. I provided an example of code that utilised method overriding to demonstrate my understanding of this concept.

I was also asked to write code for a virtual function and explain the concept of a virtual table. I provided an example to illustrate how this concept works in practice.

In addition to these technical questions, I was asked to solve a puzzle to test my problem-solving and analytical skills. I carefully considered the information provided and was able to come up with a solution.

Overall, I found the Interview to be a challenging but rewarding experience. I am grateful for the opportunity to have participated in the interview and look forward to applying my knowledge and skills in future professional settings.
Eventually, I was selected.

Here are some tips for you folks:

Practice solving coding challenges on websites like Leetcode or HackerRank
Review the basics of tree algorithms, as these are common topics in coding interviews
Brush up on your knowledge of Object Oriented Programming, as these topics may be covered in theory questions
Be prepared to write code on a whiteboard or online coding platform
Take your time and think through your solutions carefully
Be able to explain and defend your problem and be open to feedback and suggestions from the interviewer
Take your time and think through your answers carefully.
Good luck with your interview preparations, and I hope these tips help you succeed!

Tekion Interview Experience

AthenaSquare — Sat, 10 Dec 2022 09:26:12 +0000

Interviewee - Pratyush Lokhande
AthenaSquare profile - https://athenasquare.org/pratyushlokhande
CTC - 17 base, 2000 unit ESOPS
6months - 50k/month

Online Assesment:
The Online Assesment consisted of two parts: a coding challenge and a series of multiple choice questions on operating systems and database management systems.

For the coding challenge, We were given a medium-difficulty problem involving trees.
Alongwith that we had a hard-difficulty problem based on Dynamic Programming.

The multiple choice questions on operating systems and database management systems were standard.

Interview Round 1:

The interview consisted of two parts: a coding problem and a series of theory questions.

The theory questions were challenging, but I was able to answer them by drawing on my previous knowledge and experience. Some of the questions I was asked included:

How to detect cycles in a linked list
How to find the junction point of a cycle in a linked list
How to find the length of a cycle in a linked list
How to determine if a cycle exists in a linked list
What are the ACID properties of database management systems
What are transactions in database systems
What is context switching in operating systems, and can you provide an example?

I was asked to write code to solve a problem involving trees. The problem involved calculating the sum of the odd-level and even-level nodes in a tree and finding the absolute difference between them. I was able to come up with a solution.

I managed to progress to the next round.

Interview Round 2:

The interview was a design challenge, in which I was asked to design a system for quickly querying a large CSV file containing experiment results.

The challenge specified that the CSV file was 2 TB in size, and that the server I was given had 4 GB of RAM and 2 CPUs. The CSV file contained two columns: experiment number and result. The results were binary, with 1 indicating a successful experiment and 0 indicating a failed experiment. However, the number of failed experiments was extremely small compared to the number of successful experiments.

I was asked to design a system that would allow users to quickly query the CSV file by inputting an experiment number, and that would return the result of that experiment (i.e. whether it was successful or failed). The system had to be fast and simple to use on the server given to me.

In my design, I proposed that we could process the CSV file once and store only the failed experiments in a map, with the experiment number as the key and the status as 0. This would reduce the size of the data we had to store, making it possible to fit it in the 4 GB of RAM on the server. I also suggested that we could further optimize the system by storing the failed experiments in an array and using binary search to quickly find the results of a given experiment.

The interviewer was impressed with my design and asked me follow-up questions about how I would optimize it further. We discussed different approaches and trade-offs, and I was able to demonstrate my understanding of data structures and algorithms.

After the design round, the interviewer asked me some in-depth questions about object-oriented programming, specifically focusing on polymorphism and encapsulation. I was able to answer these questions and provide examples from my previous experience.

I further progressed to the next round:

HR Round

The final round was an HR round.
I was asked some standard HR Questions,

Standard HR questions for the interviews you should prepare for:

Tell me about yourself.
Why are you interested in this role/company?
What are your strengths/weaknesses?
Can you provide examples of how you have demonstrated certain skills or competencies in past roles?
Why do you want to leave your current job?
How do you handle difficult situations/conflict in the workplace?

Some Answers,
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

In 5 years, I see myself in a leadership role within the company, where I can use my skills and experience to contribute to the success of the organization. I am committed to continuously learning and growing, and I believe that with hard work and dedication, I can achieve my career goals within the company.

If a fight happens in the organization, what will you do?

If a fight happens in the organization, my first priority would be to ensure the safety of all individuals involved. I would then try to calm the situation and diffuse any further conflict by listening to both sides and trying to find a resolution. If necessary, I would involve HR or a manager to help mediate the situation and come up with a solution. Ultimately, my goal would be to prevent any further disruption to the team and work towards creating a positive and productive work environment.

Some tips for you folks:

Practice solving coding challenges on websites like Leetcode or HackerRank
Review the basics of linked list and tree algorithms, as these are common topics in coding interviews
Brush up on your knowledge of database management systems and operating systems, as these topics may be covered in theory questions
Be prepared to write code on a whiteboard or online coding platform
Take your time and think through your solutions carefully
Be prepared to design a system or solve a problem, rather than just applying data structures and algorithms
Think about the trade-offs and constraints of the system you're designing, and consider different ways to optimize it
Be able to explain and defend your problem, and be open to feedback and suggestions from the interviewer
Take your time and think through your answers carefully

Good luck with your interview preparations, and I hope these tips help you succeed!