Initial HackerRank Test
Questions: The test comprised two coding questions, both of which were of easy-medium difficulty (comparable to LeetCode). Unfortunately, I do not recall the exact questions but completed the test successfully.
Candidate's Approach
No approach provided.
Interviewer's Feedback
No feedback provided.
Round 1: Technical Phone Screen (1 hour)
Questions:
- Problem 1: Find cycle in a circular array.
- Problem 2: Find the median of two sorted arrays.
- Additional Questions:
- Core Java concepts.
- One Spring Boot-related question.
Candidate's Approach
I began with a brute-force solution for both problems and then optimized my approach. The interviewer appreciated the clarity of my explanations and logical progression.
Interviewer's Feedback
No feedback provided.
Super Day: 2 Rounds
Round 1: Data Structures and Algorithms (1 hour)
Questions:
- Koko Eating Bananas: Solved and tested successfully within the allotted time.
- String Compression Problem:
- Given a string, replace the largest repeated substring at every point with an asterisk (*). The goal is to obtain a minimal-length string after compression.
- Example 1:
- Input:
s = "abcabcd" - Output:
"abc*d"(Reason: Replace the second instance of "abc" with*.)
- Input:
- Example 2:
- Input:
s = "aabbaabb" - Output:
"a*bb*"(Reason: Replace repeated "a" at index 1 and "aabb" at the second instance.)
- Input:
Candidate's Approach
I explained my approach and dry-ran it with multiple examples. However, the interviewer kept questioning edge cases and scenarios. Despite my explanation, I couldn’t implement the code due to time constraints.
Interviewer's Feedback
No feedback provided.
Round 2: Technical (Scheduled, but interviewer didn’t join)
Questions: No questions were asked as the interviewer did not join.
Candidate's Approach
No approach provided.
Interviewer's Feedback
No feedback provided.
Thoughts and Reflections
- Interview Structure: The interview process was rigorous, with an emphasis on problem-solving skills, clarity of thought, and handling edge cases. The focus on explaining logic before coding was evident.
- Feedback: While I successfully solved most problems, the inability to implement the second problem during the Super Day’s first round likely contributed to the rejection.
- Culture: The process felt professional and well-organized, though the lack of feedback on the exact reasons for rejection left some ambiguity.