HSBC Interview Experience for Trainee Software Engineer

Online Assessment :

• MCQs related to analytical reasoning, verbal ability, DBMS, and Java pseudocodes. Only if you pass the MCQ test, the coding test opens up within a few minutes.
• The coding test had two questions – Recursion and DP (slightly tougher than what my friends got). 30 minutes.

Situational Judgement Test :

• I was given 30 questions. Had to pick scenarios that I would more likely prefer over others.
• VERY EASY
• Elimination Round

Technical Interview:

• Pool drive, scheduled in a college in Indore.
• Interviews started immediately after the pre-placement talk. 15 technical panelists were present, one interviewing per head.
• After waiting for almost the call for the day, I got interviewed. My interviewer neither asked my name nor was he interested in where I’m from and what I know. 
• After taking a quick look at my résumé he asked me, “YOU DON’T KNOW PYTHON? WHY DON’T YOU KNOW PYTHON?”. I answered, “I know C and C++. I have done competitive programming using C++. Python would be a cakewalk for me and I can learn it in under a week.” After which he wrote p-y-t-h-o-n on a paper and then crossed it.
• Then he asked me if I know Linux (not in the résumé) and I said, “I worked on it briefly when it was in the curriculum.”. He wrote l-i-n-u-x on the paper and then crossed it.
• Then he asked me if I had any questions for him. Following it, I persuaded him into asking me things mentioned in the résumé – Data Structures and Algorithms, PHP, MySQL, Project, Database Management Systems, Object Oriented Programming Methodology. He drew a webpage on the paper and asked me to code it. I created a database, set up its connection with the server, created a table, pushed user inputs into the table, and fetched the data. I used HTML form, MySQL queries, and PHP to do the same. Took me an A4 leaf and around 4-5 minutes.
• I was, after a few minutes, told that I had not been selected.
  

Things Worth Mentioning:

• My interview lasted 10-12 minutes but for people interviewing before 3:00 pm, it lasted more than 30.
• No similar criteria on the grounds of judging.
• People interviewed before me were asked questions like sorting an array, finding the maximum element from an array, and reversal of a string.
• The interviewer was using his phone throughout the interview and also answered a call or two.
• Misspent time and money.
• The interviewer didn’t ask questions on DSA for the profile of Trainee Software Engineer.