Infosys Interview Experience For Digital Specialist Engineer (Off-Campus)

Hello Geeks!

Here’s my journey from applying to being chosen by the esteemed company Infosys through InfyTQ 2022.

Certification Round

Application and Preparation:

In 2021, during my 3rd year, my TPO informed me about the InfyTQ program by Infosys. I decided to apply, and on February 5th, 2022, I took the first step in the Certification Round. This round comprised two parts: MCQs: This section featured 20 multiple-choice questions covering programming basics, fundamental data structures and algorithms (DSA), and database management systems (DBMS). Coding Questions: Two coding questions of varying difficulty levels, from easy to medium. This round lasted for 3 hours.

Python vs. Java:

When applying, I had to make a crucial choice – selecting between Java and Python. At that time, I was deeply into Python and chose it. However, this turned out to be a mistake. Python’s longer runtimes compared to Java often resulted in Time Limit Exceeded (TLE) errors during the exam, especially for those less experienced in CP with Python. So, I recommend Java in this case. However, if you clear this round, in the advantage round that won’t be a problem as you can write the code in your desired programming language.

My Experience:

I don’t remember the questions exactly, but they mainly revolved around arrays and string manipulation. One who has experience in CP will be able to crack this round easily. However, if you don’t have enough experience in CP, you could still clear this round if you have enough knowledge in DSA. I managed to solve about 1.8 coding questions. You need to get 65% to clear this round. The results came after a 15-day wait on the InfyTQ website and I cleared the Certification round.

Advantage Round (HackWithInfy Round 1)

After the Certification Round, I automatically qualified for the Advantage Round, also known as HackWithInfy Round 1, where I could interview for DSE/SP roles. This round was scheduled for March 4, 2022. The Advantage Round presented three coding questions with medium to hard difficulty levels, demanding prior competitive programming (CP) experience. This round lasted for about 3 hours. If you don’t wish to attend this round, you still have a PPI for the Systems Engineer role. So, this is considered an optional round. You would still get the Infosys Certified Software Programmer certification if you cleared the interview.

My Experience:

The 1st question was on the Greedy Algorithm. Here’s an equivalent question. This is not the exact question, but I remember encountering a similar one. The second question was on string manipulation, and the third question was on BFS/DFS. I managed to solve about 1.7 questions in this round. My practice on platforms like HackerRank, LeetCode, and CodeChef paid off. To get a PPI for the SP role, one must solve more than 2 questions completely.

PPI (Pre-Placement Interview) Offer:

After a month of anticipation, I received a message from my TPO. I successfully cleared the Advantage Round and was granted a Pre-Placement Interview (PPI) for the DSE role. I was asked to fill out an application mainly focused on my academic details, skills, projects, interests, and other things. After several days of waiting, I received an email asking me to select a date for the interview. I was assigned to an HR, and my interview was scheduled for May 10, 2022. Here are the questions I was asked in the interview:

• Tell me about yourself.
• Describe my projects and their significance.
• My knowledge of skills and different programming languages, including Java and Python.
• Implementation of arrays in Java in-depth.
• Asked me to share an IDE and told me to write a program to check if a given string is a palindrome or not. Also, he asked me about the implementation of the code which I wrote in-depth.
• Some managerial questions/situation-based questions.
• Some puzzle questions. I encountered the same question on GFG.

The interview was supposed to last for 40 minutes, but the interviewer finished my interview in just 20 minutes.

Final Result:

After a long wait, I received a message from my TPO on July 11, 2022, with the news that I had been selected for the DSE role at Infosys.

However, it’s important to note that the issuance of a Pre-Placement Offer (PPO) depends on interview performance. While initially selected for the SP role, underperforming could lead to a downgrade to DSE/SE, or even rejection without certification. This emphasizes the need for strong interview performance to secure the desired role. For non-IT branch students who managed to secure PPIs for SP/DSE roles, I strongly recommend adding at least one software project to their resumes. Even if you’ve landed these roles without a project, one could leave a negative impression on the interviewer. It’s important to understand that, despite performing well in the interview, not having a software project might disappoint the interviewer. Including a project in your resume not only highlights your practical skills but also shows your dedication to the field. This can make your resume more appealing and enhance your chances of success during the interview process.