PTC Inc. Interview Experience for Software Technical Lead

Round-1 (Technical Paper round)

• The first round comprised of two separate multiple choice questions paper which were to be attempted in person in the PTC office.
• The first paper included basic aptitude, logical reasoning, basic geometry/trigonometry (Math&#x2019s) questions.
• The second paper included a few multiple-choice questions on C/C++/Java programming where candidate had to identify problems in the code or determine if the code would compile with error or give proper result.
• At the end of second paper there were some objective programming questions such as writing Fibonacci or Factorial or Prime number function.

Suggestion: I would suggest doing practice from sites like GeeksforGeeks, Indiabix, etc. as it will give the confidence to solve problems. Also, checkout videos on Youtube to learn interview etiquettes, like how to listen and calmly answer questions etc.

Tip: There is a time limit for attempting the question paper. Hence decide maximum time to be spent on a question and if a question seems tough then skip it and move on.

Round-2 (Technical Interview Round)

• This round was usually conducted by either technical leads or managers.
• It will start with introduction of the candidate, his past academic and work experience, in depth explanation of any code implementation which seemed tricky based on project requirements.
• Since my experience was in CAD (Computer Aided Design) domain with C/C++ being programming language used in my previous companies, I was first asked a few basic C++ questions such as following:
  • Explain OOPS concepts used in C++
  • How does virtual functions work. What is vptr?
  • Can constructor/destructor be private?
  • How does singleton class work
  • Explain function overloading and overriding
  • What is a smart pointer? How can we implement it on our own?
• After this I was asked questions related to CAD such as following:
  • Equations of line, circle, and a few more geometric shapes.
  • Given a point in a 2D coordinate system (XY axis), how would you determine if it lies inside or outside a circle (equation of the circle is given)
  • Front/Top/Isometric views of an object would be given. I was asked to draw the 3D object to which those views belong.
  • I was asked to write classes to test my knowledge of generalization and specialization (inheritance). Classes to represent shapes (generic shape, circle, rectangle etc.).
  • Then I was asked to write few more functions belonging to the above classes such as function to calculate area of shape, perimeter of the shape.
• A few questions based on the projects I have mentioned in my resume. Since I had worked on Routing projects (cabling and piping) I was asked a few concepts of routing such as how do we represent routing parts (elbows, tees, pipes) in CAD software, how would a user import them in their design etc.

Round-3 (Managerial)

If you cleared the technical round, the last round would be with team manager where he would try to determine if you are fit for the team and would stay for a longer period of time with the company. They will ask questions about your accommodation, your commute to office, your future plans with respect to career etc.

Round-4 (HR round)

In this round HR would ask queries regarding your notice period with existing company, your current and expected CTC along with your reason and willingness to move across companies. They will try to negotiate on your expected CTC.

On difficulty level, I would rate this interview as 3 out of 5 for someone with 5-8 years of experience.