How did I get to know about the opportunity?
It was an off-campus opportunity for the position of Software Engineer for the 2021 batch. The opening was listed on the Elitmus website. I applied directly and a few days later I got a mail from SRIB that I have been shortlisted for the test. After that, there is no role for Elitmus.
My background: I completed my B. Tech from Chandigarh Group of Colleges, Landran (CGC Landran) in 2021 in the CSE branch. After that, I joined Infosys as a specialist programmer and worked on full-stack projects. I use C++ for normal DSA coding and have projects in Android using Java and XML, and full-stack projects using MERN stack. I also used to do competitive programming on CodeChef and have a 4-star rating there.
Round 1: Online Coding Test: First round was an online coding test of 3 hours. There is only 1 question. They call it as “Samsung SWC Advance Test” and believe me the test is pretty hard and very strictly proctored. The test happens using a virtual desktop connection, so the Internet doesn’t work. Plus you are monitored through video conferencing on mobile. So don’t even think of cheating!!
Now after the test there are usually 2 Technical rounds and 1 HR round. But if performed very well in the first technical round, the second round can be skipped and you will directly move to the HR round… This happened to me.
Round 2: Technical interview: You can expect 2 medium-level coding questions, questions from oops and you may also need to implement that, questions from OS, and DBMS and puzzle. The puzzle was very hard.
The interview began with an Introduction and then talked about my projects like what technology I used and why I built that. Then I was asked two coding questions (I don’t remember the questions but they were not hard. I was able to solve them). After that, he asked me about the difference between 2NF and 3NF. Then he asked me a puzzle: “There are 10 bottles each having an unlimited no of balls and all balls look the same. All bottles have balls of 1 gram each except 1 bottle which has balls of 1.1 gram each. You are also given a weighing machine that you can use only once. Find that odd bottle in which balls are of 1.1 gram each.”… This puzzle was the hardest question in the interview but after taking some time I managed to solve it. Then he asked, “do you have any questions?”. I asked about his work experience with SRIB and the kind of projects given to freshers. Later in the evening, I got a call that I am moving further to the HR round directly.
Round 3: HR round: It was a basic HR round and lasted about 15 mins. Questions asked:
- I was asked about d my strength and weakness.
- Why do I want to switch?
- Current package and in-hand salary
- Willing to relocate?
Then she told me that I am selected and about the CTC offered. 2 days later I got the offer letter.
Verdict: I got the offer letter. I rejected the offer as at the same time I also got from Adobe which looked more promising so I accepted that. I Will share Adobe’s process in another post.
Tips from my side:
- the Main thing in the SRIB process is the SWC Advanced Test. If you clear that, there are 80% chances that you will get the offer as the interview is easy as compared to the test.
- During the interview, don’t jump straight to the solution. First, reiterate the question, and ask for edge cases. Tell them about what assumptions you are making.
- Think out loud. Convey your thought process like how you are arriving at the solution. Start with brute force then keep improving the solution further.
- Don’t hesitate to ask for clarifications and hints about the question.