Software Engineer
Interview Date
July 23, 2025
Result
Rejected
Difficulty
Easy to Medium
Rounds
4 rounds
Drive Type
Not Specified
Topics asked
Detailed experience
College: Not Specified
Interview Date: July 23, 2025
Interview Type: Not Specified
Result: Rejected
Difficulty: Easy to Medium
Rounds: 4 rounds
Topics Asked: Data Structures, Algorithms, Operating Systems, Linux, SQL, OOPS, AI, Generative AI, Project Discussion
The IBM recruitment process for this Software Engineer role consisted of four rounds.
Round 1: Coding Test - 1
This was an online coding test conducted on the Hackerrank platform. It comprised 3 coding questions of easy to medium difficulty. The questions were modified versions of classic problems like "Stock Buy Sell" and "Reverse a Linked List." A key tip shared was to avoid plagiarism, as uniqueness and logic held more weight than just solving the problems.
Round 2: Coding Test - 2
After a few days, candidates were notified about this offline drive, where the coding assignment was conducted in a physical center provided by IBM. This round also had 3 coding questions of easy to medium difficulty, similar to "Number Subarrays Sum Exactly Equal K" and "Sort an array of 0s, 1s and 2s."
Round 3: Technical Interview
Candidates who cleared the coding rounds proceeded to the technical interview. This round primarily focused on Operating Systems and the basics of Linux. The interviewer asked SQL queries, specifically "finding the second highest salary" and optimizing the solution. A logical reasoning puzzle, "Find the fastest 3 horses," was also posed. Further questions included the full form of LINUX and basic Linux commands, along with OOPS concepts like inheritance, its types, and important keywords.
Round 4: HR/PDM interview
The final round was an HR/PDM interview. The interviewer started by asking the candidate to explain their most recent project and then delved into questions about the approach taken. Questions also covered the candidate's background and interests, current industry trends, and the difference between AI and generative AI. The interviewer explained different role responsibilities and asked about the candidate's knowledge of IBM and why they wanted to join IBM ISDL. The interview concluded with discussions about location preferences and interested roles. Unfortunately, the candidate was not selected despite a great experience.