Mastercard

Role: Software Engineer

College: Not Specified

Interview Date: 2024-10-18

Interview Type: Full-Time (Oncampus)

Result: Selected

Difficulty: Medium

Rounds: 4 rounds

Topics Asked: Data Structures, Algorithms, OOPs, DBMS, Projects, System Design, Puzzles, API, Behavioral

Experience:

The candidate was selected for a Software Engineer position after completing an online assessment and three interview rounds.

Online Assessment (1 hour)
This round consisted of 2 coding questions.

Technical Round 1 (20-50 min)
The round started with an introduction. A DSA question was asked to check if two strings were anagrams. OOPS concepts were discussed, with a request to explain polymorphism with an example. DBMS questions covered ACID properties. The candidate also explained their project and the reasoning behind the chosen tech stack.

Technical Round 2 (50 min)
The interviewer reviewed the candidate's resume. A system design-like question was posed: "How does a lift work?". This was then simplified to a single user scenario. Next, a puzzle was given: "There are two bulbs inside a room and two switches outside. You can enter the room only once; identify which switch belongs to which bulb." Variations of this puzzle were also explored (e.g., 3 bulbs 1 switch, 3 bulbs 3 switches, 2 bulbs 3 switches). Questions related to projects, databases, and various API operations were also asked. Finally, some HR-like questions from the resume were covered, such as family background, 10th & 12th grades, current college CGPA, positions of responsibility, and hobbies.

HR (10-15 min)
This round began with an introduction, followed by basic HR questions like "Why a finance firm?" and "Why Mastercard?". Compensation and role details were discussed. Further questions included family background and positions of responsibility.