SanDisk

Role: System Design Verification Engineer

College: Not Specified (On-Campus)

Interview Date: September 18, 2024

Interview Type: On-Campus, Full-Time

Result: Not Specified

Difficulty: Medium to Hard

Rounds: 4 rounds (Online Assessment + 3 Interview rounds)

Topics Asked: Logical Reasoning, Quantitative Aptitude, Data Interpretation, Operating Systems, Computer Networks, Electronics, Python Programming, Resume Projects, Data Structures, Algorithms, System Design, Automation Testing, HR questions.

Experience:

The interview process for the System Design Verification Engineer role at SanDisk (Western Digital) began with an online assessment, followed by three rounds of interviews.

Round 1: Online Assessment (OA) (90 minutes): This round was conducted on a proctored online platform. It consisted of several sections:

• Aptitude: Questions on logical reasoning, quantitative aptitude, and data interpretation, including topics like time and work, speed and distance, probability, and number series.
• Computer Science: This section covered fundamentals such as Operating Systems (processes, threads, scheduling algorithms, memory management, deadlock), Computer Networks (OSI model, TCP/IP, subnetting, network layers), and Electronics (basic circuits, transistors, digital logic, flip-flops, microprocessors like 8085, 8086).
• Python Programming: A coding section focused on logic, loops, functions, and string manipulations.

Round 2: Technical Interview 1 (45 minutes): This round delved into the candidate's resume and computer science fundamentals.

• Resume Projects: In-depth discussion of projects, challenges faced, technologies used, and problem-solving approaches, with a particular focus on AI/ML and automation projects.
• Computer Science Fundamentals:
  • Operating Systems: Process scheduling, inter-process communication (IPC), and deadlock prevention.
  • Computer Networks: TCP vs UDP, subnetting, and working of protocols like HTTP and FTP.
  • Python Programming: Basic concepts, writing simple functions, explaining Python's data structures (lists, tuples, dictionaries), and effective use of loops and conditionals.

Round 3: Technical Interview 2 (Duration Not Specified): This round likely focused on more advanced technical topics related to system design and verification, building upon the previous technical discussion. (Specific details were not provided in the source, but inferred from the role and typical interview progression).

Round 4: HR Interview (Duration Not Specified): The HR round assessed personality, career aspirations, and long-term goals. Typical questions included:

• Tell me about yourself.
• Why did you choose SanDisk (Western Digital)?
• What challenges have you faced during your engineering journey, and how did you overcome them?
• How would your skills, particularly in Python, automation testing, and system design, add value to SanDisk?

Key takeaways for preparation included having a solid understanding of resume projects, a strong grasp of core computer science concepts, Python programming, and automation testing. The HR round also emphasizes assessing the candidate's fit with the company culture.