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Rejected

Software Engineer at PhonePe

Difficulty
Process took
1-2 Weeks
Rounds
3
Format
Remote
Applied via
Company Website

How it went

  • Even though I didn’t get the offer, the interview process at PhonePe was a valuable experience. It’s natural to get nervous during interviews, but staying calm is key to performing well.

What they would tell you

  • Even though I didn’t get the offer, the interview process at PhonePe was a valuable experience. It’s natural to get nervous during interviews, but staying calm is key to performing well.

How to prepare

  • Machine coding problem and coding rounds were fine, but the system design round really caught me off guard. I’ve learned to better prepare for high-pressure system design interviews and make sure I’m clear on how I communicate my design.
  • When the interviewer started asking pointed questions, I should have taken a moment to breathe and regroup instead of letting the pressure affect me.

Their background

Right now, I’m part of a small but passionate team at a startup, working as a Software Engineer. My current focus is on backend systems, API design.

Round by round

  1. 1

    Machine Coding60 min

    I applied directly through the PhonePe careers site and got a call from the recruiter after a few days. The recruiter mentioned that I would be sent a machine coding task, and I had one day to complete it. The problem was to design and implement a Battleship game for two players. The goal was to keep playing until one player wins by sinking all the opponent’s ships. Missiles are fired randomly, but the kicker was that no missile should land on the same spot twice.The problem itself was interesting and required some thought, especially when considering the range of missiles (which could destroy in all 8 directions). I implemented the solution and discussed adding two modes, manual fire and automatic fire. Follow-up question where the interviewer asked how to handle missiles with range. It felt like I was on the right track, but the pace of the interview made me a little nervous. Still, I managed to submit the solution on time, which felt like a small victory in itself!

  2. 2

    Coding60 min

    Two DSA problems

    • Maximum Profit in Job Scheduling: I solved this one completely, providing an optimal solution and walking through my approach.
    • Determine if Two Strings are Close: This was a tricky one for me, and I didn’t manage to finish the code in the given time. However, I was able to explain the approach clearly and laid out how I’d tackle the solution. I think the interviewer was satisfied with my approach to both problems, though I wasn’t able to complete the second one.
  3. 3

    System Design60 min

    In the system design round, I was asked to build a service that accepts triggers from other services and sends responses after a delay. The concept was clear, and I was excited to walk through how I’d approach it. I started off pretty strong, but things got bumpy when the interviewer pressed hard on API-level details like request/response formats. I got a bit flustered and felt like I couldn’t fully explain my thoughts without getting cut off. I tried to bring the focus back to the system design itself, but I didn’t get much room to recover. It was tough to maintain flow, and I walked out feeling like I hadn’t presented my best.

What came up

MediumRemote3 4 years

A candidate-reported account, lightly edited. Interview processes change by team and date.

Sources