← Interview experiences
Got the offer

Software Development Engineer at PhonePe

Difficulty
Process took
0-1 Weeks
Rounds
4
Format
On site
Applied via
Other

How it went

  • Start early and be consistent with preparation.
  • Focus on understanding concepts, not just solutions.
  • Prioritize quality over quantity in problem-solving.
  • Revise mistakes regularly.
  • Build strong, meaningful projects.
  • Document and explain your projects clearly.
  • Research company-specific interview patterns.
  • Stay calm and think aloud during interviews.
  • Practice clear communication of your thought process.
  • Maintain good health and sleep before interviews.

What they would tell you

  • Start early and be consistent with preparation.
  • Focus on understanding concepts, not just solutions.
  • Prioritize quality over quantity in problem-solving.
  • Revise mistakes regularly.
  • Build strong, meaningful projects.
  • Document and explain your projects clearly.
  • Research company-specific interview patterns.
  • Stay calm and think aloud during interviews.
  • Practice clear communication of your thought process.
  • Maintain good health and sleep before interviews.

How to prepare

  • Practice DSA medium-hard level problems and be crystal clear in time and space complexity.
  • Focus on solving problems efficiently and be prepared to discuss edge cases and optimizations.
  • Be able to clearly explain your projects, including the architecture, individual modules, and how each module was tested.
  • Prepare a strong and concise self-introduction that highlights your strengths and key experiences.
  • Practice follow-up questions and variations for each coding problem you solve.
  • Work on your communication skills, interviewers value clarity and confidence during explanations.
  • Do mock interviews to simulate real interview conditions and get feedback.
  • Be prepared for project deep-dives in managerial rounds, especially around design decisions and testing approaches.

Their background

I'm a final year student

Round by round

  1. 1

    Online coding round90 min

    The online coding round was conducted on the DoSelect platform with a duration of 1 hour and 30 minutes. Each candidate was assigned two out of the following three DSA problems: Gas Station, Car Fleet, and Escape the Spreading Fire. In my case, I was given the first two problems, Gas Station and Car Fleet. Additionally, there was a common question for all candidates - Largest Subtree Sum for Each Vertex of a Given N-ary Tree.

  2. 2

    Tecnhical Round 160 min

    The first technical interview began with a brief introduction from the interviewer, followed by my self-introduction. The interviewer quickly transitioned into the problem-solving segment and asked questions similar to the following DSA problems:

    • Permutation in String,
    • Number of Subsequences That Satisfy the Given Sum Condition
    • Maximal Rectangle After completing the coding segment, the interviewer shifted focus to the projects listed in my resume. He asked me to explain each project, describe how it works, and walk him through the overall workflow and technical implementation details.
  3. 3

    Technical round 260 min

    The second technical interview was conducted by a panel of two members, who directly asked me to begin with my self-introduction. This was followed by a problem-solving round where I was asked to solve DSA problems:

    • Minimum Falling Path Sum
    • Escape the Spreading Fire A follow-up discussion on Escape the Spreading Fire focused on handling edge cases and optimizing the solution. After the coding segment, the panel asked detailed questions about my projects, covering both theoretical concepts and implementation-related aspects.
  4. 4

    Managerial Round90 min

    The fourth round was the Managerial Round, which began with the interviewer giving a brief introduction about himself. He then asked me to introduce myself. Without much delay, the interviewer transitioned into a problem-solving segment by posing a question similar to Valid Parentheses, followed by a series of in-depth follow-up questions that tested my understanding of edge cases, time and space complexity, and alternative approaches. Once the coding part was completed, the discussion shifted to the projects listed in my resume. He asked for a detailed explanation of each module in my projects, focusing on their functionality, how I structured and implemented them, and how I approached testing each module to ensure correctness and reliability.

What came up

Medium HardOn site0 1 years

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

Sources