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Rejected

SDE Full-Time (FTE) at Zomato

Difficulty
Process took
0-1 Weeks
Rounds
2
Format
Remote
Applied via
Other

How it went

  • I believe the reason for my rejection was that I wasn’t able to provide a accurate solution for all three DSA questions.
  • The interviewer seemed satisfied with my approach and explanations, but they likely wanted perfect solutions to each question.

What they would tell you

  • I believe the reason for my rejection was that I wasn’t able to provide a accurate solution for all three DSA questions.
  • The interviewer seemed satisfied with my approach and explanations, but they likely wanted perfect solutions to each question.

How to prepare

  • Practice Explaining, Don’t just solve problems, practice talking through your logic
  • Mock, Mock, Mock, Do timed mocks with peers or mentors, especially for graph/DP problems.

Their background

I’m currently in my final year in Computer Science at tier-1 NIT.I have spent the past few years into coding challenges, hackathons.

Round by round

  1. 1

    Online Assessment (OA)60 min

    Eligibility: CGPA of 8.0 or above Selection: Out of all the eligible students, 20 students were selected for the next round, including me. The OA included a mix of DSA, Aptitude, and Core Concepts. DSA questions related to Trees, Graphs, and Sorting Algorithms.

  2. 2

    Technical Round - 190 min

    1. Resume-Based Discussion (30 minutes) Most of the discussion revolved around backend technologies as I had highlighted that area in my resume.

    • Database Management: He quizzed me on the differences between SQL vs NoSQL.

    • Backend Concepts: API design, load balancing, and Caching strategies. 2. DSA Questions (30 minutes) The interviewer asked me three DSA questions. Q1: B+ Tree

    • Problem: He asked me to explain B+ Trees, their complexity of insertion, and why B+ Trees are preferred over simple arrays for storing sorted keys. He also asked what happens if we increase the order of nodes (k).

    • I answered the first part well, but when asked about the effects of increasing the order, I clarified my answer with further explanations. Q2: Deleting a Node from BST with Two Children

    • Problem: Modify the standard algorithm for deleting a node with two children in a Binary Search Tree (BST). I explained the solution but was then asked about edge cases. Q3: Graph + Dynamic Programming

    • Problem: This was a Graph-based DP question. It was one of the tougher ones.I got stuck in the middle of solving it, but with the interviewer’s hints, I managed to figure it out. Verdict: Unfortunately, I didn’t make it to the next round.

What came up

MediumRemote0 1 years

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

Sources