Nomura

Role: Not Specified (Technical)

College: Not Specified (B.Tech and MCA students)

Interview Date: August 23, 2023

Interview Type: On-Campus

Result: Selected (11 students finally selected)

Difficulty: Medium

Rounds: 3 rounds (Online MCQ Test, Interview-1, Interview-2)

Topics Asked: Verbal, Quantitative, Analytical Reasoning, Projects (data flow, problem statement, tech stack, extensions), Python coding, Balancing priorities, Puzzles (Tower of Hanoi, Water Jug problem), OOPS, SQL, Named Algorithms (for other candidates).

Experience:

This interview experience for Nomura was for a placement process with 3 rounds.

Round 1: Online MCQ Test: Approximately 170 B.Tech and 55 MCA students appeared. The test had 60 questions (20 from each section) to be completed in 60 minutes, covering Verbal, Quantitative, and Analytical Reasoning. The problems were similar to competitive exams. 27 B.Tech and 11 MCA students were shortlisted for interviews.

Round 2: Interview-1: The interviewer (VP of the company) asked for the resume and an introduction. Questions were asked about one of the projects, including a rough data flow and the choice of problem statement. The interviewer suggested an extension to the project and asked for views on implementation. The candidate was asked to write any piece of Python code on paper and explain it. A behavioral question about balancing multiple priorities was also asked. Towards the end, two puzzles were given: an easy variation of Tower of Hanoi and a Water Jug problem (3 containers: 10L, 6L, 7L, measure 9L without wastage). The interviewer seemed satisfied with the approach to problems. Other students reported being asked about OOPS, SQL, and named algorithms.

Round 3: Interview-2: This interview had two panelists. After an introduction, the interviewers reviewed the resume carefully, asking detailed questions about each project. One panelist was impressed with a project's unique problem statement. The interview went smoothly, with the candidate answering confidently. The result was that 11 students were finally selected for the program.

Useful Tips: Don't be nervous, keep a smile, maintain good body posture, be thorough with your resume (don't add unfamiliar projects/skills), prepare reasons for problem statements and tech stacks, mention your role in group projects, and try to drive the interview by introducing confident, correlated skills.