Trilogy

Role: SDE Intern

College: Not Specified

Interview Date: January 2023 (Application), August 2024 (Experience published)

Interview Type: Off-Campus (via CodeAgon hiring challenge)

Result: Not Specified (Likely Selected given the detailed experience)

Difficulty: Hard

Rounds: 3 rounds (plus Online Assessment and CCAT)

Topics Asked: Competitive Programming, Data Structures, Algorithms (Graph, Dijkstra, Tree DP), System Design (High-Level), Projects, Resume Discussion, Computer Science Fundamentals (Framework vs. Library, SQL vs. NoSQL, Auth vs. Authz, WebSockets, TCP/UDP), HR Questions.

Experience:

The candidate applied through CodeAgon, Trilogy Innovations' annual hiring challenge, in January 2023.

First Round – Online Assessment: This was on Interviewbit. There were 6 questions in 3 hours. The candidate solved 4 out of 6 questions (Q1, Q4, Q5, Q6), which were available on a Codeforces blog. A shortlist mail was received after 5 days.

Next Round – CCAT (Cognitive Aptitude Test): This was on the Crossover platform. The requirement was to solve 40 out of 50 questions in 15 minutes. Questions were based on English, Maths, and Reasoning, with English being the most difficult. The candidate received two attempts to clear this round.

R0 – Project and Resume Round: This round focused on project and resume discussion. Fundamental questions based on the resume and projects were asked. Specific questions included: "Difference between framework and Library", "SQL vs NoSQL", "Authentication vs Authorization", "What are WebSockets, TCP, and UDP?" (because they were on the resume). For one project, the interviewer asked "how will you scale this project?" and "why did you choose this framework and DB?".

R1 – DSA Round: This round had two questions. The first question (Q1) was a Tree DP problem. The second question (Q2) was a LeetCode hard-level Graph problem, where Dijkstra's algorithm was used to solve it. The candidate noted that competitive programming skills are crucial for this round.

R2 Interview (60 minutes) – System Design + HR Round: A very senior VP conducted this round. The interviewer reviewed the resume and asked about a project different from the one discussed in R0. An open-ended problem was presented, and the candidate had to propose a technology-based solution. Basic concepts of High-Level System Design (Caching, Load Balancing, Horizontal Scaling, Message Queues) were sufficient; advanced concepts were not required. The interviewer focused on the candidate's approach. Some HR questions were also asked.

Tips: Competitive Programming is necessary. Prepare projects and resume very well. Prepare System Design basics for the R2 Interview. Good communication skills are important.