Flipkart Grid

I took part in Flipkart GRiD 8.0 under the SDE AI Track through my college. The selection process had multiple stages, and I was able to make it through the initial screening and both technical evaluations. Unfortunately, I couldn't make it to the final PPI opportunity. The first stage was a profile shortlisting round. There wasn't any coding involved at this point. Applications were reviewed and shortlisted based on the candidate profile, after which I received the opportunity to participate in the technical stages. The next stage had a rather mixed technical format. I was asked two DSA problems, followed by a question involving DataFrames and another one based on SQL. The DSA portion required me to think about the optimal approach and explain the expected complexity before implementation. The DataFrame question was more practical and focused on manipulating structured data, while the SQL question tested my ability to construct queries based on the given requirements. I managed to clear this stage and progressed to the third round. The third round had a noticeably different flavour. There were no SQL questions this time. The round consisted of two DSA problems, followed by a lengthy custom data-structure problem. The first two problems were manageable, and I was able to work through their approaches and discuss the complexity. The final problem, however, was the real time sink. It involved creating a custom data structure and supporting several CRUD-style operations. It wasn't a short standalone DSA question where I could simply apply a known pattern. I had to decide how the underlying information should be maintained and then make sure that all the operations worked correctly together. The implementation became increasingly lengthy. I managed to build a portion of the required functionality and had the overall design in place, but I couldn't finish all the operations within the given time. By the time I got close to completing it, there wasn't enough time left to properly test and debug the entire implementation. After completing the third round, I was waiting for the next update. Candidates who successfully cleared the process could get a PPI (Pre-Placement Interview) opportunity, so I was hoping that making it through all the technical stages would lead to that next step. However, I didn't receive a recruiter call for the PPI. Hence, my process ended without a PPI opportunity. The complete journey was: Profile Shortlisting → 2 DSA + DataFrame + SQL → 2 DSA + Custom Data Structure/CRUD → No PPI Call What stood out to me about GRiD 8.0 was the variety of topics. The process wasn't restricted to conventional DSA questions; the DataFrame and SQL components tested more practical skills, while the final custom data-structure problem required considerably more implementation and design thinking. The biggest learning from the experience was the importance of managing time on lengthy implementation problems. I was able to understand the final problem and make substantial progress, but completing a large custom data structure within a fixed interview window was difficult. Overall, reaching the later stages was a valuable experience, even though I ultimately didn't receive the PPI opportunity.