### Note that the interview was for SDE intern role when I was in my 3rd year. # Technical Test: 1. There were some aptitude questions and basic CS questions 2. There were coding questions. Everyone had got different questions. ### My questions were - • Add a node to end of the linked list. • Print fibonacci sequence. ( the question was more complicated and they had given it in terms of binary tree). ## 4 students were shortlisted for the interview round # Technical Interview round - He started to ask OS questions (about threads). I said I do not know since the course is not completed. - He asked questions about C. what are static variables? Where are they stored? Where are global variables stored? # Manegarial interview round - discussed about the projects on my resume. - Asked to design a cache.

I had been practicing DSA on LeetCode for around two years, solving the Striver SDE Sheet twice to strengthen my problem-solving skills. Along the way, I explored multiple programming languages — Python, Java, C/C++, Solidity — and worked with technologies like MERN stack, blockchain, machine learning, and deep learning. In the last 6 months, I also started learning system design fundamentals, which helped me approach Visa’s technical rounds with confidence. This broad preparation allowed me to adapt quickly during their challenging selection process. ### Recruitment Process Overview Visa’s selection process had four rounds: 1. **Online Assessment (DSA)** 2. **Technical Interview 1** 3. **Technical Interview 2 (System Design)** 4. **Team Lead Round** The rounds tested my problem-solving, technical knowledge, system design understanding, and communication skills. ### Round 1 – Online Assessment (DSA) This round had **four DSA questions**, testing algorithmic and coding abilities. After this round, 8 students were selected for the next stage. ### Round 2 – Technical Interview 1 This round started with a self-introduction followed by a **20-minute discussion on my projects**: * Describing my projects and selecting the best one * Challenges faced and improvements possible * **SQL and DSA questions** * Discussion about my **LeetCode rating (~1887)** and algorithms The interviewer asked about choosing the right algorithm, evaluating pre-existing code, and managing code quality. Despite initial nervousness, I received confirmation to move to the next round (6 students selected). ### Round 3 – Technical Interview 2 (System Design) This round focused on **scalability and system design**. The discussion included: * Choosing a project example from my resume * Designing a high-level architecture (HLD) * Components like **load balancer, cache, API gateway, database, microservices, rate limiter** * Ensuring **high availability, low latency, and scalability** My preparation in system design basics helped me confidently discuss design decisions, and the interviewer complimented my strong fundamentals. After this round, 5 students advanced. ### Round 4 – Team Lead Round This was a **communication-focused round**. Clear articulation and asking relevant questions based on previous rounds helped me stand out. The discussion went smoothly, and the interviewer was impressed with my insights and preparation. ### Key Takeaways * **Consistency pays off:** Years of DSA practice and project work laid the foundation. * **System design knowledge matters:** Early preparation made technical 2 round easier. * **Communication & curiosity:** Clear explanations and asking the right questions made a difference in the final round. * **Luck helps:** Being able to tie answers from previous rounds added value. ### Outcome One day later, I received the **offer from Visa at 35 LPA** — a dream come true!

## I am sharing my interview experience with ICICI from last year -2025. I applied it through my campus placement drive as a fresher. ### ICICI came to IIT Delhi's placement season 2024–2025. It was listed as an ICICI Manager I. Manager I is a grade. It was open for all departments with no minimum CGPA criteria. # My profile at that time: I had an intern at a startup where I had built a recommendation model. I had been grinding LeetCode and Codeforces along with machine learning. I had successfully completed Andrew Ng's specialization course on ML and deep learning and practiced on Kaggle. # Online Assessment — 60 minutes At first we have CV shortlisting, where I got shortlisted. After that, I have to give an online assessment that contains only MCQ questions related to OOPs, DSA, Cpp, Java, and Python, which I successfully cleared. After that, I got a call from the placement cell that I have to give a personality test called personality profiler, where they asked me about how I will behave or react under some given conditions. Update 1—The interview shortlist comes on 30th November around 5 pm. Update 2—The interview was scheduled on the morning of 3rd December # Interview: It was 9 in the morning; the atmosphere was quite foggy and cold, and I was quite nervous. The interview is going to be the only one round with both technical and HR at the same time. ## They called me for Interview First question: “Tell about yourself.” I had prepared for this question and told about my name, my hometown, and my specializations along with my hobbies. Second question: “Explain any one of your projects.” I know this question will pop up, and I had prepared for this question by preparing my best project in depth. But as ICICI is a bank, I thought I should explain my project, which is relevant to the bank in any way. So instead of explaining about the project ‘AI Interviewer,’ I choose stock analysis by AI agent. I had been asked some cross questions regarding my project, which I answered successfully. Third Question: “Can you optimize the time taken to train ANN?” As there are many ways to optimize artificial neural networks. It starts with the hardware side, like using more powerful GPUs. Then I explained we can drop neurons in order to train the model faster. Then he asked me about some mathematical approaches, so I recalled Adam optimization, and I explained it in detail by drawing some formulas and images. Fourth question: “Forward and Back Propagation.” I started with forward propagation by considering a 2-layer neural network and similarly derived back propagation from it, which he seems satisfied with. ## Update 3 — Now my technical round is over and its for HR round 5. She asked me about why ICICI, my background, my future goals, and general HR questions, which I prepared before the interview and answered optimally, at least according to me. Update 4: I got a call from POC that they were willing to offer me, which I gladly accepted. I felt a surge of excitement and joy. Update 5: HR called me and congratulated me, after which we had a professional handshake and goodbye. 3rd December 2024 will be a special day for me as I get my first job. It was my first and last interview at IIT Delhi. Thanks for reading.