Uber Interview Experience (For 2020 Summer Intern On-Campus)
3rd year B.E.(Hons.) Computer Science student at BITS Pilani, K. K. Birla Goa Campus.
Interview Experience
Round 1: Coding Round
The coding round was conducted on Hackerrank. There were 3 questions- 1 based on DP, 1 based on graphs (MST) and 1 based on bitmasking. I was able to solve 2 questions partially. The questions were quite challenging and were of a good level.
Round 2: Technical Interview 1
I was asked a single DS & Algo question. The question was fairly straight forward, involving sorting and heaps. I explained the brute force solution first which was O(n²) and then optimized it to an O(nlogn) solution. I went through the possible corner cases and then was asked to write the pseudocode for it.
Round 3: Technical Interview 2
I was asked a question which tested my understanding of strings and string functions. I explained my solution and why it could not be optimized further due to the immutability of strings. The question itself was quite direct and I feel I was tested on my ability to build up the solution logically and how I identified and handled corner cases. I was asked to write the code for this question. I did my best to make the code modular and used relevant and clear identifiers.
Round 4: Technical Interview 3 + HR
This round was a combination of HR and technical questions.
Technical questions:
I was asked to design a voting system. The focus was on the data structures I used. I made use of unordered hash maps and explained the reasons for doing so.
I was asked how I would design the Hackerrank testing platform. This was a challenge for me, but I tried to think logically and build up the solution incrementally.
HR questions:
I was asked questions about why I wanted to work at Uber, how I would deal with conflict with my colleagues (how I had dealt with it in the past), how I would approach a situation in which I disagreed with my manager, etc.
In the all the technical interviews, the interviewers were not focused on whether I got the perfect solution straight off the bat. They gently gave suggestions and observed how I adapted to the new information.
Overall, it was a great interview experience.
My journey with Demux Academy:
The Demux Bootcamp was a wonderful experience and it was definitely helpful in landing this internship. I commend the mentors at Demux for their dedication to helping us students by conducting online sessions at night while still working full-time jobs. That they did this for free speaks to their commitment and kindness. I am very grateful to all the mentors for their support and guidance.
The bootcamp was intense but never overwhelming. Most of us had internship work during the day and attended the sessions at night through video conferencing. The mentors ensured that we received adequate breaks and that we were continuously engaged. The content was logically designed and covered all the important topics. The theory was covered and then we discussed a few questions of varying difficulty.
The most helpful part of the bootcamp for me was the mock interviews. I had two mock interviews, and the tips and feedback given to me after them were really useful for answering questions in the actual interview.
All in all, my experience with Demux was a great one. It kept me motivated through the summer and helped me prepare in a better way. I thank all the mentors for their time, effort, patience and support.
