Interview Experience - Intuit | SDE1 | Entry Level
Summary
Job Role: Software Development Engineer
Number of Rounds: 3
Offer Status: Offer
Location: Bangalore
Candidate Name: Not disclosing due to signed NDA
Interview Process
I applied to Intuit through an off-campus drive by filling out a Google form in September 2021. The entire process consisted of 3 rounds, where the first round was an online assessment followed by two technical interviews.
I received the test link in January 2022. After completing the online round, I was initially kept on a waitlist, but my application was reactivated in March 2022. My first technical interview was scheduled in April 2022, followed by the second technical interview in May 2022.
After the interviews, I received a call from Intuit informing me that I had been selected for the full-time role.
Preparation Guide
Be ready with computer science fundamentals and resume projects.
Be confident with dry running and coding, as you are expected to run every program you write during the interview.
Develop a strong understanding of data structures and algorithms, including their time and space complexities.
Do not make assumptions while solving problems, even if you have solved a similar one before.
Communicate clearly and explain your thought process out loud, regardless of whether your approach is right or wrong. Interviewers often help if you are heading in the right direction but need guidance.
Keep the conversation interactive; maintain engagement with the interviewer.
Always clarify the question if you are unsure and ask for test cases, but avoid unnecessary assumptions.
Stay calm and composed throughout the process.
Interview Rounds
Round 1: Online Round
Duration: 90 minutes
Difficulty Level: Medium
Experience
The online assessment was conducted on the Glider platform. It consisted of 4 coding questions of varying difficulty levels: one easy, two medium, and one hard. I successfully solved three questions completely, while one question had a single failing test case.
The questions tested problem-solving skills across multiple areas, and time management was crucial to ensure all problems were attempted. I received the results for this round within 4–5 days.
Key Learnings
Be prepared for a balanced mix of easy, medium, and hard coding questions.
Focus on accuracy and debugging skills while maintaining speed.
Practice under timed conditions to simulate the real test environment.
Round 2: First Technical Round
Duration: 30 minutes
Difficulty Level: Medium
Experience
This interview was conducted by one interviewer and started with a brief introduction from both sides. The discussion then moved on to computer science fundamentals.
I was asked several theoretical questions:
What is OOPS?
Explain polymorphism and its types with examples.
Explain inheritance and its advantages.
This was followed by questions from operating systems, specifically on deadlocks. We also discussed my resume and one of the projects I had listed, where the interviewer asked a few clarifying questions. This part of the interview lasted around 15 minutes.
The second half of the interview focused on data structures and algorithms. I was given two inputs with their respective outputs and asked to write the code for the given problem, which was similar to the LeetCode problem “Decode String.” I clarified edge cases with the interviewer, explained my recursive approach, and then implemented it. We encountered some bugs, but through dry runs and discussion, I identified and fixed the issue.
Key Learnings
Be prepared for a mix of theoretical and practical questions.
Practice explaining your approach step-by-step.
Debugging collaboratively with the interviewer is an important skill.
Round 3: Second Technical Round
Duration: 60 minutes
Difficulty Level: Medium
Experience
This interview was conducted by two interviewers. After a brief introduction, we directly moved to data structures and algorithms.
The first question was to find a target element in a sorted matrix. I first explained the brute force approach and then presented an optimized approach starting from the top-right corner. I implemented the solution, handled edge cases, and ensured it returned the index of the target element if found.
The second question was to design a data structure that supports insert, delete, and return a random element in O(1) time. I explained an approach using a combination of an unordered map and vector. After implementing this, we shifted focus to computer science fundamentals, where I was asked:
What is indexing?
What are ACID properties?
Explain polymorphism and its types, along with the differences between compile-time and runtime polymorphism.
We concluded with a few questions about one of my resume projects, where I explained my role and the technical implementation in detail.
Key Learnings
Focus on optimizing your solutions and justifying your approach.
Revise computer science fundamentals like databases, OOPS, and operating systems.
Be thorough with your resume and capable of explaining every project in detail.
Final Thoughts
The interview process at Intuit was fair and well-structured. The interviewers were approachable and encouraged clear communication, which made the experience positive.
For candidates preparing for Intuit or similar companies:
Revise fundamentals and practice implementing algorithms with a focus on optimization.
Practice explaining your thought process clearly while solving problems.
Be well-prepared to discuss your resume projects in depth.
Don’t underestimate the importance of debugging collaboratively with the interviewer.
Overall, staying calm, interactive, and well-prepared will significantly increase your chances of success.