I got this job at the right moment.
Literally, perfect timing.
I didn’t realize how lucky I was when I got the offer. But two weeks later? I couldn’t thank the universe enough. That’s when it really hit me.
“Things will happen at the right time — not when you actually want it — just so you value how important it is. The universe has its own way of teaching you life.”
Okay. We can talk philosophy all day. Let’s get into what you’re actually here for — the interview process.
Round 1 — Written Test
Yes. A written test. And honestly? It was more interesting than I expected.
They covered API design, system design, and raw SQL queries — on paper. Writing code with a pen after so long felt oddly exciting. A little nostalgic, even.
You’ll likely see a mix of these:
- General Coding (e.g. Implement Fibonacci Series)
- DSA Questions
- SQL Queries
- API Design
- Database Design
My honest advice: be thorough with your core engineering skills. The fundamentals matter more than you think.
Duration: ~1.5 hours
Round 2 — DSA & Design
More system design, API design, and database design — and less DSA than I expected. They dug deep into the subject with follow-up questions that kept you on your toes.
The best part? They were patient. If you needed to clarify something, they let you. That made the whole thing feel more like a conversation than an interrogation.
Heads up though — this varies. Some interviewers lean heavily on DSA, others on design. It really depends on who you’re talking to and your experience level.
Duration: 1 hour
Round 3 — Architecture Design
This round was less about testing new knowledge and more about going deep on what you’ve already worked with — system architecture, tech stack decisions, system design, scalability.
Essentially: did you actually understand what you built? Did you ask the right whys along the way?
Also, be ready to talk about AI. There was a question on it, and honestly I think that’s becoming standard across most interviews right now.
Duration: 45 minutes
Round 4 — The Most Intense One
This was the most intense round of all — but you know what, I actually enjoyed it.
Heavy problem-solving, system design with edge cases, database design — and follow-up after follow-up to make sure you’d thought of everything.
It wasn’t just “here’s a problem, solve it.”
It was: how do you approach it? How do you implement it without hurting the user experience? How do you keep it scalable?
If you love thinking through hard engineering problems, you’ll actually have fun here. I did.
Duration: 45 minutes
Round 5 — Culture Fit
This one feels more conversational — but it’s still pretty engineering-heavy.
They want to hear you explain the architecture you’ve worked on: what it is, why you used it, and what problem it solved. They’re trying to gauge how well you know the tools and technologies you’ve actually used — not just whether you can name-drop them.
And yes, AI came up again. How much do you understand it? What tools have you used? How proficient are you?
Duration: ~45 minutes
So, that’s the full picture:
1 Written Test → 3 Technical Rounds → 1 Culture Fit Round. 5 rounds total.
And overall? A genuinely great experience. I walked away from each round having actually enjoyed it.
If you’re preparing for something similar — understand the things you’ve worked on deeply, sharpen your core engineering fundamentals, and don’t underestimate how much AI fluency matters right now.
Hope this helps someone out there.
Good luck — and remember, the timing might just be better than you think. 🙂
Got questions or doubts? Feel free to reach out — I’m always happy to help. business@naveenrkcreates.com