#2 Software Developer at D E Shaw & Co
Name: Abhinandan De
Department: Computer Science and Engineering
Company: DE Shaw
Profile: SDE
When did you start your profile oriented preparation?:
15/04/2021
What was your prior experience and level of preparation(in the field) before March?
I used to practice competitive coding right from the end of my 1st year. I registered on various online platforms like Codeforces and Codechef. I achieved a decent rating of 1800+ on Codeforces and 1900+ on Codechef before the internship preparation.
The roadmap that you followed while preparing?
I actively participated in online contests for a year on Codeforces and Codechef before the dedicated internship preparation started in mid-April. I started solving problems from Interviewbit. It contains a proper roadmap is for practicing algorithmic problems. For each topic, there are various subcategories covering the different “kinds” of problems that one may encounter during the coding tests/interview. I tried to solve at least 1–2 problems from each subcategory, and if a particular subcategory seemed challenging, I tried to solve as many problems as possible from that bucket.
An interesting strategy that I followed and helped me was recording myself while solving the problem. I used to explain my approach while coding (as if I was sitting in for an interview) and later listened to myself. This helped me know about the common mistakes I made and how I could improve with the explanations. Apart from this, I also asked some of my friends to take mock interviews, and they provided me with helpful feedback. I also attempted some contests organized by GOC (Grimoire of Code) IIT Kgp, which gave me a flavor of the online coding rounds.
Apart from CP, I had done two major projects: One was a part of my Software Engineering curriculum, and the second one was under a Professor. These team projects provided valuable experience and helped me fill out the “Projects” section in my CV.
About a week before the coding tests started, I looked over some slides from our Software Engineering course about the basics of OOPS in C++. I also revised some SQL and practiced some problems on Hacker Rank. I also watched some of Vivek Gupta’s videos on YouTube, where he attempted some questions from GOC-contests. Coincidentally I also encountered a slight variation of a problem that he solved in one of his videos in my interviews!
Resources relevant to the profile:
Codeforces: https://codeforces.com/
Codechef: https://www.codechef.com/
Interviewbit: https://www.interviewbit.com/courses/programming/
Hackerrank:https://www.hackerrank.com/domains/sql
Algozenith blog containing more resources: https://algozenith.medium.com/internship-and-placement-resources-712eba3a5dee
Vivek Gupta’s channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_xBkUq2z-rbp2mbZal-0cw
Links to any projects :
https://github.com/Abhitipu/FRSS-Software-Lab
What was the selection process of the company?
For DE Shaw, there were two rounds (both technical) after an initial online coding round on HackerRank.
The initial coding round was on HackerRank and comprised of 3 problems, two of which were easy-medium level problems, and the last one was medium-hard. I had solved all three problems. However, many people who scored partial points on the last problem were also shortlisted.
The first round began with a discussion on a few algorithmic questions. I ensured that I adequately communicated with the interviewer and understood the questions correctly before moving to my implementation. This gave me time to understand the question and adequately structure my performance before describing it to the interviewer. Out of the three algorithmic questions, I only had to code one of the problems. The interviewer seemed satisfied with my pseudo-codes for the other two and moved on. In the end, I was asked a question from SQL, to which I just shared(verbally) how I would solve the problem.
Now, there was a technical problem. I was also interviewing for another company — Quantbox, and the interviews were alternate. The second round for Quantbox was scheduled just before DE Shaw’s second round. I communicated this issue to Placecomm and told them that I might be a little late for my next round. However, after my second round for Quantbox was completed, I asked Placecomm to arrange for DE Shaw’s second round. They said that the company isn’t interested in interviewing me any further!
Now, there might be some issues like this. The crucial thing here would be to keep calm and try your best not to panic! I immediately called a Placecomm member and told her that I had given prior information (to which they agreed!) about the possible delay. Apart from this, I also mailed the company stating my concern. Out of the four companies that I had been shortlisted for, DE Shaw was my first preference, and I didn’t want to lose it.
Luckily I got a call from Placecomm, and they had successfully scheduled my second round for DE Shaw! Like the previous round, this also started with a few algorithmic questions, and then the interviewers moved on to some intermediate-level concepts on C++ with a focus on OOPS. Luckily, I could answer all of their questions to the best of my capabilities, and the interviewers also seemed pretty impressed. Later on, they asked me if I had any questions about the company and we conversed for a while before the round ended.
After some time, I got a call from Placecomm saying there would be no HR round, and I was selected!
For details on the exact questions that were asked, refer to: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AX4tFUk-IFOIgm_Y7ewD0INKUEBtA4dvQm2sVIlmLOg/editT