HSBC interview experience Real time questions & tips from candidates to crack your interview

Junior Trainee Engineer

HSBC
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3 rounds | 10 Coding problems

Interview preparation journey

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Journey
I started coding at 16, driven by curiosity and a love for problem-solving. Over the years, I honed my skills in DSA, AI, and machine learning, taking on challenges like 100 Days of coding and building real-world projects in LLMs and deep learning. Balancing placements, projects, and continuous learning wasn’t easy, but consistency paid off. My internship at DRDO and hands-on AI experience became key talking points in the interview. Cracking HSBC wasn’t just about coding—it was about persistence, smart preparation, and trusting the process. To anyone on this journey: stay consistent, keep building, and believe in yourself. Your breakthrough is coming!
Application story
I was referred for the HSBC role by a family friend. After my profile was shortlisted, I went through the online assessment, which tested my coding skills and CS fundamentals. Next, I had technical interviews, where I was evaluated on DSA, system design, OOPs, and AI-related concepts. The final round was an HR discussion focused on my projects, problem-solving approach, and career aspirations. The journey was smooth, and my preparation through coding platforms, real-world projects, and mock interviews played a key role in cracking it.
Why selected/rejected for the role?
I was selected because I studied everything thoroughly, ensuring that no matter how complex the questions were, I could tackle them with confidence. My deep understanding of concepts, combined with strong communication skills, made me stand out. When you truly understand a subject, your voice, tone, and way of explaining naturally reflect that confidence, which interviewers notice. Out of 15,000 applicants, only 400 were selected, and standing out in such a competitive pool required mastery of concepts, structured problem-solving, and clear articulation of thoughts.
Preparation
Duration: 6 Months
Topics: Data Structures, Algorithms, OOPs, Dynamic Programming, System Design, SQL, Machine Learning
Tip
Tip

Tip 1: Solve at least 200 coding problems, focusing on pattern recognition, and avoid practicing multiple problems from the same pattern.

Tip 2: Build real-world projects to apply concepts practically. It doesn’t matter which field—Web Development or AI—create a project and understand its concepts thoroughly so that you are prepared to answer any questions.

Tip 3: Revise CS fundamentals (OOPs, DBMS, OS, Networking) and practice mock interviews.

Application process
Where: Referral
Eligibility: Above 60% throughout with no active backlogs, (Salary Package: 9 LPA)
Resume Tip
Resume tip

Tip 1: Highlight projects that showcase real-world applications and problem-solving skills.

Tip 2: Keep it concise—focus on relevant skills, internships, and achievements.

Tip 3: Work on your communication skills—they are crucial in MNCs. Clear articulation of your thoughts can set you apart in interviews.

Interview rounds

01
Round
Medium
Online Coding Interview
Duration105 (75 mins for MCQs + 30 mins for coding)
Interview date15 Dec 2024
Coding problem2

The test was conducted in the morning in a well-structured online environment. Paper 1 consisted of 70 MCQs covering CS fundamentals, aptitude, and technical concepts. Candidates who cleared Paper 1 were allowed to attempt Paper 2, which included two coding problems testing problem-solving efficiency. The test had strict proctoring with webcam and microphone monitoring, and switching tabs resulted in disqualification.

1. K-Repeating Substring

Moderate
0/80
Asked in company
HSBC

You are given a string str consisting of lowercase English letters and an integer K.

Your task is to find the length of the longest substring of str in which every character appears at least K times.


Problem approach

Step 1: Used a brute force approach, checking all substrings and counting character frequencies. This was too slow (O(N³)).
Step 2: Optimized using a divide & conquer approach, where I split the string at characters that appear less than k.
Step 3: Further improved using a sliding window approach to solve in O(N) time complexity, making it efficient.

Try solving now

2. The Book Exchange Ceremony

Moderate
0/80
Asked in company
HSBC

In a grand ceremony, 'N' scholars, each holding a unique book, are to exchange their books among themselves.

A valid exchange is a permutation of books where any scholar is part of an exchange cycle of at most length 3. This means a scholar can either:

1) Keep their own book (a cycle of length 1).
2) Swap books with one other scholar (a cycle of length 2).
3) Participate in a three-way exchange (a cycle of length 3).

Your task is to find the total number of distinct, valid book exchange arrangements possible for 'N' scholars. Since the number can be very large, you must return the result modulo 1,000,000,007.


Problem approach

Brute Force: Considered all possible exchanges but had high complexity.
Mathematical Approach: Used combinatorial methods to calculate permutations with constraints.
Efficient DP Solution: Optimized using dynamic programming to count valid swaps efficiently.

Try solving now
02
Round
Hard
Face to Face
Duration150 minutes
Interview date15 Jan 2025
Coding problem2

The interview was conducted in person at the company office.
The environment was formal but interactive, with in-depth technical discussions.
The interviewer asked a mix of conceptual and coding questions, focusing on real-world applications.
Topics included Linux commands, SQL queries, AI/ML concepts, Spring Boot, Web Development, and a deep dive into DSA (especially dictionaries and linked lists).

1. Alphabetical Character Frequency

Easy
0/40
Asked in companies
HSBCAmdocs

You are given a string s. Your task is to calculate the frequency of each character present in the string and print the results.

The output must follow these specific rules:

1) The character counting is case-sensitive (e.g., 'a' and 'A' are considered different characters).
2) Any spaces (' ') in the input string must be ignored.
3) The final frequencies must be printed in alphabetical order of the characters.


Problem approach

Frequency Calculation: Used a dictionary to store character counts.
Extract Unique Counts: Created a set to filter out unique frequency values.
Return Result: Printed unique characters and sorted unique frequency counts.

Try solving now

2. Operating System

Linux Commands: grep, sed, awk, process management, file permissions.

Problem approach

Tip 1: Learn basic Linux commands.
Tip 2: Learn about WSL.

03
Round
Easy
HR Round
Duration15 minutes
Interview date15 Jan 2025
Coding problem6

The HR round was conducted in a relaxed and conversational environment. The interviewer focused on understanding my background, career goals, and expectations. The discussion revolved around personal and professional aspects rather than technical skills.

1. HR question

Tell me about yourself and your family.

Problem approach

Tip: Keep it concise, and highlight your education, key projects, and personal interests.

2. HR question

Are you open to relocation? Do you have any restrictions on where you can work?

Problem approach

Tip: Be clear about your preferences, but show flexibility whenever possible.

3. HR question

What is something not mentioned on your resume that we should know about?

Problem approach

Talk about a unique skill, personal experience, or side project that adds value to your profile.

4. HR question

Where do you see yourself in the next few years?

Problem approach

Tip: Align your career goals with the company’s growth opportunities.

5. HR question

Tell me about a failure you faced and how you handled it.

Problem approach

Tip: Pick a real example, explain the lesson learned, and describe how you improved.

6. HR question

What do you value more – success or learning from failures?

Problem approach

Tip: Balance your answer by emphasizing continuous learning and personal growth.

Here's your problem of the day

Solving this problem will increase your chance to get selected in this company

Skill covered: Programming

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