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

SDE - 1

Kickdrum
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4 rounds | 6 Coding problems

Interview preparation journey

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Journey
During my second year of college, in lockdown, I started learning Data Structures and Algorithms through online platforms such as Coding Ninjas. I dedicated myself to preparing for full-time placements and internship opportunities. I devoted significant time to practicing a wide range of questions to enhance my problem-solving skills. Also, I focused on core computer science subjects like DBMS, OS, and CN.
Application story
In my final year, I got a Kickdrum opportunity on LinkedIn. With a referral, I applied. Received positive feedback, submitted a tailored application, and had an initial phone screening with HR. Followed by interviews, showcasing skills and enthusiasm, culminating in a final interview. Received the offer letter.
Why selected/rejected for the role?
I performed well in interview, I answered almost every question they asked very confidently, and I cleared all rounds and Finally I Got selected.
Preparation
Duration: 12 months
Topics: Data Structure & Algorithms, OOPS, Computer Network, DBMS, Operating System, Design Patterns,Solid Principles
Tip
Tip

Tip 1: Prepare a good resume that should be ATS friendly. This is the first step to getting a chance for an interview.  
Tip 2: Prepare all technical fundamental core subjects and do lots of problem-solving (15-20 questions from each topic). Also, 2-3 projects in your resume are a must.  
Tip 3: Try to set up mock interviews with seniors or with your friends before an interview.  
Tip 4: Prepare solid principles, design patterns, and high-level system design.

Application process
Where: Referral
Eligibility: 60% throughout Academics with no breaks/Year down
Resume Tip
Resume tip

Tip 1: Add at least 2-3 projects and try to give links to your projects where you deployed them or stored the codebase. 

Tip 2: Do not write false things; you will get caught during interviews.

Interview rounds

01
Round
Medium
Online Coding Interview
Duration60 minutes
Interview date12 Jun 2022
Coding problem2

This round was online on HackerRank for 1 hour, where I got 20 MCQ-based questions on CS core subjects like Computer Network, Operating System, OOPS, C++, Java, and one coding question based on DSA problem-solving.

1. Cycle Detection In Undirected Graph

Moderate
0/80
Asked in companies
AmazonAdobeSamsung

You have been given an undirected graph with 'N' vertices and 'M' edges. The vertices are labelled from 1 to 'N'.

Your task is to find if the graph contains a cycle or not.

A path that starts from a given vertex and ends at the same vertex traversing the edges only once is called a cycle.

Example :

In the below graph, there exists a cycle between vertex 1, 2 and 3. 

Example

Note:

1. There are no parallel edges between two vertices.

2. There are no self-loops(an edge connecting the vertex to itself) in the graph.

3. The graph can be disconnected.

For Example :

Input: N = 3 , Edges =  [[1, 2], [2, 3], [1, 3]].
Output: Yes

Explanation : There are a total of 3 vertices in the graph. There is an edge between vertex 1 and 2, vertex 2 and 3 and vertex 1 and 3. So, there exists a cycle in the graph. 
Problem approach

I solved this question using the standard graph DFS algorithm, wherein I maintain parent and child node relationships and determine whether a cycle in the graph is present.

Try solving now

2. Non-Decreasing Array

Moderate
35m average time
65% success
0/80
Asked in companies
BNY MellonDell TechnologiesCiti Bank

You have been given an integer array/list 'ARR' of size 'N'. Write a solution to check if it could become non-decreasing by modifying at most 1 element.

We define an array as non-decreasing, if ARR[i] <= ARR[i + 1] holds for every i (0-based) such that (0 <= i <= N - 2).

Try solving now
02
Round
Medium
Video Call
Duration60 minutes
Interview date13 Jun 2022
Coding problem2

This round was of 60 minute and there was one interviewer, he asked me to share my screen and turn-on video.

1. House Robber

Moderate
26m average time
0/80
Asked in companies
SamsungAmazonQuikr

A thief wants to loot houses. He knows the amount of money in each house. He cannot loot two consecutive houses. Find the maximum amount of money he can loot.

Problem approach

1 First I told him a brute Force approach using Recursion.
2 Then I told him optimized approach using Dynamic Programming.

Try solving now

2. Two Sum

Easy
10m average time
90% success
0/40
Asked in companies
Chegg Inc.FacebookAmazon

You are given an array of integers 'ARR' of length 'N' and an integer Target. Your task is to return all pairs of elements such that they add up to Target.

Note:

We cannot use the element at a given index twice.

Follow Up:

Try to do this problem in O(N) time complexity. 
Problem approach

1 First I told him Brute Force O(N^2) approach by using two loop any figure out pair.
2 Then told him optimized approach using HashMap O(N) time complexity solution.

Try solving now
03
Round
Medium
Video Call
Duration60 minutes
Interview date15 Jun 2022
Coding problem1

This round was based on system design. In this round, first I had an introduction, then he gave me one problem statement to design a key-value store.

1. TIme-Based Key Value Store

Moderate
15m average time
85% success
0/80
Asked in company
Flipkart limited

You are given a stream of tuples which constitute three things ‘Key’, ‘Val’, and the ‘Timestamp’.

Your task is to implement the ‘TimeBased’ class having the two functions:

1) The first function is ‘setKey(string Key, string Val, int Timestamp)’, which stores the ‘Key’ and the ‘Val’ along with the ‘Timestamp’.

2) The second function is ‘getValue(string TargetKey, int TargetTimestamp)’, which returns the value of ‘Val’ associated with the ‘TargetKey’ such that its ‘Timestamp’ value is less than or equal to the ‘TargetTimestamp’. If there are multiple values of ‘Val’, return the value of ‘Val’ with the highest value of ‘Timestamp’ among the valid ones. If there is no valid value of ‘Val’ return “-1” as a string.

‘Timestamps’ will always be in strictly increasing order.

Problem approach

Tip 1: First, I discussed all functional and non-functional requirements.
Tip 2: Then I had a discussion on back-of-the-envelope calculations.
Tip 3: After that, I discussed the high-level design diagram.
Also, I discussed database, caching, API gateway, load-balancer, and CDN.
Tip 4: I also discussed the APIs we will use and their design.

Try solving now
04
Round
Easy
HR Round
Duration30 minutes
Interview date17 Jun 2022
Coding problem1

This Round was the last round scheduled on zoom with HR .

1. Basic HR Questions

1. Tell me about yourself. 
2. Why do you want to work for Kickdrum?
3. Will you be able to work on weekends?
4. She gave me one English Paragraph and given me 5 min times to read it and asked some question from it.

Problem approach

1. I introduced myself very confidently.
2. I answered why I want to work with them , I told their culture ,projects, tech stack, flexibility of working attracts me .
Tip1 : Be very Confident in HR Round

Here's your problem of the day

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

Skill covered: Programming

What is recursion?

Choose another skill to practice
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