Ruchit Rungta: Summer Intern at Amazon

Ruchit Rungta, studying in IIT Kanpur as a student in Name Ruchit Rungta Roll No. 210878 Branch Chemical Engineering Programme B. Tech. will do summer internship in Amazon - Software Development profile at Amazon. Here are some brief insights.

Shortlisted Profiles & Companies:

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Insights on the Selection Process

For Amazon, there was one technical test and then one technical interview round. Technical Test Consisted of 2 sections- “Coding Assessment” and “Workstyle Assessment”. Coding Assessment 2 coding problems were asked. They required decent problem-solving and no particular algorithms or data structures (Kind of similar to Codeforces Div.2 A, B, C). Workstyle Assessment based on the Amazon Leadership Principles. Technical Interview There was only 1 interview round. I was asked for my introduction and then 2 coding problems were given. They were standard problems you would encounter when practicing InterviewBit, Leetcode etc. First was a problem on finding a target element in a sorted matrix. Second was based on finding the “boundary sum” in a Binary Tree. For Amazon, binary tree is one of the most frequently asked topics. Additional Advice Interviewers do not expect the most optimal solution from the very start. Also, do not assume the things that we usually assume or encounter when practicing. Ask clarifying questions wherever appropriate before/ while working on the problem. (e.g., clarify which elements should be considered to be boundary elements, unless specified) Ask for what to do if there’s an edge case (e.g., should I print -1 if target element doesn’t exist?). These skills are important as a Software Dev. Keep communicating what you’re thinking with the interviewer, they also help you with hints when you get stuck. One other thing you can work on for the interviews is the code quality. Make separate functions wherever applicable. Name the variables and functions appropriately (row, col instead of i, j when traversing 2D matrix etc.).

Preparation Resources

Practicing and giving contests on Codeforces, Codechef or Atcoder is helpful for enhancing problem solving skills, especially for the technical test/ online assessment rounds. Videos of Striver on YouTube & his SDE sheet for preparing various topics and problems found on Leetcode, InterviewBit. Very helpful for technical interviews.

Advice for students (dos and don’ts)?

Consistency is key. Even when your schedule is busy, fix one 20-minute slot and focus on problem practice in that time. You can always extend the practice time, but working for just a few minutes will help you at least do non-zero practice every day! Spend some time preparing for HR interviews. Research common interview questions and practice your responses. Try speaking in front of a mirror or camera. You might struggle with problems or feel awkward when practicing interview responses at first, but remember, that's what practice is for. Some software companies ask for OOPs Concepts. Learn about Object Oriented Programming and prepare for interview questions based on it. Luck also plays a big role during the intern season. Do not spend time worrying about things beyond your control. Focus on what you can actually do right now. Don’t hesitate to contact your seniors for advice on your roles of interest.