Dkafka Interview Experience
Overall Experience: This internship interview process at Dkafka was a great learning experience. Despite some initial challenges, I was impressed by the company’s approach and the supportive nature of the interviewers.
Technical Interview (March 8th):
Introductions and Academics: We began with introductions and a discussion of my academic background.
Project Discussion: The interviewer focused on a project from my resume, inquiring about my specific contributions and implementation details.
Data Structures: I was asked about queue and stack data structures, explaining their differences and how to implement a queue using a stack.
Database Management Systems (DBMS) & SQL: We covered basic SQL concepts and definitions. I then wrote queries for joining tables (including self-joins), explaining the expected outputs.
Water Jug Problem: The classic problem of measuring 4 liters of water using jugs of 3L, 5L, and 8L capacity with an unlimited water source was presented.
My solution: Fill the 5L jug, and Let’spour water into the 3L jug until it’s full (leaving 2L in the 5L jug). Empty the 3L jug and transfer the remaining 2L from the 5L jug to 8L. Repeat filling the 5L jug, pouring into the 3L jug (disregarding overflow), and emptying 2L in 5L to 8L jug. Then we will end up with 4L in the 8L jug.
Follow-up question: The interviewer challenged me to solve the problem with only one jug filling (limited water source) and no water waste. (Hint: Think in a circular sequence) - I was able to solve this after a few minutes. < Let’s discuss this in the comments ^_^>
Closing: The interview concluded with an opportunity for me to ask questions.
Task: I was given 2 days to create comprehensive Python test cases for a provided real-world algorithm and accompanying functions. The goal was to identify potential breaking points, edge cases, and areas susceptible to future modifications.
Challenge: Due to limited prior experience with unit testing in Python, I spent the first night learning through accelerated YouTube videos.
Code Walkthrough: The interviewer provided a two-hour walkthrough of the extensive codebase, with the task being to write test cases for half of it.
Initial Misunderstanding: I mistakenly assumed the focus was solely on bug detection, leading to initial confusion and limited test case creation (20 total, primarily edge cases).
Clarification and Improvement: After realizing the broader scope of testing functionality, outcomes, and code coverage, I significantly expanded my test cases by the next day, including functions to generate edge cases.
Second Interview (March 13th):
Explanation and Discussion: I explained my approach to the assignment and the test cases I created. The interviewer clarified that bug detection was just one aspect, with the main focus being overall functionality testing.
Revised Test Cases: With newfound understanding, I wrote additional test cases, successfully covering most functionalities by the end of the next day.
HR Round (March 18rd):
Informal Meeting: This final round involved a casual introduction to other team members, discussing the company culture, team expertise, and individual roles.
Verdict (March 19th): I received the exciting news of being selected for the internship!
Additional Notes:
All interview rounds were conducted via Zoom calls.
The internship will be remote (WFH) at Dkafka, a startup located in Pune.