Acko: SDE-2 Interview Experience

Overview

The candidate participated in an interview process for a Full Stack SDE-2 position (focused on frontend) at Acko's Bangalore office. The evaluation consisted of four onsite rounds designed to assess the candidate's technical proficiency, system design aptitude, and cultural fit.

Interview Rounds

Round 1: Machine Coding (60 minutes)

• Task: Develop a Snake and Ladders game.
• The candidate implemented core game functionalities, including board generation with randomized snake and ladder placements, a dice rolling mechanism, and validation checks to ensure accurate game flow.
• The round evaluated the candidate's ability to rapidly develop and validate key features within a constrained timeframe.

Round 2: System Design (90 minutes)

• Task: Design a Google Sheets-like application.
• The interviewer assessed the candidate's approach to managing large data grids, enabling real-time collaboration, and ensuring scalability.
• The candidate discussed solutions for efficient data storage and retrieval, synchronization mechanisms for real-time editing, and strategies for handling formulas and large cell ranges.
• This round emphasized problem-solving skills with a focus on scalability and user experience considerations.

Round 3: Technical and Behavioral

• This round combined technical and behavioral assessments.
• Project-Based Discussion: The candidate presented their key projects and contributions.
• Scenario-Based Questions: The candidate responded to questions regarding conflict resolution within a team, debugging complex issues, and identifying areas for process or technical enhancements.
• System Design Task: Design a personalized YouTube feed with a ranking algorithm.
• The candidate explored personalization and ranking techniques for feed generation, algorithmic strategies for optimizing user engagement, and challenges related to scalability and content prioritization.

Round 4: HR Interview

• The HR round explored the candidate's motivations, perspectives on Acko, and career aspirations.
• Why Switch: The candidate articulated their reasons for seeking new opportunities.
• Feedback on Interview Process: The candidate provided constructive feedback regarding the interview experience.
• Thoughts on Acko's Vision and OKRs: The discussion encompassed Acko's business objectives and their approach to scaling within the insurtech industry.

Key Takeaways

The interview process at Acko appears to be comprehensive, assessing candidates across technical proficiency, system design capabilities, and alignment with the company's strategic goals. The process seems designed to evaluate both technical depth and the ability to contribute effectively to a growing organization.