SDE Interview Experience at Meesho

Overview

The Meesho interview process for Software Development Engineers (SDEs) is designed to evaluate candidates' technical abilities and practical knowledge. The process assesses a candidate's understanding of JavaScript fundamentals, React framework, and web development principles. This document outlines the structure of the interview rounds and the topics covered.

Interview Rounds

The Meesho SDE interview process consists of three primary rounds:

Round 1: JavaScript (60 Minutes)

This round focuses on assessing the candidate's JavaScript proficiency. Key topics include:

Hoisting: The candidate was required to explain hoisting with examples using var, let, and const.
Object References: The interview included questions related to how object references behave in JavaScript.
```
const a = {};
const b = a;
b.value = 1;
console.log(a, b); // Both a and b reflect the change.
```
Deep Copy Techniques: The candidate discussed methods for creating deep copies of objects, such as JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(obj)) and structuredClone.
Scope: The differences in scope between var, let, and const were explored.
Closures: The candidate demonstrated an understanding of closures and provided practical examples.
Higher-Order Functions: The development of a memoized function using higher-order functions was assessed.
Array Manipulation: The candidate implemented a solution for flattening an array using the reduce method.

Round 2: React + Problem Solving + Practical Knowledge (60 Minutes)

This round combines React-specific questions with problem-solving and practical knowledge.

React setState Batching: The candidate explained the differences in setState batching behavior before and after React v18.
LeetCode Problem — Missing Number: The candidate solved the "Missing Number" LeetCode problem with O(n) time complexity.
Tree to Adjacency List Conversion: The discussion included the process of converting a tree data structure into an adjacency list.
Immutable Updates: The candidate explained how to perform immutable updates for complex values using spread operators and libraries like Immer.
Redux Fundamentals: The interview covered core Redux concepts, including actions, reducers, and store management.

Round 3: Hiring Manager (Project Focus)

This round involves a discussion with the hiring manager, focusing on project experience and web performance optimization.

FCP (First Contentful Paint): The candidate discussed the significance of FCP for user experience.
Next.js Enhancements: The candidate explained how Next.js improves FCP, focusing on Server-Side Rendering (SSR) and getServerSideProps (specifically for Next.js 12).
SSR vs. CSR: The differences between Server-Side Rendering (SSR) and Client-Side Rendering (CSR) were covered, along with their respective use cases.
Project Discussion: The candidate's previous projects were discussed, with an emphasis on the impact of their work.

Key Takeaways