Recently, I interviewed for the SDE 1 role at Cleartrip (a Flipkart company), and I wanted to share my experience to help others who might go through a similar process.
How I Got the Interview
I applied after seeing an opening on LinkedIn through the Cleartrip careers page. A few days later, I received an email from a recruiter inviting me to attend a machine coding round.
Machine Coding Round
The interview was conducted online and lasted 2 hours. Around 30–35 candidates joined the session.
The interviewer joined on time and explained that the task would be focused on Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) concepts. The preferred language was Java, which was also mentioned in the job description.
Problem Statement
We were asked to design and implement a banking system with multiple features, including:
Account creation
Deposits and withdrawals
Fixed deposits
And a few additional banking-related operations
The interviewer emphasized that the solution should follow a proper Java codebase structure, similar to how production-level applications are built in companies. The focus was not just on making the code work, but also on:
Clean class design
Proper use of OOP principles
Maintainable and readable code structure
He spent around 30 minutes explaining the problem statement with examples and clarifying expectations.
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After that, we were given 1 hour 30 minutes to complete the implementation. A submission link was shared where we had to upload our code in ZIP format.
My Experience
I managed to complete the implementation within the given time and submitted it successfully. I made sure to:
Use proper class separation
Follow OOP principles
Keep the code structured and readable
Later, I received an email from HR asking about my availability for a possible in-person interview, along with the location and date details (in case I got shortlisted).
Final Outcome
Unfortunately, I was not shortlisted for the next round. However, I still consider this a great learning experience.
Even though my implementation was correct, shortlisting often depends on multiple factors such as code quality, design decisions, and the limited number of candidates they can move forward with.
Takeaways
Machine coding rounds test design thinking, not just coding speed
Strong OOP fundamentals and clean structure really matter
Writing code like it’s meant for production makes a big difference
Even if you don’t get selected, every interview adds valuable experience
Overall, it was a well-organized and professional interview process, and I’m glad I got the opportunity to participate.