I applied to HackerRank in late November 2025 and received the online assessment (OA) link shortly after. The assessment consisted of two medium level DSA questions and one project based question. I don’t remember the exact questions now, but for the last two questions, we were allowed to use an AI assistant with certain limitations.

Days passed, and I didn’t receive any update or rejection email. By mid December, I decided to take a chance. Late one night, I emailed Hari, the CTO, sharing my resume and briefly explaining my background and experience. I received a reply from him very next morning, saying that he was impressed with my profile.

Soon after that, I received a call from HackerRank, and two technical interviews were scheduled on the same day. The first interview was in the morning with Hari (CTO), followed by the second interview in the afternoon with Ankur, the Director of Engineering.

Both interviews felt less like traditional interviews and more like genuine conversations. We talked about my past experience with open source, my work in programs like GSoC and LFX, and the projects I had built over time. There were no trick questions or intense problem solving rounds just discussions around real world engineering experience and learning.

By the end of the day, I felt good about the conversations but still tried to keep my expectations in check. Later that evening, I received the offer letter.

I have joined HackerRank as an SDE Intern for a 6-month on-site internship at their Bangalore office. I will be part of the Screen team.

Thanks to HackerRank for the maxed-out MacBook Pro M5 and the amazing swag and goodies! 😆