Barclays Software Engineer - Java Developer interview questions

A Online Assessment round on Hacker rank, Comprising of 20-25 MCQ Questions and a Few Coding questions. Then a 2:1 Interview round which went for around 1:30 hour. The Interview round contained questions related to Core Java, Spring, Hibernate, Database. Database design, OOP designing of systems.

First Round First there was an online test. It consisted of one coding question and 6 sections including verbal, output questions, aptitude questions etc. Worst thing about test was you cannot navigate back to the question. After that they shortlisted 30 candidates. There were 3 rounds in total out of which first was a group activity. It was a non-elimination round. We were divided into groups of 5 and were asked to build a house of cards. It was fun. But there was a invigilator who was observing each of our activity, how we work in a team etc.Then there was a technical round. My round went on around 60-80 min. Next Round First he asked me in detail about my recent project. He asked which technology I used, what are advantages of this technology, what challenges I faced etc. Here I would suggest you to deeply study whatever you are putting in your resume because you should be able to answer reasonably whatever is given in your resume. Then he asked me to write a program to find greater of 2 dates with all if else loops without any mistake. Then he asked me to give a data structure to store when there are millions of data and we want it to be search efficient. I told hashmap. Then he asked me how hashmap is implemented. Then he asked is there a better data structure to handle duplicates. I first answered BST, but he said BST is mainly used when we want our to be in sorted order which was right. I couldn’t think of any better data structure which I frankly told him. He only answered this question. It’s answer is to use SETS. Then he started asking about OOPS. First he asked what is inheritance. I answered him with an example. Then he asked about interface and why java doesn’t allow multiple inheritance. Then he asked the term for redefining the function. I told him it’s called overloading. Then he asked me what is the difference between overloading and overriding. I answered when we redefine the function in same class it’s called overloading but when we redefine the function in derived class it’s called overriding. He asked what are the constraints on arguments number and datatype in these two cases. In overloading you can redefine the function with different number of arguments and datatype but in overriding you cannot change it. He asked can we have function overloading with different return types.  I said no as it is not allowed in either c++ or java. He asked what is third normal form which is DBMS question. This switch was so sudden. But I answered him and he looked satisfied. This was all from my technical interview. Then he asked me to wait outside. After half an hour they called me for HR interview. HR Interview My HR interview was really good. First he asked me to tell about myself and asked my family background. Then he asked my how did I change myself after coming to college and how did I improve my communication skills. (This question was because I mentioned that I had my education till 10th in marathi medium). He asked me about my hobbies and what is my passion. There are 5 core values of barclays RISES (Respect, Integrity, Service, Intelligence, Stewardship) which they really focus on. So I would suggest you to go through their site before going for the interview. He asked me how would you contribute to integrity. Then he asked me if I have done some leadership roles. He asked me how is my interaction with juniors. Finally he asked if I have any questions. After all interviews were over they announced the result and I was selected. I was really happy. I would suggest everybody that whatever you will tell you should be confident about it. In HR give an example for each of your statement because interviewer seems satisfied if you provide an example showcasing your skills. Before going for the interview go through your resume and be prepared to answer everything you have put in your resume. I would suggest not to put something which you have never worked on or you are not confident about because interviewers are experienced people who can catch such things easily.