In the first round, candidates for the Providence SDE Intern role were evaluated on their core technical knowledge. The focus was primarily on programming concepts, data structures and algorithms, and problem-solving ability. Questions covered topics such as array manipulation, dynamic programming, and object-oriented programming principles. Additionally, the interviewers assessed familiarity with languages like C++, Java, or Python, and knowledge of basic computer science fundamentals such as operating systems, databases, and networking. Some candidates were also asked to explain past projects or coding challenges they had worked on to gauge hands-on experience.