Software Developer Interview — IBM (On-Campus)
Location: Bengaluru
Interviewed: September 2025
I attended IBM’s on-campus hiring process for a Software Developer role.
The entire process had four rounds: an online assessment, a technical interview, a managerial interview, and an HR round.
Round 1: Online Assessment
The HackerRank test contained two coding questions based on arrays, hash maps, and linked lists. Time management was important because the questions required optimal solutions. I cleared this round and received the next-round email after about 20 days.
Round 2: Technical Interview
This round focused on core computer science subjects. Questions were asked from OOP (abstraction, inheritance, etc.), database normalization, linked lists, OS scheduling, deadlocks, and basic Docker concepts. I was also asked to explain how to delete a middle node in a doubly linked list. The interviewer mainly checked clarity of explanation and understanding of fundamentals.
Round 3: Managerial Interview
This round included questions about my projects, the architecture I used, challenges I faced, and how I approached debugging issues. There were also simple questions on test-case design and threading. The interviewer evaluated problem-solving ability and communication.
Round 4: HR Discussion
This round covered standard HR questions such as motivation for IBM, strengths, weaknesses, and career goals. It was mostly conversational.
Overall Experience
The process was smooth and well-structured. Interviewers were polite and focused on fundamentals rather than very advanced topics. Preparing OOP, DBMS, OS, Linked Lists, and basic DevOps helped a lot.
Advice for Candidates
Understand core concepts clearly, practice coding, and be ready to explain your project architecture and thought process.
