Experience: 3.8 YOE
Current Job: SWE2 at a PBC (FinTech sector)
Tech Stack: Java / Spring Boot Backend
College: NIT Rkl (2022)
Location: Hyderabad
Notice Period: 60 days

Got contacted by Kotak recuiter from Naukri profile on 11th March 2026.
Location: Hyderabad
Kotak mode of work: 5 days WFO, 90 days notice period

Round-0

Interview Type: Bar Raiser / Third-party agency interviewer (not from Kotak)
Interview Date: 14th March 2026 (Sat), Time: 8pm - 9:30pm (1.5 hours)

1. First 20 mins
   https://leetcode.com/problems/roman-to-integer/description/

2. Second 20 mins
   https://leetcode.com/problems/remove-duplicates-from-sorted-array/description/
   For both of these DSA problems, I was asked to write fully executable code for given sample input (without given a driver class) and run the code.

3. Third section 20 mins
   (Only straight forward conceptual questions)
   i. Where does a "distributed lock" work and when should you avoid using one?
   ii. How does "leader election" work in practice and what problem does it solve?
   iii. What is the "outbox Pattern" and how does it ensure reliable event publishing?
   iv. What is "backpressure" in a distributed system and how do we implement it end-to-end?
   v. How do we maintain consistency in case of a network partition between two services in a distributed system?

4. Fourth section 30 mins - LLD
   Design a Parcel Delivery System supporting features such as:
   User registration
   Shipment creation
   Shipment lifecycle management
   Shipment tracking
   Delivery partner assignment
   Weight + distance based package pricing, etc.
   The interviewer asked to cover:
   i. Database Schema
   ii. Class Structure
   iii. APIs and Service Design
   iv. Make use of appropriate design patterns (Strategy, Observer, etc.)

Overall Result: Rejected (no callback)