Soham Yedgaonkar

Preface : *Hi, I’m Soham Yedgaonkar , from PICT (Class of 2026). While I’ve never been deeply into competitive programming and have only participated in 3 LeetCode contests in my whole coding journey , I’ve always thrived in hackathon environments and proudly represent the College as a hackathon prodigy.

Despite facing setbacks during the internship season not securing a single shortlisting or interview. I committed myself to mastering Data Structures and Algorithms, diving into Striver’s DSA Sheet and solving over 500+ questions in Python within just two months.

Phonepe had a history of asking really good CP questions, so I had already lost it in my mind , and started targeting other ML based roles in other upcoming companies . I practised ML algorithms for 2 weeks for ION Group’s Data Science Analyst Position but it was postponed without any further notice , at this point I had no option but to start revising DSA for Phonepe.*

Form Requirement

10 ,12 : 60% + CGPA :7+

Initial Screening

Only People with a good amcat score were allowed for Interview Cutoff 65 Automata(Pro+Fix) , 65 ELQ I had 67 in Automata and 85 in ELQ , So I qualified with a little margin Total 400+ people were allowed for OA

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August 1 2025

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Online Assessment (After PPT):

4 DSA questions Each for 100 marks .

You have n drones placed on specific numbered tiles and you need to place k chargers ,each charger can charge only at a specific Radius r. Goal: Calculate the minimum radius r required to charge all drones.

Example:

Drones: [3,5,9,11] k (number of chargers): 2 Expected Output: 1

Explanation: Chargers placed at [4,10] can charge all drones with a radius of 1.

(Solved 100% using Binary Search on Answers)

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2)There are 3 vendors manufacturing sticks for frame you need 2 pairs for a frame Maximize the sum of areas (height * width) for all the frame ,

Maximize the total area of frames given the following conditions:

Each frame requires two pairs of sticks. There are three vendors manufacturing sticks. Pairs for a single frame must come from different vendors. The area of a frame is calculated as height * width. Example:

Given stick lengths:

Vendor A: [3, 5] Vendor B: [10, 7] Vendor C: [15]

Output: 185

Maximum possible sum = (15 * 10) + (7 * 5) = 185

(I tried it using Greedy Solving with Sorted arrays with 3 pointers at the highest elements Solved 30 % But Later I found it to be a DP problem)

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3)Given two arrays, score and popularity, find the number of index pairs (i, j) such that i < j and score[i] — score[j] >= popularity[i] — popularity[j] + k.

Example:

score =[15,20] popularity =[10,12] k = 3 Output: 1

Explanation: For the pair (0, 1), we have: popularity[j] — popularity[i] + k >= score[j] — score[i] 12–10 + 3 >= 20–15 5 >= 5 (True)

( Optimized brute-force approach (O(n²)) implemented, solving 80% of test cases. Two test cases are still failing, and the reason is still unknown.)

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4)There are N caravans. A caravan goes through a particular series of stops and cycles around that route forever. Suppose caravan 1 has a path 1 2 3 1 2 3 1…… .

Given a start and end, find the minimum number of caravans to go from a start point to end point.

https://leetcode.com/problems/bus-routes/description/ (I knew it was of BFS and started but due to time limit was only able to address 30% test cases)

30 People Got ShortListed and were invited for Interviews

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August 2 2025

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Top 30 people were arranged in an ascending order and were divided in 3 batches

I was in the 3rd batch

Round 1: Data Structures and Algorithms (DSA)

The first round focused on my problem-solving abilities and proficiency in data structures and algorithms.

It had 2 questions

1. Easy — Medium Category You are given a array and a target array and can perform these operation

1- Select a subarray and add 1 to each element

2- Select a subarray and subtract 1 to each element

Return Minimum number of operations required for Converting the array to target

(Though it was easy, I struggled a lot over it ,overthinking about using a monotonic stack. But the interviewer was really interested to help and by their hints I was able to do it in O(n) time and O(1) space) .

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**2) **Medium-Hard Category

Given a m*n matrix containing 0(means an obstacle) 1(meaning an open passage) 2< (Trees numbered from 2 ) You need to cut down all the trees in ascending order . Return minimum number of steps required , Start at (0,0) End Anywhere

Eg

[1,3,2]

[4,0,5] Expected Ans : 9 ( (0,0) to 2 to 3 to 4 to 5)

I was able to solve it in the same adrenaline and confidence from the earlier ques I used multiple BFS (O(mn**2))

After the 1st Tech Round I was pretty discouraged by my performance in solving the 1st Question. I thought they would not like it .But I was told to have lunch and also was told to be present for HM .That was really comforting . Total 14–15 people were able to clear this round

Round 2: Hiring Manager Round

The interview began with the hiring manager asking me to provide an overview of my profile. I started by explaining how my interest in AI developed during my first year, leading me to seek opportunities and eventually work with scientists at CDAC Pune, despite government budget constraints. I then discussed my drone projects at CDAC. Moving into the hackathon phase, we talked about my AIR 1 achievement in the Brainathon 25 project and the subsequent interview with seven scientists and neurosurgeons. I explained how this hackathon win led to securing an AIML intern position at Firmway (Fintech). We also discussed how I would approach solving problems similar to those faced by PhonePe, such as reconciliation and integrating different databases without prior knowledge. We even had a brief debate about the use of AI in Fintech. Next, we discussed my MCP Project at Firmway. Since the hiring manager was not familiar with MCP, I explained its functionalities. He inquired about the depth of my problem-solving approach, and I detailed my use of FastAPI and Fast MCP. He then asked me to draw the internal architecture of both and explain how protocols transmit data over the internet.

Following this, they asked about my learning curve and daily routine, to which I responded candidly. I then took the opportunity to ask them questions about AI at PhonePe and the differences between their Bangalore and Pune offices.

The final question from the hiring manager was, “What do you do outside tech?” I naturally answered, mentioning my two hours at the gym and playfully flexing my biceps. He smiled, and that concluded the interview.

Overall, this was the most satisfying round, perfectly tailored to my experience and background..

After the HM Round Only 7 people were shortlisted for the next round ,out of which 5 were already in the interview Room getting an edge due to their 2nd Batch .

Round 3: Second Data Structures and Algorithms (DSA) Round

The final round was another deep dive into my DSA skills.

It was just 5 mins after my HM round , Both Hard Questions

PacMan and the Stars You are given a string of star * , dot. and P . P represents Pacman who can travel 1 space at either direction in one second and consumes * . Dot represents empty Space . Determine the lowest time to eat all stars . There are at least 1 P and 1 star. Eg *..PP….*P Expected Answer : 4 (as the first star requires 4 )

I was Confused a lot and could not solve it for over 30 mins despite of all the hints given by the Interviewer , All the Confidence gained with the HM was diluted at this point

At last the Interviewer gave me the option to move to the next question which I accepted .

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1. You are given a Directed Weighted Graph and 3 points S1 , S2 , Destination . Find the Subgraph with minimum total weight in which there is a way to reach Destination from S1 as well as the S2 .

Eg

S1=0 S2=4 Destination =3

Expected Output : 10 Explanation Edges :0–1 ,1–2, 4–1

I started thinking of DSU as I want to connect some nodes at a minimum cost. Under the pressure of the first question I was totally confused , I saw Phonepe slowly slipping out my hand .Then I got a Idea of Warshall Foyd Algorithm and a for loop at last to find the minTime Complexity was O(n**3) I was told to optimise it and hinted for using Shortest Path Algo.

I stated we can use Dikstras , but was unaware of its internal algorithm (They smiled and told me that I would have stated it first )then I gave them a BFS alternative to the Shortest Path which they liked . Then I was told to write the Pseudo Code which I did .

Then I was given a choice to start Q/A or to go Back to Que 1 I chose to back and started thinking of it with all fresh mind and confidence . I finished it after some hints .

After the technical round, my interviewers suggested I answer with more confidence in the next placement process. This made me suspect I wouldn’t be hired, but I still held onto hope.

I was the last candidate to leave the hall, as they had already finished with the others. The PhonePe team was about to have an internal meeting to make their selection based on all the rounds, and the results would be out in an hour. All the mistakes I had made in the interviews, along with more optimal solutions that could have led to my success, flooded my mind. I told everyone not to have hope and it was just a good experience.

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The Result was declared 👍

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Got Selected with 4 others

It wasn’t what I expected. My best friend, who was on another call, informed me of the outcome. My family was overjoyed, their eyes filled with pride. What can be better than getting placed at the first Company .

And Yes it all was without CP.

Some Tips:

Be Confident: Communicate everything, even minor details.

Be Specific: Accurately describe your work; do not exaggerate internships.

Discuss Project Constraints: Mention any budget limitations if applicable.

Stay Humble: Avoid trying to outsmart them.

All the Best! 👏