Mistral Solutions Interview Questions
& Process

It was an on-campus interview held at Geethanjali College of Engineering and Technology. First, there was an aptitude round, and only a few people made it to the subsequent stages. Then, two technical rounds followed. The HR asked basic C questions and beginner-level algorithms, like reversing a string, and core CS questions, such as TCP protocols. The HRs were quite friendly and helped me when I was struggling. After that, there were two more HR rounds where they asked personal questions like my location. Finally, there was a group discussion (GD) round where we were given a topic.

The interview process kicked off with Round 1, covering Aptitude and Technical Basics. This included an Aptitude section, a Software section for CSE/ISE/AIML students with C language basics and predict-the-output coding questions, and an optional Hardware section for CSE/ISE/AIML. Next, Round 2 was a Coding Round using C, C++, or Python, featuring 6 questions: 3 full programs to write and 3 predict-the-output questions, focusing on basic algorithms, string manipulation, and simple math logic. Round 3 was a Technical Interview focusing on C Programming, with questions on pointers, structures, unions, file handling, strings, and arrays. Round 4, another Technical Interview, delved into projects, asking about project explanations, tech stack choices, and challenges. Finally, Round 5 was an HR Interview, covering personal questions like strengths/weaknesses and future aspirations, company-related questions, and logistical aspects like relocation flexibility and hobbies.

The interview began with Round 1, an aptitude and technical MCQ round. It had 10 aptitude questions for 15 minutes and 16 domain-specific questions (software or hardware preference) for 45 minutes. Aptitude covered Time and Work, Number Series, Time Speed and Distance. Software MCQs included C Programming, Pointers, Functions, Recursion, and output-based questions. Notably, four software questions had negative marking. This round also included two coding questions: Max number of 1s in a matrix and merging two linked lists. Other technical topics like Shift Operators, Bitwise Operations, Flowcharts, Malloc, and Hexadecimal problems were also discussed. Round 2 involved 6 questions: 3 output-based and 3 coding problems, where candidates could use C, C++, Java, or Python. The coding problems were about counting consecutive words with specific letters and checking number equality without operators. Round 3 was a written coding round where candidates wrote code on paper for two problems: password validation (uppercase, special char, digit, no consecutive repeats) and counting words with 'e' and 'd'. Round 4 required solving coding problems in C, with internet access allowed. Problems included counting file types and folder structures, finding lines in files, and counting functions/methods. Round 5 was a technical interview focusing on Java OOPs concepts, with four paper-based coding problems: substring check, Bubble Sort, 2D array sort, and string reversal via recursion. Finally, Round 5 was an HR interview asking general questions.

So first round was aptitude and technical MCQs, it had 10 aptitude questions for 15 mins and 16 domain specific questions for 45 mins, you could choose software or hardware. Aptitude was like time and work, number series, time speed distance. Software MCQs were C programming, pointers, functions, recursion, output based. Just a note, 4 software questions had negative marking. Then there were 2 coding questions: max 1s in matrix and merge two linked lists. After that, other technical topics like shift operators, bitwise, flowcharts, malloc, hex problems were asked. Second round was output and coding, 6 questions total: 3 output based and 3 coding. You could use C, C++, Java, or Python. Coding problems were count consecutive words with two target letters and check if two numbers are equal without operators. Third round was written coding, on paper. You had to validate a password with specific criteria and count consecutive words with 'e' and 'd'. Fourth round was coding on a computer using C, you could use the internet. Problems included counting files/folders/subfolders, counting lines in files, and counting functions/methods in files. Fifth round was a technical interview on OOPs in Java and 4 coding problems on paper: substring check, bubble sort, sort 2D array, reverse string with recursion. Finally, round 6 was an HR interview with general questions about family, background, and programming language knowledge.