Bloomberg Internship Interview Experience

1. Company and Role

• Company: Bloomberg

• Role: SDE Intern

• Batch/Year of Graduation: 2028

• Branch: Computer Engineering

2. Application Process

• How did you apply? On-Campus

• Timeline:

  • Online Assessment Date: 12 August

  • Interview Dates (Round 1-3): 13 August (On-Campus)

  • Interview Dates (Round 4-5): 14 August (Bloomberg Office)

  • Result Date: 14 August

3. Interview Rounds

Round 1: Online Assessment

• Type: MCQs + DSA

Description: The round consisted of 10 MCQs followed by 3 DSA problems. The MCQs were moderately challenging and covered DSA/data structures, use of Fenwick/Segment Trees, System design, time complexity, and other code-based questions.

• DSA

  • 1. Array Grouping: Given an initial array and a final array, elements of a subarray in the initial array can be replaced by a single element equal to the sum of that subarray. The task was to find the minimum number of such grouping operations required to transform the initial array into the final array. If the transformation was not possible, return

    code

    1-1

    .
    Solved — Easy/Medium

  • 2. Binary String: Given a binary string, determine the minimum number of flips required to rearrange it such that no

    code

    110

    pattern remains.
    Solved — Medium

  • Array Transformation: The final question was a complex array-manipulation problem. It required calculating the minimum number of operations (using a mix of reductions, adjustments, and reordering) to transform a source array into a specific target array.
    Partial — Hard — I implemented a solution, but it passed only 3 test cases.

  • Difficulty Level: MCQs - Easy/Medium DSA - Medium

Moderately challenging MCQs covering a wide range of topics. The DSA section was manageable, with at least 2 problems being quite solvable with good preparation.
Tip: Finish the MCQs quickly and save enough time to comfortably solve at least 2 DSA problems.

Round 2: Technical Interview 1 | 30 Minutes

• Type: Technical + DSA

• Description:
  A graph-based problem involving airports and connecting flights, where the goal was to find routes between a given source and destination.

  Key tasks:

  1. Build the airport/flight structure as a graph.

  2. Find possible routes between the source and destination.

  I clarified the constraints and edge cases before discussing the approach. A significant part of the interview focused on explaining why a graph-based approach works, comparing DFS/BFS, dry-running the solution on paper, and discussing possible optimizations. I coded the final solution in the last 5–6 minutes.

• Difficulty Level: Easy/Medium

• The interview was heavily focused on the approach and thought process rather than just coding. Make sure to ask relevant questions and be very clear about what is expected. Be prepared to justify your choice of data structure and algorithm, dry-run your solution on paper, and discuss edge cases and optimizations in detail.

Round 3: Technical Interview 2 | 30 Minutes

• Type: Technical + DSA + Resume

• Description:
  Started with a deep dive into one of my projects, including the tech stack and design decisions. Then had a DSA problem involving reaching a target value from a starting value using a set of allowed operations. I explained why a greedy or recursive approach wouldn't work and modelled it as a graph using BFS + an unordered set to avoid cycles, followed by a paper dry run and coding. Also asked about virtual memory, thrashing, concurrency vs parallelism.

• Difficulty Level: Medium

• Very approach-focused, with emphasis on clarifying constraints, justifying the solution, and dry-running before coding. Know your projects thoroughly and be comfortable explaining why your chosen approach works.

Round 4: System Design | 60 Minutes

• Type: System Design

• Description: Started with the system design of one of my projects and how it could be scaled. Then designed a large-scale messaging system focusing on scalability, reliability, and failure handling. We first gathered functional and non-functional requirements and used scale estimates around users, message volume/storage, latency, and message types to understand the requirements. We then discussed database design, messaging infrastructure, storage, caching, load balancing, and backups, with detailed follow-up questions on the design decisions. The design was built up from a simple solution to a more production-ready one.

• Difficulty Level: Hard

• Your Experience: Very discussion-heavy, with emphasis on reasoning and trade-offs. Clarify requirements, use estimates to establish scale, and be ready to justify your design choices.

Round 5: Managerial Interview | 30 Minutes

• Type: Managerial + Resume

• Description:
  A deep dive into all of my projects, including the motivation behind each project, technical decisions, tech stack, and problem-solving approach. I was asked to justify any benchmarks or numerical improvements mentioned in my resume and explain how they were measured. We also discussed how I learned the technologies involved and why I wanted to work here.

• Difficulty Level: Easy/Medium

• Your Experience:
  Very resume-focused, so know your projects inside out and be ready to justify your technical decisions, numbers, and claims. Also prepare for questions around your learning process, problem-solving approach, and motivation.

Round 6: HR Interview | 30 Minutes

• Type: HR

• Description:
  Started with introductions followed by standard HR questions around strengths, weaknesses, managing tasks under deadlines, leadership skills, and why I wanted to work here, with the last one answered using points mentioned during the pre-placement talk.

• Difficulty Level: Easy

• A straightforward round focused mainly on communication and fit. Be clear and genuine in your answers, and pay attention during the pre-placement talk as it can provide useful points.

4. Overall Experience

• Overall Interview Experience: Overall, a positive and well-rounded experience. The interviews focused heavily on problem-solving, fundamentals, and being able to clearly explain and justify your approach.

• What to prepare? DSA, graphs, standard data structures, system design, CS fundamentals, OOP, and resume/project discussions. For projects, know your tech choices, design decisions, benchmarks, and the reasoning behind them.

• Tips: Ask clarifying questions, understand the requirements before jumping into a solution, and focus on explaining your thought process. Be prepared for follow up questions and know your resume/projects thoroughly.

Verdict: Selected🎉