My Selection Journey at MasterCard – From Hackathon to Internship!

“Coding builds the foundation, but communication and leadership define the structure!”

How It All Started

It was around August 23rd, 2024 when I had one of the most memorable experiences of my tech journey the Code for Change Hackathon organized by MasterCard. But the road began much before that, with a structured selection process that tested both logic and leadership.

📌 1. Registration & Shortlisting

Students registered for the event.

Shortlisting was based on:

AMCAT scores
CGPA
And other academic parameters.

Those shortlisted proceeded to the DSA Round.

2. DSA Round

Date: August 5th
No. of Questions: 2
- One on Arrays / Strings
- One on Trees / Graphs
Scoring even 1.5 questions (1 full + half of another) was enough.

I’ve never been a daily DSA solver, but I managed to work through the problems and got shortlisted.

3. Hackathon Shortlisting & Mentorship

Once selected, we were notified and assigned into random 7-member teams. We had never met before, so building connections and trust was critical.

Each team was also assigned a mentor from MasterCard who conducted:

Team-building exercises
Technology discussions
Progress check-ins

“Your mentor is not just a guide, they are also part of your evaluation panel.”

Leadership and Teamwork: My Role

Here’s where things got intense—and interesting.

I naturally took the lead in our team.
Assigned and divided tasks based on everyone’s strengths.
Regularly checked in with each teammate to ensure progress.
Ensured we had something substantial to show before each mentor sync.

“Taking charge and enabling others to shine is a quality that doesn't go unnoticed.”

I wasn’t the most knowledgeable in AI/ML, but I knew my strengths:

Flutter Development
Web and Backend Systems

So, I took responsibility for:

JWT Authentication
Backend API development using Django

🚀 4. Hackathon Day – Execution and Energy!

Duration: 7 hours
Problem Statements: 3 from different NGOs

We were given a Problem statement:

User Authentication
Platform development
Information Management

Our app wasn’t fully complete—because 7 hours isn’t much—but we:

Made strong backend progress
Integrated essential APIs
Kept our mentor updated in real-time

5. The Final Presentation

This was my moment to shine.

I convinced my team that I’d be the best to present.
Walked the judges through our idea, goals, implementation, and innovation.

Even though we didn’t win the hackathon, our concept, effort, and clarity stood out.

“Good code brings you halfway, but a strong presentation completes the journey.”

6. The Result – Internship Offer!

Because of my:

Technical contribution
Leadership skills
Communication and presentation

…I was shortlisted for the SDE role. And now, I’ve officially been offered an internship at MasterCard’s Checkout Services Team!

📅 Joining Date: May 19th, 2025
💼 Role: SDE Intern – Mastercard Checkout Services

🗺️ Roadmap to MasterCard Internship

Step	Description
Step 1	Register for the hiring drive (Code for Change)
Step 2	Shortlisting based on CGPA + AMCAT scores
Step 3	DSA Round (2 questions - Trees & Graphs)
Step 4	Selection for Hackathon & team formation
Step 5	Team building & mentorship sessions
Step 6	Lead team, divide tasks, monitor progress
Step 7	Hackathon Day – Code + Collaborate + Contribute
Step 8	Present your project to the judges
Final Step	Get shortlisted for internship