IBM Interview Experience | Associate System Engineer | 2027 Campus Recruitment

IBM recently visited our campus for its fresher recruitment drive for the Associate System Engineer role. This is an entry-level position, and candidates may be assigned locations across India depending on business requirements.

The selection process consisted of multiple assessment rounds followed by a technical and HR interview.

Round 1: Online Coding Assessment

The first round was conducted remotely and consisted of two DSA problems:

Question 1: Merge Overlapping Intervals

Given an array of intervals, merge all overlapping intervals and return the resulting non-overlapping intervals.

For example:

Input: [[1,5],[3,6],[8,10],[15,18]]

Output: [[1,6],[8,10],[15,18]]

The intervals [1,5] and [3,6] overlap, so they are merged into [1,6].

Question 2: Check if a String Is a Palindrome

Given a string, determine whether it reads the same forward and backward.

Examples:

• Input: "madam" => Output: true

• Input: "hello" => Output: false

I cleared this round and moved to the next stage.

Round 2: On-Campus Coding Assessment

The second round was conducted on campus under supervision by the recruitment team.

It consisted of two tasks:

• DSA: A fixed-size sliding window problem involving an array.

• Programming task: A development question involving conditional logic using if-else statements across two files.

The round tested problem-solving ability, basic programming concepts, and the ability to implement the required logic correctly.

I cleared this round as well.

Round 3: AI-Based Writing Assessment

The third round was a written assessment consisting of five scenario-based questions, with approximately 7.5 minutes allocated to each question.

The questions focused on workplace situations, communication, teamwork, and leadership.

One question was along the lines of:

“As a team leader, how would you improve communication and coordination within your team?”

The assessment required clear, structured answers that demonstrated practical thinking and professional communication.

I cleared this round.

Round 4: Verbal Communication and Grammar Assessment

The fourth round focused on spoken English, grammar, and verbal communication.

The tasks included:

• Identifying and correcting grammatically incorrect sentences verbally.

• Listening to words or phrases and repeating them accurately.

• Demonstrating clarity of speech and correct pronunciation.

My suggestion: Read the assessment instructions carefully, avoid unnecessary actions during the test, and contact the recruitment team if a technical issue occurs rather than repeatedly retrying without guidance.

Round 5: Technical and HR Interview

The final round focused mainly on core computer science fundamentals, projects, and general HR questions.

Technical Questions Asked

DBMS and SQL

• What is the difference between DELETE, TRUNCATE, and DROP?

• What is the difference between a primary key and a foreign key?

• What are the different types of SQL joins?

Object-Oriented Programming

• What is the difference between inheritance and composition?

• What is the difference between abstraction and polymorphism?

• What are the four pillars of OOP?

Web Development

• What is a REST API?

• What are HTTP methods such as GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE?

• What is the difference between HTTP and HTTPS?

Projects

• Explain the projects mentioned on your resume.

• What technologies did you use, and why?

• What challenges did you face while developing your project?

• How would you improve your project if you had more time?

The depth of questioning can vary between interview panels. Some may focus on fundamental concepts and project explanations, while others may ask follow-up questions to assess how deeply you understand the technologies you have used.

The approximate compensation discussed for the role was ₹4.5 LPA, along with a ₹25,000 relocation bonus.

This experience taught me that clearing coding rounds is only one part of the recruitment process. Communication, grammar, and the ability to express your thoughts clearly can also play an important role.

My advice to future candidates would be to:

• Practise DSA regularly, especially arrays, strings, intervals, and sliding window.

• Revise OOP, DBMS, SQL, and networking fundamentals.

• Prepare clear explanations of every project on your resume.

• Practise speaking in English and answering workplace scenarios.

• Stay calm during assessments and follow the official instructions if technical issues occur.

Final Thoughts

Getting through multiple rounds and then missing out at the verbal assessment was disappointing. However, every round highlighted an area where I could improve.

For freshers, the first opportunity can be an important starting point for building a career in IT. Focus on strengthening your fundamentals, learning from every attempt, and continuing to apply for suitable opportunities.

For those preparing for IBM or similar fresher roles, which area do you find most challenging: DSA, core CS subjects, or communication assessments?