SAP Scholar Program 2026 | Interview Experience

I appeared for the SAP Scholar Program 2026 through my college campus placement process. The selection process consisted of an Online Assessment, an offline Technical Round, and a combined HR/Managerial Round.

Status: Rejected

Location: Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

Applied Through: Campus Placement

Difficulty: Medium

Online Assessment

Duration: 2 hours | Method: On-Campus Assessment

The first stage was an Online Assessment conducted at our college. The assessment consisted of both DSA and AI Fundamentals questions.

The assessment included:

• 3 DSA coding questions

• 10 MCQs based on AI Fundamentals

• The DSA section tested basic problem-solving and data structure concepts.

• The MCQs focused on fundamental concepts related to Artificial Intelligence.

The results were announced approximately 10 days after the assessment. Candidates who cleared the assessment were shortlisted for the next stage.

The OA was a combination of coding ability and basic understanding of AI concepts, so preparing only DSA would not have been sufficient for this round.

Technical Round 1

Duration: Approximately 1 hour | Method: Offline, On-Campus Interview

The technical interview was conducted offline at our college with two interviewers.

The interview started with "Tell me about yourself", after which the interviewers went through my resume in detail.

DSA Questions

The DSA discussion mainly covered fundamental concepts.

1. Binary Search | Concept, working and problem-solving approach

2. Linked List | Basic concepts and operations

3. Basic DSA | Fundamental data structures and problem-solving concepts

The interviewers also focused on understanding the logic and reasoning behind the solutions rather than simply asking for code.

Technical Topics

The technical discussion included:

• Data Structures and Algorithms

• Binary Search

• Linked Lists

• Basic DSA concepts

• Object-Oriented Programming

• AI/ML fundamentals

• Questions related to technologies mentioned on my resume

• Detailed discussion around my projects

OOPs was discussed in considerable detail, and the interviewers expected an understanding beyond basic definitions.

DBMS/SQL was not asked during my technical interview.

Project Discussion

A significant portion of the technical interview focused on my projects.

The interviewers did not simply ask me to explain what I had built. They went deeper into the reasoning and technical decisions behind the projects.

Some of the areas they explored included:

• What was your motivation for building the project?

• Why did you choose this particular problem?

• Why did you select this technology/tech stack?

• Why did you implement the project in that particular way?

• How does the underlying technology work?

• What exactly was your contribution?

• How were AI/ML concepts used in the project?

• What happens internally when the system performs a particular task?

• What alternatives could have been used?

• Why did you choose one approach over another?

The interviewers continued asking follow-up questions based on my answers.

This was the part where I struggled the most.

I had prepared my projects mainly from the perspective of explaining what I had built, but I wasn't sufficiently prepared to answer detailed questions about the technical decisions and concepts behind them.

One of my biggest takeaways was that anything mentioned on your resume can become a potential interview question. You should be prepared not only to explain what you built, but also why you built it and how every important component works.

Selection Process & Final Result

More than 50 students participated in the initial selection process from our college.

After the Online Assessment and Technical Round, approximately 15 students progressed to the HR/Managerial Round.

I was not among the students who reached the HR/Managerial Round.

Out of those 15 candidates who reached the final round, 5 candidates were eventually selected.

The final result was announced approximately 15 days after the final stage of the selection process.

Final outcome for me: Rejected after the Technical Round.

My Experience

The biggest challenge for me throughout the process was preparation and confidence.

I had knowledge of some of the topics that were discussed, but I wasn't sufficiently prepared for the depth at which the interviewers explored them. In particular, the project discussion exposed the gap between knowing how a project works at a high level and being able to explain the technical decisions behind it.

When the interviewers started going deeper into my projects, I found it difficult to answer some of the follow-up questions confidently.

This experience taught me that technical interview preparation should not stop at:

"I know this topic."

It should reach:

"I can explain it, implement it, justify my approach, and answer follow-up questions about it."

Key Takeaways

If I had to summarize what I learned from this experience:

• Prepare DSA fundamentals thoroughly.

• Know OOPs in depth, not just definitions.

• Be prepared for follow-up questions on every technology mentioned on your resume.

• Don't prepare projects only for a 2-minute explanation.

• Understand why you chose your tech stack.

• Understand the underlying concepts used in your projects.

• Practice explaining your thought process while solving DSA problems.

• Work on confidence and communication, especially when you don't immediately know an answer.

• Be honest when you don't know something instead of trying to guess.

• Most importantly, don't underestimate project-based questioning.

I wasn't selected for the SAP Scholar Program, but the experience gave me a much clearer picture of what I needed to improve before my next technical interview.