I sat for the CISCO On-campus Placements.

Round 1: Online Test (70 minutes)

This was an online test conducted on the Hacker-Rank platform.

• 15 MCQs covering Electronics, Computer Networks, Aptitude, and Data Structures (No negative marks)
• 2 Coding questions:
  • Longest non-repeating substring.
  • Parenthesize an expression with +, -, * operators to achieve the maximum value. This is a variation of the matrix chain multiplication problem.

There were approximately 330 candidates who took this exam, and 170 students were selected for the second round.

Round 2: Technical Interview

CISCO was offering four roles (Business Units) this time: CX-Platform, CX-PSS, IT, Engineer, and SCO. I was selected for the IT role.

We were asked to assemble in the auditorium around 8:30 in the morning. Our attendance was marked, and then we were asked to wait for our interview process. I waited until 2:30 in the afternoon when my name was called, and I proceeded to my technical interview.

It was a panel interview with three panelists. I entered, and they welcomed me with a smile.

I will refer to the panelists as P1, P2, and P3 for the readers.

One of the panelists briefly reviewed my resume for about 15 seconds. P1 began by asking, "Tell me about yourself." P1 then asked me to explain my project, which I did clearly. P2 asked me to explain the difference between Binary Trees and Tries, as I had mentioned Tries in my project.

P3 posed a logical question:

Imagine the digit '8'. You need to use only the '+' operator such that the sum equals 1000. For example, 888 + 88 + 8 + 8 + 8 = 1000.

Then P1 asked about my knowledge of data structures. I rated myself around 8/10 in Data Structures, as I was not very fluent with Graphs at that time.

He then asked me to write code for the following:

• Find the middle node of a linked list.
• Given an array of size [1...1000], find the two missing numbers.

P2 asked if I knew about databases and presented a few simple queries.

That concluded my technical round, which lasted about 25 minutes. All three panelists assessed my basic problem-solving skills in Data Structures, logical thinking, and my thorough understanding of my projects. The key was to remain patient and calm. If you don't know an answer, there's no need to panic; simply admit that you don't know. There is no harm in doing so. I was then asked to wait outside.

Round 3: Managerial Interview

I entered, and the interviewer welcomed me with a smile. She introduced herself as the manager of the Supply Chain department.

The interviewer began with, "Tell me about yourself." She mentioned that she had received feedback from the technical interviewers stating that I have good programming skills and logical thinking, and then asked me to briefly describe my projects.

She inquired about my hobbies and college campus life.

Then she asked, "Why Cisco?"

"Where do you see yourself five years down the line?"

Finally, she asked, "Do you have any questions for us?" To which I responded by asking:

• What exactly is the IT profile at Cisco?
• What is the culture like at Cisco?
• What are the future trends in IT?

She provided good and satisfying answers to each of my questions.

This round lasted for about 40 minutes.

Round 4: HR

This round was primarily a formality.

They asked a few questions:

• Are you available for an internship in January?
• Are you comfortable working five days a week for an internship?
• Are you planning for higher studies?
• Are you okay with the company's location in Bangalore?

I sat for the CISCO On-campus Placements.

Round 1: Online Test (70 minutes)

This was an online test conducted on the Hacker-Rank platform.

• 15 MCQs covering Electronics, Computer Networks, Aptitude, and Data Structures (No Negative Marks)
• 2 Coding Questions:
  • Longest non-repeating substring.
  • Find the maximum value of an expression by parenthesizing it. The expression involves addition, subtraction, and multiplication. This is a variation of the matrix chain multiplication problem.

There were approximately 330 candidates who took this exam, and 170 students were selected for the second round.

Round 2: Technical Interview

CISCO was offering four roles (BU) this time: CX-Platform, CX-PSS, IT Engineer, and SCO. I was selected for the IT Engineer role.

We were asked to assemble in the auditorium around 8:30 in the morning. Our presence was marked, and then we were asked to wait for the interview process. I waited until 2:30 in the afternoon when my name was called, and I proceeded to my Technical Interview.

It was a panel interview with three panelists. Upon entering, I was welcomed by the panel with a smile.

For clarity, I will refer to the panelists as P1, P2, and P3.

One of the panelists briefly reviewed my resume for about 15 seconds. P1 began with, "Tell me about yourself." P1 then asked me to explain my project, which I did clearly. P2 asked me to differentiate between Binary Trees and Tries, as I had mentioned Trie in my project.

P3 posed a logical question:

"Suppose you have the digit 8, which looks like 88888888. You need to use only the plus operator such that the sum equals 1000."

Then, P1 asked about my knowledge of data structures. I responded that I would rate myself around 8/10 in Data Structures, as I was not very fluent with Graphs at that time.

He then asked me to write code for the following:

• Find the middle node of a linked list.
• Given an array of size [1…1000], find the two missing numbers.

P2 inquired if I knew about databases and asked a few simple queries.

That concluded my Technical Round. It lasted approximately 25 minutes. All three panelists assessed my basic problem-solving skills in Data Structures, logical thinking, and thorough understanding of my projects. The key was to remain patient and calm. If you don't know an answer, there's no need to panic; simply admit that you don't know. There is no harm in doing so. I was then asked to wait outside.

Round 3: Managerial Interview

I entered, and the interviewer welcomed me with a smile. She introduced herself as a manager in the Supply Chain department.

The interviewer began with, "Tell me about yourself." She mentioned that she had received feedback from the technical interviewers about my good programming skills and logical thinking, and asked me to briefly discuss my projects.

She then asked about my hobbies and college campus.

Next, she asked, "Why Cisco?"

"Where do you see yourself 5 years down the line?"

Lastly, she asked, "Do you have any questions for us?" To which I responded with:

• What exactly is the IT profile at Cisco?
• What is the culture like at Cisco?
• What are the future trends in IT?

She provided good and satisfying answers to each of my questions.

This round lasted for about 40 minutes.

Round 4: HR

This was primarily a formality.

They asked a few questions:

• Are you available for an internship in January?
• Are you comfortable working 5 days a week for an internship?
• Are you planning for higher studies?
• Are you okay with the company's location in Bangalore?