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Oracle Interview Experience (Senior Applications Engineer)

Ashutosh Verma
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Landing an interview with Oracle was both exciting and challenging. I recently went through the complete process for the Senior Applications Engineer role, which involved three rounds from a screening call to in-person interviews.

Here's a detailed account of my Oracle interview experience, including the type of questions asked, difficulty level and some preparation tips that helped me throughout.

Round 1 : Initial Screening (Easy)

  • Mode: Remote
  • Duration: 55 minutes
  • Focus: Java core concepts, OOP principles and basic problem-solving

The first round started with a discussion about my background mainly focusing on the projects and responsibilities I handled in my previous company. The interviewer also tested my understanding of core Java, OOPS concepts and general problem-solving skills.

Key Questions

Logic Puzzle:

There are 3 baskets labeled 'Apples', 'Oranges' and 'Mixture'. Each label is wrong. You can pick one fruit from one basket. How will you correctly label all the baskets?

Important fact from the puzzle: every label is wrong. So:

  • The basket labeled "Apples" does not contain only apples.

  • The basket labeled "Oranges" does not contain only oranges.

  • The basket labeled "Mixture" does not contain a mix. It must be pure apples or pure oranges.

So the smart first move is to pick one fruit from the basket labeled Mixture. Because that basket cannot be a mixture, a single draw from it will immediately tell you which pure fruit that whole basket contains.

  • Pick one fruit from the basket labeled Mixture.

  • Pick one fruit from the "Mixture" basket.

  • If it's an apple:

    That basket must be the Apples basket (since it can't be a mixture). Now the basket labeled "Oranges" can't have oranges, so it must be the Mixture basket. The one labeled 'Apples' will then be Oranges.

"Mixture" -> Apples, "Oranges" -> Mixture, "Apples" -> Oranges

  • If it's an orange:

    That basket must be the Oranges basket. The basket labeled "Apples" can't be apples, so it must be the Mixture basket. The one labeled "Oranges" will then be Apples.

"Mixture" -> Oranges, "Apples" -> Mixture, "Oranges" -> Apples

OOPs Concepts:

Concepts like inheritance, encapsulation and polymorphism were discussed with small code snippet examples in Java.

Coding Problem:

  • Remove duplicates from an array.

They expected a simple yet efficient approach, preferably in-place using two pointers.

Round 2 : Technical Interview (Medium)

  • Mode: On-site
  • Duration: 60 minutes
  • Focus: Coding, SQL, Threads and REST APIs

This round was completely technical. It began with a coding problem and moved into discussions about database queries, multithreading and API development.

When I couldn't complete the coding part entirely, I walked the interviewer through my theoretical approach especially around tree data structures and they appreciated my clarity of thought.

Key Questions

Coding:

  • "Product of Strings" – A string manipulation and logic-based problem.

    You're given two strings that represent numbers (for example: "123" and "45") and you need to return their product but you must do it without converting them directly to integers using built-in functions.

DSA Problem:

Database:

  • Several PSQL queries were asked, mostly based on joins, aggregations and subqueries.

Java Concepts:

In-depth discussion about Threads in Java, synchronization and REST API development (status codes, endpoints and request handling).

Round 3 : HR Discussion (Easy)

  • Mode: On-site
  • Duration: 20 minutes
  • Focus: HR and general fit questions

The final round was more of a fitment discussion. The HR wanted to understand:

  • Why I wanted to leave my previous organization

  • My notice period duration

  • My expected CTC and career aspirations

It was a short, conversational round that helped them gauge my attitude and motivation.

Overall Experience

The Oracle interview process was well-structured and fair. The interviewers were friendly and gave hints whenever I was stuck. Even if you can't complete every coding question, explaining your thought process clearly really matters. They value problem-solving ability and clarity over memorized answers.

Preparation Tips for Oracle Interviews

  • Follow the DSA Sheet from DevBrainiac – It's perfectly ordered for beginners.

  • Revise core Java and OOPs concepts thoroughly with small code examples.

  • Get a basic understanding of System Design and REST APIs.

  • Know your project inside-out, you'll definitely be asked about it.

  • Balance your work-life and preparation schedule, it's tough but absolutely possible!

Final Thoughts

If you're preparing for Oracle's Senior Applications Engineer role (or any similar software engineering position), focus on clarity, logic and consistency in your preparation. It's not about solving every problem perfectly. It's about showing your approach and analytical thinking.

Believe in your process, keep practicing DSA regularly and you'll do great