DevBrainiac Logo
Articles
Blogs
MCQ
SQL
Q&A
Tools
Tags
Jobs
News
Community
LogIn
I don't have account.
ZEBRONICS Blanc slim wireless mouse in black ZEBRONICS Blanc wireless mouse — product view 2 ZEBRONICS Blanc wireless mouse — product view 3 ZEBRONICS Blanc wireless mouse — product view 4
Sponsored -53%
Zebronics #1 Best Seller

ZEBRONICS Blanc Slim Wireless Mouse — Rechargeable, BT + 2.4GHz (Black)

Up to 1600 DPI · Silent clicks · 63g · Multicolor LED

★★★★★ 4.0 (9,512) 5K+ bought last month
₹376 M.R.P. ₹799Save ₹423
Buy Now
Adℹ

Visa Interview Experience - SDE-1 Role

Ekta chaudhary
532 Views

#sde-1

Amazon Pay offer
Adℹ

Interviewing at Visa was a mix of DSA challenges, graph-based reasoning and behavioral evaluation. The process tested not only coding ability but also how well you can model real-world problems and communicate your thought process. Here’s a detailed breakdown of my rounds.

Round 1: Online Coding Assessment

Difficulty Duration Mode
Medium 90 minutes Remote (Codesignal)

The first round was a timed online test with four coding problems, increasing in difficulty:

  • Q1 & Q2 (Easy): Focused on basics like arrays, strings and number operations.
  • Q3 (Medium/Hard): Required careful implementation, handling edge cases.
  • Q4 (Hard): Optimization-heavy, designed to test deeper problem-solving under time pressure.

Tip: Pace yourself. Solve the easy ones cleanly, then move to the harder problems with structured thinking.

Round 2: Technical Interview 1

Difficulty Duration Mode
Easy 60 minutes Remote

Problem Statement:

Given a list of strings, construct a graph where the last character of one string connects to another string starting with that character. Detect if there's a cycle in the graph.

Example:

Input: `["abc", "def", "cfg", "gza"]`  
Connections: `abc → cfg`, `cfg → gza`, etc.

My Approach:

  • Modeled the problem using adjacency lists.
  • Implemented cycle detection with DFS.
  • Covered disconnected components and edge cases.

The interviewer appreciated the clarity in graph modeling and reasoning.

Round 3: Technical Interview 2

Difficulty Duration Mode
Easy 60 minutes Remote

Problem Statement:

Reconstruct a city travel path from given source → destination mappings and identify the true starting city.

Example Input:

Mumbai → Bangalore
Goa → Dehradun
Calcutta → Mumbai
Dehradun → Calcutta

Expected Output:

Goa → Dehradun → Calcutta → Mumbai → Bangalore

My Approach:

  • Proposed a graph traversal using DFS.
  • Discussed an alternative HashSet-based approach to track unique sources/destinations.
  • Talked through edge cases and efficiency.

The interviewer liked the real-world analogy and systematic explanation.

Round 4: Hiring Manager Interview

Difficulty Duration Mode
Easy 45 minutes Remote

Questions Asked:

  • Why Visa?
  • Tell me about a time you made a mistake and what you learned.
  • How do you plan to grow in your career?

The manager focused on mindset, adaptability and willingness to upskill.

Overall Experience

Visa's process felt balanced — DSA for coding ability, graph problems for reasoning and behavioral checks for mindset.

Key Takeaways:

  • Graphs are critical. Be comfortable modeling real-world problems into graphs (cycle detection, path reconstruction).
  • Online test ramps up fast. Don’t rush the easy problems. write clean, correct code before tackling harder ones.
  • Behavioral rounds matter. Be honest about growth, mistakes and future aspirations.

Preparation Tips

  • Revise graph fundamentals (DFS, cycle detection, topological sort, path reconstruction).
  • Practice sliding window, arrays and string problems.
  • For behavioral prep, align your answers with continuous learning and ownership.

In Interviews:

  • Keep talking, share your thought process.
  • Ask clarifying questions.
  • Bring up optimizations proactively — shows depth of thinking.

Recommendation

Responses (0)

Write a response

CommentHide Comments

No Comments yet.

"},"4":{"id":4,"name":"ZEBRONICS Blanc mouse ad","otherData":"{}","contentFormat":2,"content":"
\"ZEBRONICS \"ZEBRONICS \"ZEBRONICS \"ZEBRONICS
Sponsored -53%
Zebronics #1 Best Seller

ZEBRONICS Blanc Slim Wireless Mouse — Rechargeable, BT + 2.4GHz (Black)

Up to 1600 DPI · Silent clicks · 63g · Multicolor LED

★★★★★ 4.0 (9,512) 5K+ bought last month
₹376 M.R.P. ₹799Save ₹423
Buy Now
"},"2":{"id":2,"name":"Crousal Ads","otherData":"{}","contentFormat":2,"content":"
\"iQOO \"iQOO \"iQOO \"iQOO
Sponsored -34%
iQOO Amazon's Choice

iQOO Z10 Lite 5G — Cyber Green, 4GB RAM, 128GB Storage

Dimensity 6300 · 50MP Sony AI Camera · 6000 mAh · IP64

★★★★★ 4.0 (2,052) 500+ bought last month
₹18,997 M.R.P. ₹28,999Save ₹10,002
Buy Now
"},"1":{"id":1,"name":"Banner Ads","otherData":"{}","contentFormat":2,"content":"\n
\n \n \n \"Amazon\n \n
"}}},"blogDetails":{"isWriter":false,"likes":0,"isLikedByUser":false,"tagIds":[134,177,360,363],"tags":[{"id":134,"name":"Interview","maskingName":"interview","isFeatured":true},{"id":177,"name":"DSA","maskingName":"dsa","isFeatured":true},{"id":360,"name":"SDE 1","maskingName":"sde-1","isFeatured":false},{"id":363,"name":"Interview Experience","maskingName":"interview-experience","isFeatured":true}],"comments":[],"bookmark":{"isBookmarked":false,"count":0},"author":{"userId":"MjlfNF84LVsyMV0ybi10Q19BTmdlX19JdA==","name":"Ekta chaudhary"},"viewCount":531,"showBannerImage":false,"seoTags":null,"content":"

Interviewing at Visa was a mix of DSA challenges, graph-based reasoning and behavioral evaluation.\nThe process tested not only coding ability but also how well you can model real-world problems and communicate your thought process.\nHere’s a detailed breakdown of my rounds.

\n

Round 1: Online Coding Assessment

\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
DifficultyDurationMode
Medium90 minutesRemote (Codesignal)
\n

The first round was a timed online test with four coding problems, increasing in difficulty:

\n\n

Tip: Pace yourself. Solve the easy ones cleanly, then move to the harder problems with structured thinking.

\n

Round 2: Technical Interview 1

\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
DifficultyDurationMode
Easy60 minutesRemote
\n

Problem Statement:

\n

Given a list of strings, construct a graph where the last character of one string connects to another string starting with that character.\nDetect if there's a cycle in the graph.

\n

Example:

\n
Input: `[\"abc\", \"def\", \"cfg\", \"gza\"]`  \nConnections: `abc → cfg`, `cfg → gza`, etc.\n
\n

My Approach:

\n\n

The interviewer appreciated the clarity in graph modeling and reasoning.

\n

Round 3: Technical Interview 2

\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
DifficultyDurationMode
Easy60 minutesRemote
\n

Problem Statement:

\n

Reconstruct a city travel path from given source → destination mappings and identify the true starting city.

\n

Example Input:

\n
Mumbai → Bangalore\nGoa → Dehradun\nCalcutta → Mumbai\nDehradun → Calcutta\n
\n

Expected Output:

\n
Goa → Dehradun → Calcutta → Mumbai → Bangalore\n
\n

My Approach:

\n\n

The interviewer liked the real-world analogy and systematic explanation.

\n

Round 4: Hiring Manager Interview

\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
DifficultyDurationMode
Easy45 minutesRemote
\n

Questions Asked:

\n\n

The manager focused on mindset, adaptability and willingness to upskill.

\n

Overall Experience

\n

Visa's process felt balanced — DSA for coding ability, graph problems for reasoning and behavioral checks for mindset.

\n

Key Takeaways:

\n\n

Preparation Tips

\n\n

In Interviews:

\n\n

Recommendation

\n","categoryId":363,"subCategoryId":363,"contentFormat":5,"blogId":6,"userId":"MjlfNF84LVsyMV0ybi10Q19BTmdlX19JdA==","title":"Visa Interview Experience - SDE-1 Role","url":"visa-interview-experience-sde-1-role","bannerImage":"","seoDescription":"","generatedOn":"2025-09-08T16:06:22","updatedOn":"2025-09-08T16:06:22"},"popularContents":[{"id":213,"title":"Amazon SDE II Interview Experience (Bangalore, Selected) ~ Aug 2026","url":"amazon-sde-ii-interview-experience-bangalore-selected-aug-2026","description":null,"seoDescription":"Amazon SDE II interview experience from Bangalore covering 4 rounds, DSA, LLD, system design, Leadership Principles, coding questions and selection.","contentType":5,"generatedOn":"2026-10-14T22:22:40.2221096Z","viewCount":0},{"id":34,"title":"System Design Deep Dive: 25 Essential Interview Questions","url":"system-design-deep-dive-25-essential-interview-questions","description":null,"seoDescription":"","contentType":5,"generatedOn":"2026-10-14T22:22:40.2220721Z","viewCount":0},{"id":173,"title":"Uber SDE-2 Interview Experience : LLD, HLD, DSA & Hiring Manager Round","url":"uber-sde-2-interview-experience-lld-hld-dsa-hiring-manager-round","description":null,"seoDescription":"Read a real Uber SDE-2 interview experience covering DSA, low-level design, high-level system design, behavioral rounds, hiring freeze and key takeaways.","contentType":5,"generatedOn":"2026-10-14T22:22:40.2221064Z","viewCount":0},{"id":130,"title":"Rippling SDE-2 Interview Experience (4+ Years Experience) | Offer Received | Coding, LLD & System Design","url":"rippling-sde-2-interview-experience-4-years-experience-offer-received-coding-lld-system-design","description":null,"seoDescription":"Detailed Rippling SDE-2 interview experience with complete 5 rounds, coding questions, rules engine design, system design and preparation tips.","contentType":5,"generatedOn":"2026-10-14T22:22:40.2220929Z","viewCount":0},{"id":168,"title":"Amazon SDE-2 Interview Experience (3 Years Experience)","url":"amazon-sde-2-interview-experience-3-years-experience","description":null,"seoDescription":" Read a real Amazon SDE-2 interview experience covering the online assessment, coding rounds, object-oriented design, leadership principles and system design.","contentType":5,"generatedOn":"2026-10-14T22:22:40.2221016Z","viewCount":0},{"id":135,"title":"Spinny SDE-1 Interview Experience (Selected)","url":"spinny-sde-1-interview-experience-selected","description":null,"seoDescription":"Spinny SDE-1 Interview Experience (Selected) | 4 Rounds Breakdown: Coding, LLD, Java, SQL + Real Interview Questions","contentType":5,"generatedOn":"2026-10-14T22:22:40.2220987Z","viewCount":0},{"id":138,"title":"DSA Patterns for Coding Interviews: Complete LeetCode Roadmap (Beginner to Advanced)","url":"dsa-patterns-for-coding-interviews-complete-leetcode-roadmap-beginner-to-advanced","description":null,"seoDescription":"Master every LeetCode pattern for coding interviews. Learn Arrays, Sliding Window, Graphs, Dynamic Programming, Trees, Heaps and more with 250+ curated problem","contentType":5,"generatedOn":"2026-10-14T22:22:40.2221002Z","viewCount":0},{"id":172,"title":"Google L4 Software Engineer III interview experience | Selected","url":"google-l4-software-engineer-iii-interview-experience-selected","description":null,"seoDescription":"Google L4 Software Engineer III interview experience with API design, Googlyness, route matching, graph coding rounds, follow-up questions and tips.","contentType":5,"generatedOn":"2026-10-14T22:22:40.222105Z","viewCount":0},{"id":197,"title":"My Adobe SDE Interview Experience (Aug 2026) 5 Rounds, Selected","url":"my-adobe-sde-interview-experience-aug-2026-5-rounds-selected","description":null,"seoDescription":"Real Adobe SDE interview: 5 rounds, 4 DSA problems (Rotate Array, BSTs, Kth Smallest Matrix), code review & behavioral round. Full solutions + tips.","contentType":5,"generatedOn":"2026-10-14T22:22:40.2221079Z","viewCount":0},{"id":171,"title":"Meesho SDE-1 Backend Interview Experience (Remote | 3 Round) - Rejected","url":"meesho-sde-1-backend-interview-experience-remote-3-round-rejected","description":null,"seoDescription":"Read a real Meesho SDE-1 Backend interview experience covering the online assessment, DSA interview, machine coding round, LLD questions and preparation tips.","contentType":5,"generatedOn":"2026-10-14T22:22:40.2221034Z","viewCount":0}],"latestContents":[{"id":219,"title":"6 Tools That Made My Life Easier as a Software Engineer","url":"6-tools-that-made-my-life-easier-as-a-software-engineer","description":null,"seoDescription":"The 6 developer tools I use daily as a software engineer: Git, VS Code, Docker, Postman, Chrome DevTools, and AI assistants, with real tips, mistakes, and trade","contentType":5,"generatedOn":"2026-10-14T22:22:40.2839772Z","viewCount":0},{"id":218,"title":"When Should a Business Use Multiple AI Agents Instead of One?","url":"when-should-a-business-use-multiple-ai-agents-instead-of-one","description":null,"seoDescription":"Single agent or multi-agent AI? Learn the 4 signals that justify splitting agents by knowledge, permissions, and risk, plus routing and handoff tips.","contentType":5,"generatedOn":"2026-10-14T22:22:40.2839814Z","viewCount":0},{"id":216,"title":"AI in Clinical Trials Market Estimated to Experience a Hike in Growth by 2035","url":"ai-in-clinical-trials-market-estimated-to-experience-a-hike-in-growth-by-2035","description":null,"seoDescription":"The exclusive information about market dynamics serves as a valuable guide to predict economic scenarios and initiatives taken to enhance future growth. Our mar","contentType":5,"generatedOn":"2026-10-14T22:22:40.2839827Z","viewCount":0},{"id":217,"title":"AI in Clinical Trials Market Estimated to Experience a Hike in Growth by 2035","url":"ai-in-clinical-trials-market-estimated-to-experience-a-hike-in-growth-by-2035","description":null,"seoDescription":"The exclusive information about market dynamics serves as a valuable guide to predict economic scenarios and initiatives taken to enhance future growth. Our mar","contentType":5,"generatedOn":"2026-10-14T22:22:40.283984Z","viewCount":0},{"id":215,"title":"What Happens When an AI Agent Doesn't Know the Answer?","url":"what-happens-when-an-ai-agent-doesnt-know-the-answer","description":null,"seoDescription":"Most AI agents fail quietly. They guess instead of saying \"I don't know.\" Here's how to design better fallback and human-handoff behavior.","contentType":5,"generatedOn":"2026-10-14T22:22:40.2839851Z","viewCount":0},{"id":214,"title":"Greedy Algorithms Explained: How They Work, When They Fail and How to Use Them","url":"greedy-algorithms-explained-how-they-work-when-they-fail-and-how-to-use-them","description":null,"seoDescription":"Learn greedy algorithms step by step with C# code Dijkstra, Huffman coding, knapsack and MSTs plus when greedy fails and how to prove it's correct","contentType":5,"generatedOn":"2026-10-14T22:22:40.2839869Z","viewCount":0},{"id":213,"title":"Amazon SDE II Interview Experience (Bangalore, Selected) ~ Aug 2026","url":"amazon-sde-ii-interview-experience-bangalore-selected-aug-2026","description":null,"seoDescription":"Amazon SDE II interview experience from Bangalore covering 4 rounds, DSA, LLD, system design, Leadership Principles, coding questions and selection.","contentType":5,"generatedOn":"2026-10-14T22:22:40.2839881Z","viewCount":0},{"id":212,"title":"How to Get 10x Better AI Answers Without Writing Better Prompts : 10 Proven Techniques","url":"how-to-get-10x-better-ai-answers-without-writing-better-prompts-10-proven-techniques","description":null,"seoDescription":"Get better AI answers without complex prompts. Learn 10 practical techniques using context, examples, tools, feedback, and verification.","contentType":5,"generatedOn":"2026-10-14T22:22:40.2839922Z","viewCount":0},{"id":211,"title":"I Interviewed for a Microsoft SDE I Role. Here's Everything That Happened.","url":"i-interviewed-for-a-microsoft-sde-i-role-heres-everything-that-happened","description":null,"seoDescription":"My real Microsoft SDE I interview experience, all 4 rounds, the exact DSA problems with fully tested solutions, the WhatsApp system design round","contentType":5,"generatedOn":"2026-10-14T22:22:40.2839935Z","viewCount":0},{"id":140,"title":"PolicyBazaar Software Development Engineer (SDE) Interview Experience | DSA, Core CS & System Design","url":"policybazaar-software-development-engineer-sde-interview-experience-dsa-core-cs-system-design","description":null,"seoDescription":"Detailed PolicyBazaar SDE interview experience covering 3 rounds: DSA coding, core CS assessment and system design with key learnings and insights.","contentType":5,"generatedOn":"2026-10-14T22:22:40.2839948Z","viewCount":0}],"relatedContents":[{"id":181,"title":"My Teradata SWE Intern Interview Experience (Full Story, Real Code, Real Mistakes)","url":"my-teradata-swe-intern-interview-experience-full-story-real-code-real-mistakes","description":null,"seoDescription":"A real, first-person Teradata SWE intern interview experience. Full Java code for every DSA question, mistakes I made, hints","contentType":5,"generatedOn":"2026-10-14T22:22:40.2953459Z","viewCount":0},{"id":175,"title":"American Express (AMEX) Online Assessment Experience (2026) | 3 Coding Questions","url":"american-express-amex-online-assessment-experience-2026-3-coding-questions","description":null,"seoDescription":"Read my American Express Online Assessment 2026 experience with 3 coding questions, C# solutions, approaches, difficulty analysis and preparation tips.","contentType":5,"generatedOn":"2026-10-14T22:22:40.2953514Z","viewCount":0},{"id":173,"title":"Uber SDE-2 Interview Experience : LLD, HLD, DSA & Hiring Manager Round","url":"uber-sde-2-interview-experience-lld-hld-dsa-hiring-manager-round","description":null,"seoDescription":"Read a real Uber SDE-2 interview experience covering DSA, low-level design, high-level system design, behavioral rounds, hiring freeze and key takeaways.","contentType":5,"generatedOn":"2026-10-14T22:22:40.2953533Z","viewCount":0},{"id":163,"title":"VISA Staff Software Engineer Online Assessment (OA) Experience (2026) | Two Coding Questions | Rejected","url":"visa-staff-software-engineer-online-assessment-oa-experience-2026-two-coding-questions-rejected","description":null,"seoDescription":" VISA Staff Software Engineer OA experience with HackerRank coding questions on Graphs and Dynamic Programming, solutions, tips, and preparation guide.","contentType":5,"generatedOn":"2026-10-14T22:22:40.295355Z","viewCount":0},{"id":162,"title":"KLA Software Engineer Interview Experience (DSA Round) | Two Coding Questions | July 2026","url":"kla-software-engineer-interview-experience-dsa-round-two-coding-questions-july-2026","description":null,"seoDescription":"KLA Software Engineer interview experience with two DSA coding questions, Java solutions, HashMap, Monotonic Stack, follow-up questions and tips.","contentType":5,"generatedOn":"2026-10-14T22:22:40.2953569Z","viewCount":0},{"id":153,"title":"Visa Software Engineer 1 (SDE-1) Interview Experience | CodeSignal OA + Graph-Based Technical Rounds","url":"visa-software-engineer-1-sde-1-interview-experience-codesignal-oa-graph-based-technical-rounds","description":null,"seoDescription":" Ace your Visa SDE-1 interview with this complete interview experience covering CodeSignal OA, graph coding rounds, hiring manager questions and tips.","contentType":5,"generatedOn":"2026-10-14T22:22:40.2953591Z","viewCount":0},{"id":145,"title":"Infosys Specialist Programmer Interview Experience (2 Rounds) | OA + Technical Interview | Selected","url":"infosys-specialist-programmer-interview-experience-2-rounds-oa-technical-interview-selected","description":null,"seoDescription":"Infosys Specialist Programmer interview experience with OA and technical rounds covering DSA, DP, Sliding Window, Bit Manipulation, OOP and tips.","contentType":5,"generatedOn":"2026-10-14T22:22:40.2953608Z","viewCount":0},{"id":141,"title":"Postman Software Development Engineer - II (Full Stack) Interview Experience","url":"postman-software-development-engineer-ii-full-stack-interview-experience","description":null,"seoDescription":"Detailed Postman SDE-2 (Full Stack) interview experience covering recruiter screening, frontend/backend fundamentals, architecture discussions, machine coding, ","contentType":5,"generatedOn":"2026-10-14T22:22:40.295366Z","viewCount":0},{"id":136,"title":"Qualcomm C++ Engineer Interview Experience","url":"qualcomm-cpp-engineer-interview-experience","description":null,"seoDescription":"Qualcomm C++ Engineer Interview Experience (Rejected) | OS, C++ Concepts, DSA & Tree + Stack Coding Problems Breakdown","contentType":5,"generatedOn":"2026-10-14T22:22:40.2953674Z","viewCount":0},{"id":134,"title":"Meta(Facebook) Software Engineer Round 1 Interview Experience","url":"metafacebook-software-engineer-round-1-interview-experience","description":null,"seoDescription":"Meta(facebook) Software Engineer Interview Experience | Sort Even Odd Indices & Making a Large Island | Coding Round Breakdown","contentType":5,"generatedOn":"2026-10-14T22:22:40.2953688Z","viewCount":0}]}}},"source":{"isMobile":false}}; window.__CLIENT_RENDER__ = false;