Machine Coding Interview Experiences From Top Companies

Machine Coding Interview Experiences From Top Companies

Here are real machine coding interview experiences from top companies.

Swiggy: Food Ordering App

Question: build a food ordering app with a menu, search, filters, and cart.

Time: 90 minutes.

What they evaluated: functionality (search, filters, cart), code quality (modular, clean), edge cases (empty cart, no results), and UI (looks like a real app).

Tip: focus on the cart logic (add, remove, quantity, total). Filters (veg/non-veg, price) are the second priority.

Amazon: Autocomplete Search Bar

Question: build an autocomplete search bar with debounce and keyboard navigation.

Time: 90 minutes.

What they evaluated: debounce implementation, keyboard navigation (up/down/enter), edge cases (no results, special chars), and performance.

Tip: implement debounce from scratch (do not use lodash). Keyboard navigation is a must.

Flipkart: OTP Input Component

Question: build an OTP input with auto-focus, backspace, and paste.

Time: 60 minutes.

What they evaluated: auto-focus logic, paste handling, numeric-only input, and code quality.

Tip: paste support is often forgotten. Implement it.

Walmart: Pagination + Throttle

Question: build a pagination component, then implement throttle.

Time: 90 minutes.

What they evaluated: pagination logic (page numbers, ellipsis, current page), throttle implementation, and edge cases.

Tip: ellipsis for many pages is important. Throttle is a follow-up.

Ola: Async and Defer + Autocomplete

Question: explain async/defer, then build an autocomplete.

Time: 90 minutes.

What they evaluated: understanding of async/defer, autocomplete with debounce, and edge cases.

Tip: know the difference between async and defer. Build the autocomplete after.

Oyo: Event Bubbling + Modal

Question: explain event bubbling, then build a modal with event delegation.

Time: 90 minutes.

What they evaluated: understanding of event bubbling, modal with focus trap, and event delegation.

Tip: use event delegation for the modal close (one listener on the overlay).

General Tips From These Experiences

1. Core first: build the main feature, then add extras.
2. Edge cases matter: empty states, no results, errors.
3. Clean code: small functions, clear names.
4. Follow-ups: be ready to explain your code and implement related concepts (debounce, throttle).
5. Time management: 90 minutes goes fast. Plan.

The Takeaway

Real experiences: Swiggy (food ordering app), Amazon (autocomplete), Flipkart (OTP), Walmart (pagination + throttle), Ola (async/defer + autocomplete), Oyo (event bubbling + modal). Focus on core first, edge cases, clean code, and follow-up questions. Time management is key.