Interview Experience – Barclays | Intern

Company: Barclays

Role: Summer Intern 2026

College: SCTRS PUNE INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY

Batch: 2027

Branch: Computer Engineering

Total Interview Rounds: 2

Recruitment Process:

• Eligibility / Shortlisting: Shortlisted for an online assessment, after clearing the OA, around 200 students were shortlisted for two interview rounds (one technical, one combined HR + technical).

• Application Route: On-campus opportunity.

• Interview Timeline: Both interview rounds took place on the same day, August 25th, 2025.

Round-by-Round Breakdown:

Round 1: Online Assessment (OA)

• This was the initial screening stage after shortlisting.

Round 2 and 3: Technical + HR Interview 🗣️

• This round was a blend of technical and HR questions.

• Technical Focus: The interviewer deep-dived into the candidate's resume projects.

  • System Design & Scalability: Questions around system design principles, how to scale a database for many users, and different types of scaling.

  • Database Concepts: CAP theorem, partitioning, sharding, RUM conjecture, partition tolerance, and eventual consistency.

  • Security: SSL/TLS certificates, JWTs (JSON Web Tokens), and secure authentication mechanisms.

• HR Focus: Behavioral questions were also part of 3rd round.

Difficulty, Topics, and Interview Focus 🧠

• Difficulty Across Rounds: Medium

• Most Asked Topics:

  • DBMS (Database Management Systems)

  • Resume Projects (deep-dive expected)

  • Scalability (system design aspects)

• What Interviewers Focused On: Definitely problem-solving abilities and clear communication.

Coding and Project Discussion 💻

• Project Deep-Dive (architecture, trade-offs, scaling, debugging): Yes, there was a significant deep-dive into resume projects, covering architectural decisions, trade-offs, and scaling considerations.

HR and Behavioral 🤝

• HR/Behavioral Questions: These were part of the 3rd interview round.

• Unexpected/Tricky Moments + Handling: The interviewer aimed to assess how I think under pressure or when faced with an unknown topic. This tests your approach to problem-solving even without prior knowledge.

Final Outcome ✅

• Verdict: Selected for Summer Internship ✨

• Top Tips for Juniors:

  • Always be honest in your responses.

  • Thoroughly revise topics you've mentioned or claim proficiency in.

Mistakes to Avoid ❌

• Don't pretend to know something you don't. It's crucial to honestly accept if you don't know an answer, but always try to explain how much you do know or how you might approach finding the answer.

Preparation Strategy 📚

• What Helped Most (resources/mocks/plan):

  • System Design: Gaurav Sen and Arpit Bharani's system design videos.

  • DSA: Striver's A2Z sheet and regular participation in LeetCode contests.

Offer Details 💼

• Location: Pune

• Job Type: Intern

• Outcome: Selected for the Summer Internship ✨

• Received a Pre-Placement Offer (PPO) post-internship.

Quick Checklist for Everyone:

• Master OOPS, DBMS & OS: Focus on core concepts and practical applications.

• Deep-Dive Projects: Be ready to discuss your resume projects in detail (architecture, trade-offs, scaling).

• Understand Scalability: Prepare for system design questions related to scaling databases and applications.

• Practice DSA: Use resources like Striver's A2Z sheet and LeetCode contests.

• Be Honest & Communicate: If you don't know an answer, admit it, but explain your thought process.

• Revise Known Topics: Ensure strong command over topics you claim expertise in.