From our research
What this interview looks like
Samsung R&D's campus and off-campus hiring for software roles typically starts with the Samsung software competency test, a long single-sitting coding test with one problem that must pass all test cases, taken in C, C++ or Java with restrictions on library use in some versions.
Candidates who clear it typically face two or three technical interviews, taken by senior engineers or chief engineers from the hiring team, that cover data structures and algorithms talked through aloud, one language in depth, operating systems, and the final-year project, with device-specific angles such as memory, battery and Android. Some drives add a short written or MCQ technical check.
A hiring-manager or director conversation and an HR round on fitment, location and the role usually follow, and the loop is often completed within a day or two on campus. Program-management and product-planning candidates typically get a case or scenario discussion instead of coding and are tested on structured communication and working across time zones.
Round counts, durations and the test rules vary by centre and year, and offer terms change, so verify against the current drive communication.
ExamPilot compresses the loop into a 17-minute panel: HR screen, a hiring-manager round with Samsung-specific questions, a technical or domain round in your chosen profile, a short STAR behavioural round and a closing on expectations, scored on role knowledge, problem solving, communication and attitude.
How it is weighted
The coding test shortlists and the technical interviews decide; candidates have reported being dropped on a single weak data-structures round. Interviewers probe problem solving aloud, implementing core structures without a library, one language and operating systems in depth, and the project, with device-side angles on memory, battery and Android or modem behaviour.
HR weighs motivation for R&D over services and location flexibility. Here each round is scored against the corporate rubric (role knowledge 30, problem solving 25, communication 25, attitude 20).
Who this is for
Candidates who have cleared the Samsung software competency coding test, or a centre-specific online test for embedded and networks roles, for engineer positions at SRI-Bengaluru, SRI-Noida or SSIR. The interviews are typically two or three technical rounds with senior engineers followed by a hiring-manager and HR conversation.
The Samsung PRISM programme and campus internships have also fed hiring in some cycles. Process pattern as of recent drives; check the current drive communication.
The panel focuses on
- Problem solving aloud at the level of the Samsung coding test: brute force, optimise, count complexity honestly
- Implementing a hash table, heap or queue from scratch and explaining why a device team cares
- C, C++ or Java in depth: pointers, memory, the stack and heap, and undefined behaviour in a crash
- Operating systems and Android or modem behaviour on a phone: threads, memory leaks, battery and a dropped call
- Final-year project ownership and a bug you found from a log
- Why R&D over IT services, working with Korean headquarters across time zones, and Bengaluru or Noida postings
Step 1
Pick your domain
The expert on the panel probes these areas at the level of this role. Optional here; you can choose during setup.
Step 2
Choose how you want to be interviewed
1:1 interview
One interviewer runs every round and adapts the focus as you go. Lower pressure; ideal for a first attempt.
Mr. Vikram Malhotra
Hiring manager
Panel interview · 3 members
Most realisticEach member leads their own round and hands over to the next. They hear each other, so a weak answer will be revisited.
Ms. Neha Kulkarni
HR member
Mr. Vikram Malhotra
Hiring manager
Mr. Naveen Reddy
Technical lead
What to expect
5 rounds · 17 minutes
A private-sector hiring loop compressed into one sitting, the way most Indian companies run it: HR screen → hiring-manager round on your actual work → role/technical round led by a lead → communication & behavioural (STAR) round → closing on expectations and your questions.
Works for software, product, sales, finance, HR, support and campus hiring by swapping the role bank.
- Round 1
HR screen
· 3:00Understand background, motivation for this role and company, and basic logistics; check that the resume story holds together.
Ms. Neha Kulkarni2–3 questionsup to 1 follow-up each - Round 2
Hiring-manager round
· 4:00Assess ownership, judgement and how the candidate actually works: what they shipped, closed or ran, their specific part, and how they would approach this job.
Mr. Vikram Malhotra2–3 questionsup to 2 follow-ups each - Round 3
Role / technical round
· 5:00Test role knowledge and problem-solving in the chosen specialisation: fundamentals, one scenario to think through aloud, and trade-offs.
Mr. Naveen Reddy3–4 questionsup to 2 follow-ups each - Round 4
Communication & behavioural round
· 3:00Assess collaboration, conflict handling, resilience and clarity of expression through Situation–Task–Action–Result examples.
Mr. Vikram Malhotra2–2 questionsup to 1 follow-up each - Round 5
Expectations & closing
· 2:00Cover practical expectations and let the candidate ask questions; close professionally.
Ms. Neha Kulkarni1–2 questions
Meet the panel
Your AI interviewers
Distinct personas, voices and questioning styles, briefed on this role.
Ms. Neha Kulkarni
ChairHR member
HR business partner, IT services
Friendly, efficient, detail-checking.
Female voice · 4 languages
Mr. Vikram Malhotra
Hiring manager
Engineering manager / Regional manager (hiring manager)
Direct, outcome-focused, fair but demanding.
Male voice · 2 languages
Mr. Naveen Reddy
Technical lead
Chief Engineer (Staff), Samsung R&D Institute India, Bengaluru; earlier modem software and Android platform teams in Noida
Precise, patient, data-structure obsessed, impressed only by correct code and honest reasoning.
Male voice · 3 languages
Languages
Answer in the language you think in
The panel asks in your chosen language. Switch mid-answer if you like.
- English
- Hinglish (Hindi + English)Hinglish
How scoring works
A report you can act on
Every round is scored on the rubric
Each interviewer scores only the criteria their round covers. Weights add up to your overall score out of 100.
Only what you actually said counts
Feedback quotes your own answers. Rounds you skip show as “Not assessed” rather than a zero.
Communication is always measured
Fluency, clarity, confidence and structure are tracked across the whole interview, in any language.
Pass mark, then a plan
You see the pass mark for this interview, your gaps, and the courses that close them fastest.
Scored on
- Role knowledge30%
Depth and accuracy of role/domain knowledge; understands the tools, concepts and trade-offs of the job; grounds claims in real work.
- Problem solving & structure25%
Breaks problems down, asks clarifying questions, reasons about trade-offs and edge cases, structures answers (context, action, result).
- Communication25%
Clear, concise, confident; listens and answers the question asked; adapts the explanation to the listener; professional register.
- Culture & attitude20%
Ownership, honesty about limits, coachability, collaboration, motivation for this role and realistic expectations.
Pass mark 65 / 100 · Corporate interview — HR, hiring manager & role round (panel)
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