SDE Internship Plan

6 to 8 months before the internship season

• Choose a programming language, preferably C++, Java, or Python.
• Learn the basics of the language. E.g. in C++, be thorough with STL.
• Start solving the problems from Codeforces (low rated, 800-1000) and  Hackerrank.
• Strengthen implementation skills by practising a lot of problems, and then go for topic-wise problems.
• Learn concepts of Data Structures and Algorithms from POTW, GFG, cp-algo and youtube videos.
• Give contests and upsolve unsolved problems after a contest. DO NOT GET DEMORALIZED BY RATING. Contests are a great way to improve your coding skills and stimulate a real test-like environment.
• Major platforms are-

• Codeforces (for CP)
• Hackerrank (for DSA)
• Geeksforgeeks (for DSA)
• Interviewbit (for DSA)
• Leetcode(for DSA)
• Codechef (for CP)
• CSES (For CP,Good topic-wise problem)
• Atcoder (for CP)

• Choose the area(s) for your projects (you can refer to TeamCUC).
• Be sure to build at least two projects. You can choose software related work for your exploratory project.
• Try to participate in hackathons, programming contests and various department fests to get exposure. You can add Good ranks to your resume.
• Keep an eye on unique opportunities like GSOC, Google Step Intern, Microsoft Engage, Uber Star Intern, etc.

January to June

• Start preparing rigorously for DSA
• For data structures/ algorithms
• Array: leetcode
• Math: leetcode
• String: leetcode
• LinkedList: gfg, leetcode
• Stack: gfg, leetcode
• Queue: gfg, leetcode
• Binary search: leetcode
• Sorting: leetcode, algorithms from gfg( Insertion Sort, Bubble Sort, Selection Sort, Merge Sort, Quick Sort, Heap Sort)
• Sliding Window, two pointers: leetcode
• Greedy: leetcode, gfg
• DP (focus on recursion) (Aditya Verma/ Tushar Roy/ Abdul Bari from youtube) -  Leetcode or InterviewBit + GFG 56 ques on algorithm page
• Binary Trees: gfg/leetcode, InterviewBit
• Binary Search Tree: gfg/leetcode, InterviewBit
• Heap: read operations from gfg, but implement using priority_queue
• Priority queue (STL): Heap (Aditya Verma), leetcode
• Hashing: gfg/leetcode, interviewbit
• Backtracking + recursion: gfg, leetcode
• Bit Manipulation: Hackerearth theory, leetcode
• Divide and Conquer: gfg, leetcode (focus on merge sort method)
• Graph

• For theory: CP Algo, Hackerearth, gfg (not good codes)
• For practice: leetcode, InterviewBit, Codeforces, Hackerearth (not good solutions)
• BFS / DFS
• Shortest paths (Dijkstra, Bellman-Ford, Floyd Warshal, BFS)
• DSU (with Path compression)
• Minimum Spanning Tree (Krushal’s Algorithm, Prim’s Algorithm)

• Give contests regularly in Codeforces and Leetcode.
• For significant problems on specific topics, refer to sheets like this.
• If you haven’t completed your projects, definitely complete them now.
• You can start learning about CS Subjects.

               OOPS (GFG or learncpp.com or Saurabh Shukla YT videos)(for java : javatpoint.com)

               OS (Yellow pages, Gate Smashers)

               DBMS (if you are very confident in your coding skills & have sufficient time)

July Onwards:

• Revise and Practice problems from InterviewBit/Leetcode/GFG.
• Revise theoretical topics like OOPS, Operating systems, etc., thoroughly.
• Refer to the Internship Diary for company-specific questions
• After creating your profile in the TPC portal, you can access the Forum and read about company-specific experiences.
• You can solve puzzles from GFG or Interviewbit.

 

For tests and interviews: 

• Resumes for Reference

• Read the test instructions very carefully. Some companies have question-specific time limits, and some platforms do not allow resubmission etc.
• For an interview, be thorough with everything mentioned in your resume.
• Solve the problems that came in the tests afterwards because questions keep repeating.
• Prepare your brief introduction, description of the project, and about the company beforehand.
• Give mock interviews.

 

All the Best!!! 🙂