Ciena Software Designer Interview Questions and Answers

Round: Test
Experience: Questions were from easy to moderate level. No negative marking, so attempt all.
Tips: Keep your mind open and practice aptitude problems on a daily basis.

Round: Group Discussion
Experience: There were 21 students selected out of which two teams of 10 and 11 students were formed. Both the groups were given a topic and each one of us had to express our views.
Tips: Don't get nervous, just speak whatever you think. Don't yell or speak at loudly, just keep calm and put your points forward.
Duration: 20 minutes

Round: Technical Interview
Experience: Apart from the above questions some puzzles and DBMS questions and a few basic C questions were also asked. We were given enough time to think and answer.
Tips: Do not be in a hurry. Think properly what you are going to say, whether it is right or not and then only answer.

Round: HR Interview
Experience: The HR round was a good one. He tried to test my thinking capabilities and reasoning capabilities
Tips: Answer every question honestly.

General Tips: All the four rounds were elimination rounds and the final result was announced based on cumulative performance. So, be patient and give your best.
Skill Tips: Try to answer every properly
Skills: IQ, Basic Coding Skills, Problem Solving Skills
College Name: NIT ALLAHABAD
Motivation: The company visited our college campus. Also, one of my relatives in in Ericsson at a very high  post and is quite happy working here.

Interview preparation tips for other job seekers - They will ask many questions but work will something else.

Round: Test
Experience: Aptitude test was taken on aspiring minds and name of the test series was AMCAT.600 students gave the exam and 90 were selected for the GD.
There were four sections and each section had a minimum number of questions to be attempted and there was no negative marking.Navigation among questions and sections were not allowed so use you time and mind carefully.
Section 1 - Quants
Section 2 - Verbal Ability and Critical Reasoning
Section 3 - Logical Reasoning
Section 4 - Programming and Computer Science
Tips: Speed is the key.key. Quants are easier they test only the speed of the candidate.I think the programming section has the max weight age so try to focus on that section and try to score maximum marks in that section. Programming questions were tough and there were questions from a wide range of subjects Networking , Algorithms ,Data Structures , Java, C/C++, Operating Systems,Advanced Databases etc.


Round: Group Discussion
Experience: Group discussion was very ordinary and easy to crack if you have the right content and suitable examples and clear and crisp communication skills.I took the against side of the issue which only 2 out of 10 members did and I was very bold and effective with my statements and defended my stance effectively.
Tips: Give examples,Be bold and clear and crisp .
Duration: 25 minutes

Round: HR Interview
Experience: My HR interview started at around 11pm in the night so it was very chilled out.He asked me about what excites me , why verizon , what projects I have done and what role I've played it them.He asked about my college life ? What do we study ? Why do you want to work for a MNC rather then a startup? and many more general questions which I don't remember because my interview was very chilled out. I was having fun.I asked him a lot of questions about job profile and company and many of their products so he was impressed with me.
Tips: Please do a detailed survey of the work that the company does and have knowledge about the sector and SDLC.

Round: Puzzle Interview
Experience: I was given a 3*3 and 5*5 magic cube to solve.I tried a lot of times and it took nearly 15-20 minutes to solve both the questions correctly.He asked my approach I said politely Hit and Trial and then he said to me there's a shortcut and he told me a very nice and quick trick to solve the magic cube.

Round: Technical Interview
Experience: Basic programming questions were asked about patterns, strings and some algorithms like quick sort and merge sort.
Major tough and difficult questions were asked on databases and advanced databases in oracle.He asked many questions about the projects that I've done.In depth questions regarding projects were asked.He asked questions about various things used in web application and may question regarding MySql and Tables and JOINS.
Tips: Keep your calm even if you don't know any answer. I couldn't answer to one question of databases which carried our discussion on that questions for around 10 mins but still I couldn't answer the question and in the end I asked just out of curiosity that I want to know the answer to the question and he explained me the concept perfectly.

Skills: Programming, Databases, Communication Skills, Software Development Life Cycle
College Name: SRM University

Round: Test
Experience: It was 2.5 hour long AMCAT test comprising of Quant, Verbal ability, analytic ability, technical section comprising questions from C, DSA and other computer fundamentals.
The test is not that difficult so the cutoff generally goes high
Duration: 150 minutes

Round: Technical Interview
Experience: Started with a formal "Tell me about yourself". While I continued for 2 minutes, he read my CV word to word. Since I had always been interested in programming and so it was my strong point. But he didn't even ask my area of interest and directly asked me question from core electronics that too application based. The questions were like this:
1. "Suppose you are recruited as an ECE engineer in IRCTC. Your job is to stop the train accidents that happen every now and then. Use your Applied Electronics to construct a scheme/plan. Tell me how will you proceed?"
I was literally stunned at such a question. However I took some seconds to think and gave him 2-3 answers all applying the idea in one way or the other. Like use of modern sensors, RADAR technology, Use of automated baricates at crossings and explained it to him. He wasn't fully convinced but somehow I was able to do OK.
After that i told him that I was more comfortable in programming and computer science subjects. he neglected this altogether and kept asking me ECE questions. Next questions were like "Explain the working of IC 555 timer." I told him straight away that I didn't know it very well.
After this he moved on to ask me the difference between GSM and CDMA technology, how mobile phones work and the whole concept of cellular telephony. I had prepared well for it and told him even more than he was expecting so he was quite pleased to hear it.
Next were some questions from computer networks like how internet works, Network model etc. I told him I was studying CN currently so i gave him the basics of OSI model explaining briefly each of the 7 layers. Also told him about sub-nets, sub-net masks etc.
After this he asked me some general question from my CV about my achievements like KVPY scholarship, NTSE scholarship and about my research paper. I explained it to him to the best I could. Then I asked a couple questions from my side and this interview was over. The whole process took around 35-40 minutes.
Tips: For technical, have a solid command over all the fundamentals of important subjects. You need to start early. 3rd year is a good time to plan and start your preparation. In your summer holidays before 7th semester, don't focus your full attention on your training. It is also important but you need to take out some extra time for aptitude building, revising concepts and enhancing your communication skills. Be confident and be honest. Try to make the conversation as interesting as possible. Try to be more interested in the company. If possible, do a little homework about the company visiting your college. It will prove to be useful and certainly will give you an edge above others.

Round: HR Interview
Experience: It had hardly been 15 minutes after the completion of my technical interview and I was called for the HR round. Again it started with “tell me about yourself” but this time the lady asked me everything about my family, my schooling, my interests and all. It was a really good 30 minutes spent as the conversation was really interesting. Then she asked me whether I had any problems in relocation. Then it led to a good discussion about how is life different in Hyderabad and Chennai. I asked her a little bit about her education and how she started a formal career in management. She was very happy to respond. Lastly, there were some concluding remarks, a formal thank you and the interview was over.
Tips: Make the interview as interactive as possible. Ask a lot of questions. The person should know that you are really interested in the company. Prepare good answers for HR round well in advance.Any extracurricular activities that you have been a part of may come up in the HR/Managerial round. I was asked what have you done in your college life so far other than studies. I had a lot to say in that matter as i was involved in dramatics, debating, quizzing and other activities right from the school level. They may be interested to know how efficiently have you handled any complex or challenging situations in your life. I was the Event Executive of Fashion Show "PANACHE" in BLITZSCHLAG'13. I explained to HR what all I did to make that event a success and she was really impressed with it.

General Tips: CGPA matters. Not always but definitely it's a point worth considering when the interviewers are confused even after the completion of all the rounds about which students to select.Although not specific to this company, but other companies give a lot of credit to CGPA. It is an important factor along with the 1st written round for the shortlisting of candidates.So, maintain as good a CGPA as you can.In your technical interview you are going to be asked about at least one project that you have been involved in your college life. If some project is mentioned in your CV, it is certain that the interviewer will ask you about it. I have seen discussions as long as 1 hour or more on one's project itself.
College Name: NIT JAIPUR

Round: Test
Experience: There were 40 aptitude questions of variable difficulty. More questions revolved around topics like time and work, distance, speed, time, profit loss, age etc.
Tips: A regular and prior preparation will go a long way in determining a good test score.
Use tricks to solve the questions and calculations should be fast.
Duration: 30 minutes
Total Questions: 40

Round: Test
Experience: The questions weren't that tough when it came to programming. An example would be conversion of temperature from Celsius to Fahrenheit and vice versa. This was a question in my paper. So I'm hoping the difficulty would be more or less the same.
Tips: Do certified programming courses. They help you a lot in cracking good jobs.
Duration: 45 minutes
Total Questions: 3

Round: Puzzle Interview
Tips: This can be tough if you can't imagine scenarios and situations. So make sure you inculcate critical problem solving thinking in your everyday life. I feel that's the best way to do things in this round.

Round: Technical Interview
Experience: This was a short interview so not much happened.
Tips: Whatever you do just know your stuff properly.

Round: HR Interview
Experience: It was a simple interview. Basic questions and their basic answers helped me get through it.
Tips: The tip would be to stay positive in your approach while answering the questions

Skills: Technical Skills, Interpersonal Communication, Aptitude
College Name: VIT Vellore

Round: Test
Experience: The test was conducted through Cocubes. It was moderately difficult. Some of the questions are time taking. We need to be decisive in attempting such questions.
Tips: Need to manage time properly. Should assess and choose which questions to attempt and which ones to leave.
Duration: 1 hour
Total Questions: 30

Round: Test
Experience: The three questions are of three different levels.

1. You will be given two numbers. The first one is the starting point and the second one is the ending point of a range of integers. You have to count the number of integers in that range which are divisible by the first number.

Ex : INPUT : 3 18
OUTPUT : 6

2. You will be given a number. You have to find the sum of the digits. If the sum exceeds 9, you have to add the digits of the sum recursively until you a get a single digit sum.

EX : INPUT : 9999
OUTPUT : 9

Explanation: 9999 => 9 +9+9+9=36 => 3+6 =9

3. You will be given an array of characters which include ( L, R , or a number in the range '0' to '9'). A ball is kept on a line of integers initially kept at zero. The ball has to execute the instructions sequentially as follows:
(i) If an 'L' character is encountered, the ;position of the ball has to be decremented.
(ii) If an 'R' character is encountered, the position of the ball has to be incremented.
(iii) If an integer (in the range '0' to '9) is encountered , we have to go to that index in the array and execute the instruction present in that index.

Finally, after all the instructions are executed, you have to print the final position of the ball.

EX : INPUT :
Number of instruction : 5
Instructions: LR1R2

OUTPUT : 3

Explanation :
(i) Initially, the ball is at 0. Since the 0th index in the array is 'L' , the ball moves to 0-1= -1 position.
(ii) The 1st index is 'R' hence, the position of the ball is -1 +1 = 0 position.
(iii) The 2nd index is '1', hence we have to go to index 1 in the array which is 'R', hence the new position is 0+1 =1.
(iv) The 3rd index is 'R', hence the new position is 1 +1 =2.
(v) The 4th index is '2' , hence we have to go to 2nd index is '1' , hence we have to go again to 1st index , which is 'R' hence the final position is 2+1 =3.

Tips: We need to solve all the three the problems to have better chances of clearing this round.
Duration: 1 hour
Total Questions: 3

Round: Technical Interview
Experience: The interview was focussed majorly on coding. It went for about 45min with around 10 coding problems given to solve. Some basics of Computer networking are also tested in this round.
Tips: Be prepared with some basics of networking. As the company's main focus is on Telecom, good knowledge in telecom and networking would be a big advantage.

Round: Technical Interview
Experience: This round was focused on the aptitude and reasoning skills. Some puzzles were given in this round. These puzzles are of moderately complex and are more common ones in interviews. Like the (find the heavier ball among three balls using a balance in min no. of attempts).
Tips: Sometimes the interviewer tries to confuse. You need to be confident with your answers and explaination.

Round: HR Interview
Experience: The interview was more of a traditional HR round. Majorly concentrated on the final year project, personal strengths and weaknesses.

Skills: Coding Skills, Computer Networking, C Language Basics
College Name: G Pulla Reddy College of Engineering & Technology

Round: Test
Experience: It was a simple aptitude test in which around 150 students cleared the test.
Duration: 1 hour
Total Questions: 40

Round: Test
Experience: Three programs were given and we had to write the code in either java ,c or c++ and get the required output.Around 90 students cleared this round.
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Questions: 3

College Name: VIT Vellore

Round: Test
Experience: There were 40 aptitude questions of variable difficulty. More questions revolved around topics like time and work, distance, speed, time, profit loss, age etc.
Tips: A regular and prior preparation will go a long way in determining a good test score.
Use tricks to solve the questions and calculations should be fast.
Duration: 30 minutes
Total Questions: 40

Round: Test
Experience: The questions weren't that tough when it came to programming. An example would be conversion of temperature from Celsius to Fahrenheit and vice versa. This was a question in my paper. So I'm hoping the difficulty would be more or less the same.
Tips: Do certified programming courses. They help you a lot in cracking good jobs.
Duration: 45 minutes
Total Questions: 3

Round: Puzzle Interview
Tips: This can be tough if you can't imagine scenarios and situations. So make sure you inculcate critical problem solving thinking in your everyday life. I feel that's the best way to do things in this round.

Round: Technical Interview
Experience: This was a short interview so not much happened.
Tips: Whatever you do just know your stuff properly.

Round: HR Interview
Experience: It was a simple interview. Basic questions and their basic answers helped me get through it.
Tips: The tip would be to stay positive in your approach while answering the questions

Skills: Technical Skill, Interpersonal Communication, Aptitude
College Name: VIT Vellore