CTCI Interview Questions and Answers

Round: Test
Experience: It was pretty easy and generic. Not much related to my branch i.e. Chemical Engineering. Out of 24, 6 were selected for the next round.
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes

Round: Group Discussion
Experience: 6 of us were given the choice between 2 topics: online shopping vs. Conventional shopping, and the success of swachh bharat. We selected the prior one after a discussion of 1 minute. We were given 3 minutes to brainstorm and 12 minutes to speak, so 12+3 = 15 minutes total. The mediators, that is the HR lady and the technical gentleman, just listened, did not interfere in our discussions.
Tips: Like any GD, it's crucial to demonstrate leadership without being patronising. And to dominate without being disrespectful to others. While it's ok not to take a rigid stance in a GD, it certainly gets you bonus points if you can convince the other person and "bring them to your side". It's not a debate, so even if you argue, you have to come to a more-or-less unanimous conclusion within the set time so your discussion must have a set direction. Bonus points if you're the one giving the direction.
Duration: 15 minutes

Round: HR Interview
Experience: It was for about 10-15 minutes. The HR lady and the tech gentleman were very chill. They began by asking me about myself. I have a startup of my own so I gave a short intro about myself, my immediate family, my goals and then into my startup. They had gone through my CV so they started asking about my activities in college and what I was doing. I think they were trying to figure out my character and if all of it was genuine. Then I again started talking about my startup, so they finally relented and asked me about it. I explained the idea to them and told them that I would want to continue working on my startup. They told me that it was not in accordance with their company's policy to have an employee occupied full-time in two companies. Then I informed them that my startup was my priority, and we agreed that I would not be a good fit for Thermax.
Tips: Be confident, cool and open during the interview. You are already good if you've progressed to the last stage of the selection process. The interviewer already knows you have flair. What they want to figure out is that whether you are the right fit for their company's culture. If you're not, no matter how good you are, they will not select you. And that's ok.