Fair Isaac India Software Interview Questions and Answers

Round: Test
Experience: The company was recruiting for three profiles – Software, Analytics and R&D. They took two tests. The first test was compulsory for all. The second test was for the R&D profile. On the basis of the score they short-listed me for the Research and Development profile.

Round: Interview
Experience: The interviewer asked me to take him though my resume and then asked about my thesis and projects. Then there were several questions on probability (the ones I had got wrong in the test paper!) and computer algorithms.

Round: Interview
Experience: I was selected in Fair Isaac (R&D). They use Genetic Algorithms (GAs) in their finance work. I have done many projects in GAs and also have some papers published. I think that helped me a lot in getting selected.

General Tips: The Decision Making Process:
Like most people at IITK, I was in a dilemma of what to do after my graduation. Broadly, I had two options in front of me – Core (PhD/Job) and Non-Core (MBA/Job). I had already had some research exposure. I had worked on some good research projects during my internships and also at IITK. Although I thought I was good at research, I wanted to explore working in a corporate environment as I had never done that before. Also, the life as a PhD
and thereafter, seemed less action packed and less dynamic for me. Maybe I could do it at a later part in my life, but for now I decided to explore the Non-Core sector. I was looking for a company which would give me business exposure as well as an opportunity to learn and develop my skill set.
Amongst the non-core sectors, Consultancy with its varied exposure seemed the best to me. I thought FMCG gave a wonderful leadership experience and was my second preference. Finance involved too much numbers and probability (something I’m not good at). But still it was my third preference (amongst the options available) as I am quite interested in the financial world. Analytics and then IT followed. Despite the heavy pay-package, the Oil sector did not attract me a lot. I did not prepare for it but still applied as we had very few good options this year.

Experiences:
1. In general, I would say that my preparation was good as 5th year had a lot of time.

2. It’s fun to prepare, especially HR and giving and taking mock interviews.

3. Shocks and Surprises – I was told that anything can happen during placements and it turned out to be true. The McKinsey shortlist came out in early October and I was not short-listed. I had not expected this at all and had even started practicing case studies long before. This left me really disappointed.

4. Try to do things early, November gets really busy – End Sems, CAT, Revise everything (I was not able to revise Fluid Mechanics).

5. Prepare for tests well, they matter a lot – if you score very well in the test (top few), the interview process would just check that you can talk, solve puzzles and you are interested (you will join). Besides, sometimes it is difficult to judge who is better by the interview process – the tests score matter then as they are the only objective score that they have (apart from CPI).

6. Know Probability well – learn Probability and Statistics and maybe even Stochastic Processes if you have not done these courses and you want a job in Finance/Analytics.

7. Don’t just prepare for consultancy / finance / FMCG – less than 10 people got placed in these companies. Prepare for other companies as well. Have a backup plan ready and do not lose hope, the scenario is bad – it’s not your fault – things will improve!
Skill Tips: 1. Make a good resume – bug your seniors.

2. Practice for aptitude tests – otherwise the one’s preparing for CAT have distinct advantage.

3. Improve communication skills – do lots of mock interviews and GDs.

4. Hope for the best and prepare for the worst – the scenario is bad – even the best can be in for a long placement season, and feeling bad about it will only make matters worse – it’s just your first job – in the long run of your career, these fluctuations won’t matter; what will matter is, how you handle these fluctuations.
College Name: IIT KANPUR

Round: Test
Experience: Questions were algorithm based and there was no language barrier. It had programming related questions.
Duration: 20 minutes
Total Questions: 20-25

Round: Test
Experience: DI, Stats and software based questions were asked. It had CAT type questions.
Duration: 10 minutes
Total Questions: 40

Round: Technical Interview
Experience: Programming related (mostly algorithm related) and BTP and Intern (Microelectronics).

Round: Technical Interview
Experience: It was a 15-minute round. -DS related questions based on sorting and questions already solved in the DI test were discussed.
Tips: Preparations should be good in DI, DS and Probability & Stats.

Round: HR Interview
Tips: DO attend PPT’s.

College Name: IIT KANPUR