FAQs
Life is short. So I thought I’d create this to help answer FAQ to help people make an informed choice.
How did you prepare for Microsoft?
Microsoft typically has 4 to 6 rounds of interviews for IDC (India Development Center). This is a mix of Data Structures round, Low level design round, High level architecture round, Project interview and behavioral round. This is a common practice among all product companies. Rounds may get clubbed/skipped depending on your interview feedback. To best prepare for it, I studied using Scaler Academy’s Data Structures course which helped me nail my interviews at Microsoft.
Why did you join scaler?
I attended a trial class at scaler and learnt something new that day and liked it. My learning curve was bad at the time, so Scaler became a place where I learned new things and this quickly became a daily routine. Something to look forward to everyday. A month into it, I seriously started to prepare for a switch.
I am stuck in my job, not learning. Should I join Scaler?
A good litmus test in my honest opinion would be, to interview at 2–3 companies, understand your pain points really well. If you think you’re good but only need a little in help in some very specific area, following might work:
For DSA I suggest going through Interviewbit or leetcode.
For system design, I find masterclasses by Scaler to be really good and you could join this for free.
Book resources: Designing Data Intensive Applications.
Video Course: System Design by Arpit.
However if you’re getting rejected in the first few rounds, chances are you really need a lot of work and Scaler might be a better choice. The reason why you are joining Scaler must be very concise 1 or 2 line statements.
How effective is Scaler for me as I’m from a Test background/non-tech background/ lesser experienced?
I’m a big believer of rewriting histories. I myself come from a Tier-3 college. To be honest, my current life is bigger than a dream when I look back at myself from college. And if I can make it here, so can you. So start believing in yourself, and get to work hard. Push yourself as much as you can. The only difference between you and a Tier-1 college person at Scaler would be, they already know how to work hard. We never know what we’re capable of.
Placement Support at Scaler?
I had a lot of pedigree before joining Scaler. I was already an Alumni from IIIT-B, and had worked at IBM for ~3 years. Both these experiences made me privileged enough to not need a referral from Scaler as I already had friends who’d personally recommend me. It was only a matter of changing status to Open for work and referrals and recruiter calls poured in. However as a mentor I’ve seen good placement support for my mentees. They were happy.
Tips to be good at Scaler?
Practice questions diligently. In my own experience, people who practice questions daily with the course were far more satisfied with the course and had a smooth ride. So before you sign up make sure you have the mental capacity and time to dedicate here. Listening to lectures is intellectually stimulating, but doesn’t help in interviews much. You need to PRACTICE.
Do you work for Scaler or is this free advice?
I’m a Scaler ally. I love the problem they’re trying to solve, and over the years I’ve seen them make an honest effort to solve it, one student at a time. Everything I mentioned here is my own honest opinion.
Why is Scaler more expensive than Coding Ninjas, Leetcode etc?
I’ve a leetcode premium sub, used for a very different purpose. You need to ask yourself what your goal from Scaler is and then try to look for Cheaper alternatives. I haven’t tried out any apart from the resources I already shared and for me Scaler was a really good investment. Use my referral code to save some bucks :)
Read more on my Scaler review here: https://www.scaler.com/blog/scaler-academy-review-kritika-agarwal/
If your questions are still left unanswered, please setup a meeting from here: https://linktr.ee/kritika.agarwal
Do tap a clap if it helps! Happy Learning :)
