Summer Admission Process

During the summer admission cycle, my 8th semester result was pending (Current CGPI: 8.8).

I received an email from IIT Delhi for the Written Test for MS(R) CSE.
At that time, my end-semester exams were also going on, so I had limited preparation time.

The written test syllabus mentioned the following areas:

  • Data Structures and Algorithms
  • Hardware and Software Systems
  • Probability and Linear Algebra
  • Discrete Mathematics and Logic

I had not studied Probability and Linear Algebra for a long time, so I decided to focus mainly on the other subjects, where I was relatively more comfortable.

Written Test Experience

I traveled to IIT Delhi and appeared for the exam.

The written test was divided into two sections:

1. Programming Section (45 minutes)

This section was easy.

Questions included:

  • Binary Search
  • Longest Common Subsequence (LCS)
  • Simple 2D matrix problems
  • Input-output–based questions

Overall, the programming section was easy if you have basic coding practice.

2. Core CSE Section (1.5–2 hours)

This section covered the core CS subjects.

I barely attempted Probability and Linear Algebra (only 2–3 questions).

I tried to maximize my attempts in:

  • Data Structures & Algorithms
  • Hardware and Software Systems
  • Discrete Mathematics & Logic

Despite leaving most of the Probability & Linear Algebra questions, I managed to clear the written test.

  • Around 28 MS(R) students were invited for interviews out of ~350+
  • ✅ Cleared the written exam
  • 📩 Called for interview (next day)

Interview

The interview panel consisted of three professors:

  • Dr. Rohit
  • Dr. Tarun
  • Dr. X (name not known)

Start of Interview

Dr. Rohit read my application.

They asked me what I had prepared.

I replied that I had mainly prepared OS and COA, and honestly mentioned that I was not comfortable with Mathematics.

Questions Asked

Dr. Tarun

On a uniprocessor system, if an infinite while loop is running, what will happen?

I initially did not fully understand the intent of the question and asked a few clarifying questions.

Unfortunately, I forgot about interrupts, which was a key part of the expected answer.

Dr. Rohit

Can I ask you a question from Data Structures?

I agreed.

What is a Binary Search Tree (BST)?

Interestingly, the exact same definition-based question had appeared in the written test.

I gave the definition, then was asked to go to the board and draw a BST based on values dictated by him.

He then asked me to verify the definition using the drawn tree, after which I clarified it more precisely.

He seemed satisfied with the explanation.

Dr. X

Suppose you have RAM and a process whose size is larger than the RAM (exact numbers were given). What will happen?

I went to the board and explained the entire scenario using the concept of Virtual Memory, including paging.

The professor seemed satisfied.

Dr. X (Follow-up)

You have 10 million integers and only 500 KB RAM. How will you sort them?

I immediately realized that the main memory was insufficient and asked whether I could use a disk.

They allowed it.

I started explaining an approach similar to merge sort / k-way merge.

However, while combining the sorted chunks, I initially got confused about memory usage.

I proposed merging two chunks at a time, but again ran into a memory constraint during explanation.

I was on the right track (using a disk with pointers in memory), but time ran out before I could fully explain it.

They asked me to think more about it later.

My Thoughts

Honestly, I felt the interview did not go very well, especially due to:

  • Missing the interrupt concept
  • Not completing the external sorting explanation

However, no candidate seemed fully satisfied after the interview.

The professors were polite and supportive, but they were clearly testing depth and clarity.

Verdict

❌ Not Selected

Some Numbers for Context

  • 200–350+ MS(R) candidates were invited for the written test
  • 28 MS(R) candidates were shortlisted for interviews
  • Finally, only 7–8 candidates were selected