Please don't waste the time of your candidates if you're not ready to recruit. I was contacted via LinkedIn and informed about an in-person interview in Chennai. So, I traveled there, only to find out it was actually a test. The test was different for experienced candidates and freshers. I took the fresher test, which had 200 multiple-choice questions covering code snippets from Node.js, React, Express, MongoDB, and cultural fit. I scored 170/200 and passed. I was told I’d hear back in two days, but it took five days, and I had to keep reaching out for updates. The HR ignored my calls, emails, and WhatsApp messages. Finally, they scheduled a Node.js round, where the interviewer asked about Node.js architecture, encryption methods, database aggregation, event loops, threads, and more—topics a fresher wouldn’t typically know. Despite this, I managed to answer well due to my preparation and freelance experience. Then I was given a LeetCode question, "Move Zeroes to the End - In Place." I explained both brute force and optimal solutions but they wanted me to code it live, which i did passed 2/4 test cases. After four days of constant follow-ups, I was scheduled for a React.js round. This round started with another LeetCode problem, "Print All Leader Elements in an Array," which I solved, passing all test cases. I was then asked to create a React project, handle some basic positioning, and hit an API endpoint to display the first 10 data points, which I successfully did. Next, I moved on to the final round, the cultural fit interview with the CTO. We discussed my previous work experiences and projects, basic tech questions, and then my salary expectations. I said I was more interested in experience than money but mentioned my current offer. Despite this, I was given another LeetCode problem to solve, "Father Wants to Distribute Coins to His Three Sons Equally," which requires dynamic programming and is tough for a fresher in 30 minutes. I coded the entire approach and explained it but couldn’t pass all test cases, solving about 90% of the problem. After all this, they told me they couldn’t match my current offer. I said it was okay and I’d accept whatever they could offer since I had invested three weeks in this process. Despite that, the next day I received a rejection email.