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Software Engineer interview questionsProblem-solving Assessment round

A 60 min interview plan with a time-boxed script, what each question is for, and the signals to score against. Key skills: Problem Solving, Logical Reasoning, Analytical Thinking, Debugging, Optimization.

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Introduction

5 min
•

Hi, I’m [YOUR_NAME], and I’m a [YOUR_TITLE] at [COMPANY_NAME]. I’m excited to learn more about your experience today.

•

Could you briefly introduce yourself and share what attracted you to apply for this position?

What this question is for, and what to listen for

Purpose

Assess communication skills, alignment with the role, and initial confidence.

Signals to score

  • Clear introduction provided
  • Relevant experience mentioned
  • Motivations for applying explained
  • Alignment with team values
  • Specific skills highlighted
  • Response is concise and organized
  • Understanding of role requirements

Follow-up questions

  • What excites you most about this position?
  • How does your background align with our team’s work?
•

Great, thank you for sharing! In the next 50 minutes, we’ll focus on a problem-solving challenge. After that, you can ask any questions you have about the role or the company.

Problem-Solving Challenge

50 min
•

Implement a function to find the longest substring without repeating characters in a given string. Given a string, find the length of the longest substring without repeating characters. Examples: Input: "abcabcbb" Output: 3 Explanation: The answer is "abc", with the length of 3. Input: "bbbbb" Output: 1 Explanation: The answer is "b", with the length of 1. Follow-Ups: - What is the time complexity of your solution? - How would you optimize your solution?

What this question is for, and what to listen for

Purpose

Assess problem-solving, logical reasoning, analytical thinking, and coding proficiency.

Signals to score

  • Clear understanding of the problem
  • Logical and structured approach
  • Explains thought process
  • Considers edge cases
  • Efficient, clean, well-formatted code
  • Tests and debugs the code effectively
  • Open to feedback and adjusts accordingly
  • Provided correct time complexity

Follow-up questions

  • Can you explain your thought process on how to approach the problem?
  • How do you plan to handle edge cases in your solution?
  • Can you walk me through your code and explain each step?
  • How would you test your solution?
•

If you had more time, what would you change in your solution?

What this question is for, and what to listen for

Purpose

Assess the candidate's ability to reflect on their work, identify areas for improvement, and demonstrate critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

Signals to score

  • Recognizes limits in their original answer.
  • Points out clear areas to improve.
  • Suggests specific changes.
  • Talks about how changes could help performance.
  • Shares ideas clearly and logically.
  • Shows a desire to learn and improve.

Follow-up questions

  • What would you do differently if you had more time?
  • How could you improve the efficiency of your solution?
  • Are there any additional edge cases you would consider?
•

Great job on the problem-solving challenge!

Closing

5 min
•

Do you have any questions for me about the team or the company?

What this question is for, and what to listen for

Purpose

Gauge the candidate’s curiosity and interest in the role.

Signals to score

  • Thoughtful questions asked
  • Interest in company culture
  • Curiosity about growth expressed
  • Questions about role raised
  • Inquiries about team challenges
  • Engagement with responses shown
  • Desire to learn next steps
  • Focus on company values expressed

Follow-up questions

  • What interests you most about this team?
  • Are there any areas of the role you’d like to explore further?
•

Thank you for your time today. We’ll be in touch soon regarding the next steps.

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Interview Template
Position
Software Engineer
Round
Problem-solving Assessment for 60 min
Key skills
Problem Solving, Logical Reasoning, Analytical Thinking, Debugging, Optimization

Software Engineer interviews — common questions

Who is this Software Engineer interview plan for?
It is written for the interviewer, not the candidate: the hiring manager, engineer or panel member running the Problem-solving Assessment round for a Software Engineer role. It gives you a 60 min script to follow in the conversation — 4 questions with what each one is for and the signals to score against — so you are not writing the round from scratch the night before.
What does the Problem-solving Assessment round assess?
This round is focused on: Problem Solving, Logical Reasoning, Analytical Thinking, Debugging, Optimization. It works through Introduction, Problem-Solving Challenge and Closing, scoring against 29 observable signals, with follow-up prompts on all 4 questions for going deeper where an answer is thin.
How is the 60 min split up?
Introduction (5 min), Problem-Solving Challenge (50 min), Closing (5 min). The timings are there so the round stays on schedule and every candidate gets the same shape of interview — which is what makes two candidates comparable afterwards.
What other rounds should I run for a Software Engineer?

A single round does not cover a whole role. The other rounds in this library for a Software Engineer: