Expedia software engineer candidates describe online assessments, coding interviews, system design, and behavioral discussions. Prepare to explain clean implementations and the reasoning behind prior technical decisions.
$150K
Avg. Base Comp
$185K
Avg. Total Comp
2-4 rounds
Typical Rounds
3-6 weeks
Process Length
Expedia software engineer interview reports point to a process that tests implementation, communication, and practical design rather than a single uniform loop. Coding preparation should center on explaining a clear approach while implementing it cleanly. One candidate received Valid Parentheses; another described easy-to-medium LeetCode-style questions, including string compression. A separate report described two medium coding questions under time pressure.
System design is worth preparing as a discussion, not just a memorized architecture exercise. One candidate was asked to design a notification service and found that round the most open-ended, while another encountered two design questions. Be ready to state assumptions, organize trade-offs, and adapt as the interviewer probes.
Behavioral conversations reportedly went beyond surface-level prompts. Candidates described questions about prior projects, technical decisions, problem solving, and team challenges; one candidate also encountered substantial follow-up questioning. Prepare concise examples that make your individual contribution and decision-making easy to follow.
The exact sequence varied across the reports: candidates mentioned an online assessment, phone or recruiter conversations, an interview-drive loop, and a HireVue-style start. Treat the reported structure as a guide rather than a fixed template.
Synthesized from 4 candidate reports by our editorial team.
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Real interview reports from people who went through the Expedia, Inc. process.
The process started with a HireVue-style initial interview, which was a little awkward because I was speaking to a camera and recording my answers instead of talking to a person. There were about 7 to 10 questions total, and a few of them were typed rather than spoken. After that, I moved into a more standard loop that felt pretty structured: a recruiter call, an online assessment, a phone screen, and then an onsite-style set of rounds. The recruiter call was about 30 minutes and was mostly introductory. The OA had two coding problems, and I’d describe them as easy to medium overall. The phone screen had three questions, and the later technical rounds were where things got more intense.
The coding interview was LeetCode-style and had two medium questions, so it was less about trivia and more about recognizing the pattern quickly and writing clean code under time pressure. The system design round was discussion-based and had two questions, which made it feel broader than a single design prompt. I was also asked behavioral questions with the hiring manager, and that round felt more conversational than technical, but still important. Overall, the process was fairly wide-ranging and tested both algorithmic depth and practical system thinking. I wouldn’t call it impossible, but it did feel like they expected you to move quickly and stay organized across different types of rounds. I didn’t get an offer in the end, so my main takeaway is to be ready for a mix of coding, system design, and behavioral questions rather than focusing on just one area.
Prep tip from this candidate
Practice two-medium-question coding rounds under time pressure, and be ready for a system design interview that asks more than one question rather than a single deep dive. If you get a HireVue, expect some typed prompts mixed in with recorded answers, so rehearse concise spoken responses too.
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Sourced from candidate reports and verified by our team.
Topics based on recent interview experiences.
Featured question at Expedia, Inc.
Write a query to randomly sample a row from a big table.
| Question | |
|---|---|
| Permutation Palindrome | |
| Bagging vs Boosting | |
| Completed Shipments | |
| Google Maps Improvement | |
| Nearest Common Ancestor | |
| Groups of Anagrams | |
| Hurdles In Data Projects | |
| Target Indices | |
| Average Commute Time | |
| Average Ride Duration | |
| Count Transactions | |
| Implementing the Fibonacci Sequence in Three Different Methods | |
| Average Revenue per Customer | |
| Check Matching Parentheses | |
| String Palindromes | |
| Deciding Between Solutions | |
| Client Solution Pushback | |
| Best Performing Advertisers | |
| Your Strengths and Weaknesses | |
| Evaluate News | |
| Advertisement Matching | |
| Length Of Longest Palindrome | |
| Reddit-like Notifications | |
| 2nd Highest Salary | |
| Employee Salaries | |
| Merge Sorted Lists | |
| Monthly Customer Report | |
| Rolling Bank Transactions | |
| Raining in Seattle |
Synthesized from candidate reports. Individual experiences may vary.
Candidates report beginning with an online assessment, while another described a HireVue-style recorded response format followed by recruiter and assessment steps. An online assessment may include coding; one Software Engineer candidate said the recruiter contacted them after applying through Workday.
Candidates report coding rounds with standard data-structures-and-algorithms questions. Examples included Valid Parentheses, string compression, and easy-to-medium or medium problems. Expect to explain the approach and produce clean code; the number of questions and pressure level varied by report.
Two candidates reported a system design component. One was asked to design a notification service, and another described two discussion-based design questions. Practice structuring requirements, data flow, and trade-offs, since the specific prompt may differ.
Candidates report questions about projects, technical decisions, problem solving, and team challenges. One candidate said interviewers repeatedly probed their answers, while another described behavioral questions mixed into technical interviews. Prepare specific examples and the reasoning behind your choices.
One candidate reported clear, organized communication through the interviews, while another said post-interview follow-up was unclear and they relied on Workday status. The reports do not establish a consistent post-interview communication pattern.
