Candidates describe a Nasdaq software engineer process with a recruiter or phone screen, an online assessment, resume-driven technical rounds and sometimes a manager or onsite stage, mixing CS fundamentals, coding and practical tasks.
$128K
Avg. Base Comp
$160K
Avg. Total Comp
Not reported
Typical Rounds
Not reported
Process Length
Reports on the Nasdaq software engineer interview describe a process that starts with a recruiter or phone screen and an online assessment, then moves into technical conversations that lean on your resume. Across six reports under software engineering and related developer titles, one ended in an offer and five in no offer, so treat the details below as individual experiences rather than a fixed script.
The assessment is the best-documented stage, and its format varies. One candidate faced a one-hour test covering cloud computing, operating systems, data structures, debugging and coding, taken through remote control of the interviewer's Zoom session. Another described a two-hour test with networking, OS and DBMS questions plus four coding problems: one easy, two medium and one hard. A third reported a custom coding platform with a 2D matrix problem about the fewest moves to empty it. Expect computer science fundamentals alongside algorithm problems, and plan how you will pace a long sitting.
Technical rounds are practical and resume-driven. Candidates reported stock buying and selling and a playlist-style problem, hash maps, basic Java questions on static and final, reading, sorting and printing CSV data, and garbage collection. One candidate's onsite included a Vue CRUD task, a backend function written to pass supplied tests, and a system design discussion. A front-end candidate in an adjacent role was asked about React fundamentals and about the team's specific packages.
Several candidates were asked to walk through past projects, performance improvements and how they resolved issues, so prepare those stories in detail. Accounts of the process itself conflict: some found it structured and smooth, while another described a rushed second round and weeks of follow-up before a rejection.
Synthesized from 8 candidate reports by our editorial team.
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Real interview reports from people who went through the Nasdaq process.
The process felt pretty structured overall, and the hardest part for me was the online assessment. That was a 2-hour OA with a mix of CS fundamentals and coding. They covered computer networks, operating systems, and DBMS, and then there were four coding questions in total: one easy, two medium, and one hard. It was a lot to fit into one sitting, so time management mattered as much as knowing the material. After that, the rest of the process was more conversational and less intense. I had a phone screen, then an initial technical round that was mostly basic Java questions, and then another technical interview that leaned more toward LeetCode-style problems. The questions there were the usual kind of thing around real-time processing and hash maps, plus some motivational questions mixed in. I also had a hiring manager round where they went through my resume and asked me to explain how I handled an issue and what I did to improve performance. The interviewers were generally nice and the process was organized, but it still felt thorough and fairly technical throughout. In the end I didn’t get an offer, so I’d say the main thing to prepare for is a broad OA with both theory and coding, plus being ready to talk clearly about your past projects and performance improvements in the manager round.
Prep tip from this candidate
Be ready for a 2-hour OA that mixes CS fundamentals like networking, OS, and DBMS with four coding problems of increasing difficulty. Also prepare to explain resume projects in detail, especially performance improvements and issue resolution, since that came up in the hiring manager round.
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Sourced from candidate reports and verified by our team.
Topics based on recent interview experiences.
Featured question at Nasdaq
Design a database schema for a blogging platform.
| Question | |
|---|---|
| Subscription Overlap | |
| Merge Sorted Lists | |
| Prime to N | |
| Find the Missing Number | |
| Rectangle Overlap | |
| Hurdles In Data Projects | |
| String Subsequence | |
| Triplet Counting | |
| Google Maps Improvement | |
| Nearest Common Ancestor | |
| Groups of Anagrams | |
| Longest Increasing Subsequence | |
| Radix Addition | |
| Most Repetition | |
| Messenger Service Design | |
| Production Model Monitoring | |
| Find Duplicate Numbers in a List | |
| Dijkstra implementation | |
| Binary Tree Validation | |
| Target Indices | |
| Median O(1) | |
| 85% vs 82% | |
| Filling Supermarket Bag | |
| RAG Strict Source Control | |
| Target Value Search | |
| Concurrent LLM Serving | |
| Implementing the Fibonacci Sequence in Three Different Methods | |
| Check Matching Parentheses | |
| Ticket Reservation Locking |
Synthesized from candidate reports. Individual experiences may vary.
Candidates describe an early phone conversation, sometimes before and sometimes after the online assessment. One reported a 30-minute recruiter call about their background and basic fit, and another had a phone screen ahead of the technical rounds. Be ready to summarize your experience clearly.
The assessment format varied. One candidate described one hour of cloud, OS, data structures, debugging and coding. Another described two hours with networking, OS, DBMS and four coding problems. A third described a custom platform with a 2D matrix problem, and another reported basic Java and easy coding.
Candidates reported one or more technical interviews that mixed coding with questions drawn from their resume. Reported topics include stock-trading and playlist-style problems, hash maps, Java static and final keywords, CSV reading and sorting, garbage collection and React fundamentals. One candidate also met a European team.
Later stages differed by candidate and not everyone reached them. One reported a hiring manager round on resume projects, issue handling and performance improvements. Another had an in-person round with a Vue CRUD task, a backend function written to pass given tests, and system design. One described later behavioral and managerial rounds.
