Optum software engineer candidates report practical coding, resume and project discussions, fundamentals, and occasional system-design or stack-specific interviews, followed by an HR or manager conversation.
$106K
Avg. Base Comp
$124K
Avg. Total Comp
2-4 rounds
Typical Rounds
1 day
Process Length
Optum software engineer interview reports vary by team, but they repeatedly emphasize work the candidate has actually done. Candidates describe technical conversations driven by projects, architecture, individual contributions, and technologies listed on the resume. Prepare a clear walkthrough of one project: explain the problem, your responsibilities, the design, important decisions, and what you would change with more time.
Reported coding ranges from a string-manipulation exercise and a Python problem to API-building tasks and a rate limiter. SQL also appears in several accounts, including basic queries and sorting. Practice producing a working solution while explaining assumptions, validation, error handling, and edge cases. Backend-oriented candidates should review Java, Spring Boot, microservices, Kafka, and database fundamentals when those technologies appear in their background. Other reports mention JavaScript, Angular, React, Next.js, and Terraform, showing that the relevant stack can depend heavily on the role.
System design appears in some, but not all, accounts. Reported prompts include designing a rate limiter and an event-driven order-management service. Prepare to discuss scaling and tradeoffs without assuming that every candidate receives a dedicated design round.
Candidates also report HR, manager, or behavioral conversations about collaboration, conflict, mentoring, career plans, and resume-based situations. The process is not uniform: one report describes a single combined interview, another finished in one day, and others involved several screens and technical conversations. Confirm the scheduled format with the recruiter and prepare for both practical coding and project discussion.
Synthesized from 15 candidate reports by our editorial team.
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Real interview reports from people who went through the Optum process.
The biggest surprise came at the end: although I had applied for a .NET Developer role, the interviewer explained that the team mainly works with Python and AI. I had about two years and two months of experience, and a recruiter contacted me through Naukri. Up to that point, the process had been smooth, professional, and fairly interactive.
The technical discussion covered .NET, SQL, and basic coding. I was asked to write a program to reverse a string and to identify whether a string was a palindrome. On the .NET side, the interviewer asked about the difference between an interface and abstraction, what dependency injection is, and which AI agents or frameworks I had used in projects. I also solved an SQL query. I felt comfortable with the questions and was able to answer them confidently, and the interviewer was professional throughout.
When the team’s Python-and-AI focus came up, I explained that I was open to learning and working with Python, but I was ultimately not selected. My main takeaway is to clarify the actual stack with the recruiter early, especially when the listed role is .NET-focused. For this process, be ready to discuss practical .NET fundamentals, a simple string-coding exercise, SQL, and any hands-on AI framework experience; also ask whether the team expects Python experience despite the job description.
Prep tip from this candidate
Prepare to explain dependency injection, interfaces versus abstraction, and the AI frameworks you have actually used in projects. Confirm early whether the team is really .NET-focused or instead expects Python and AI experience.
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Sourced from candidate reports and verified by our team.
Topics based on recent interview experiences.
Featured question at Optum
Select the 2nd highest salary in the engineering department
| Question | |
|---|---|
| Size of Joins | |
| Sort Strings | |
| String Mapping | |
| Hurdles In Data Projects | |
| Concurrent LLM Serving | |
| String Palindromes | |
| Impossibly Iterative Fibonacci | |
| Azure Kubernetes Infrastructure | |
| Your Strengths and Weaknesses | |
| Fast Food Database | |
| Prime to N | |
| Weighted Keys | |
| P-value to a Layman | |
| Liked Pages | |
| Bagging vs Boosting | |
| Delivery Estimate Model | |
| Daily Retention Summary | |
| Detecting ECG Tachycardia Runs | |
| The Brackets Problem | |
| Valid Anagram | |
| Find Duplicate Numbers in a List | |
| Target Indices | |
| Success Measurement | |
| Priority Queue Using Linked List | |
| Customer Success vs. Free Trial | |
| Prime Numbers Identification | |
| Swap Variables | |
| RAG Strict Source Control | |
| Subscription Retention |
Synthesized from candidate reports. Individual experiences may vary.
Candidates report recruiter conversations about background, stack, interests, and logistics. Some also encountered an AI-based screen, self-recorded introduction, or online coding assessment before live interviews; these formats vary by team.
Candidates commonly report explaining projects, internships, architecture, and personal contributions alongside practical coding. Topics may include OOP, DSA, DBMS, SQL, Java or other role-relevant technologies, with difficulty ranging from basic to moderate.
Some candidates report system-design prompts such as a rate limiter, traffic spikes and caching, or an event-driven service. Others instead describe stack-specific questions on backend, frontend, infrastructure, or .NET fundamentals.
Candidates report conversations about goals, motivation, strengths, collaboration, conflict, and career plans. A manager discussion may also revisit resume details and situational examples before a final decision.
