Yandex Software Engineer candidates report an HR screen, timed algorithm rounds with two problems each, sometimes a system design round, and a team lead conversation. Round counts vary widely, with one candidate reporting six to nine.
$56K
Avg. Base Comp
$88K
Avg. Total Comp
Not reported
Typical Rounds
3-5 weeks
Process Length
The Yandex Software Engineer interview is algorithm-heavy, with explanation weighted as much as the code. Several candidates describe live coding rounds of roughly an hour with two problems each, usually LeetCode easy to medium. Reported problems include moving zeroes to the end in O(n), a merge sort task, scheduling calls so they do not overlap, and finding a contiguous subarray that sums to a target. Some candidates say the interviewer wanted a verbal solution and complexity analysis before any code was written. Others say they had to find bugs without running the code, so practice talking through edge cases on paper. One candidate also describes repeated pushes to further optimize a working solution, with tree structures such as red-black trees coming up.
Some accounts add more than coding. Two candidates report a five-hour online contest at the start. One describes a system design prompt for a square-root service with billing. Language and fundamentals questions also appear, including C++ vectors, pass by reference versus pass by value, Python dictionaries, and web basics from DNS to sockets. Candidates report a conversation with a team lead near the end, covering past projects and the day-to-day role.
Outcomes are mixed, with offers, declined offers and rejections all reported. Several candidates mention slow scheduling or gaps of about a week between rounds. Reported round counts and durations differ widely, so treat any single timeline as one person's experience. Prepare to explain trade-offs aloud, not just reach a working answer.
Synthesized from 15 candidate reports by our editorial team.
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| Question | |
|---|---|
| Groups of Anagrams | |
| Move Zeros Back | |
| Binary Tree Validation | |
| String Palindromes | |
| Reverse List Starting at Index K | |
| Hotel Occupancy Prediction | |
| 2nd Highest Salary | |
| Empty Neighborhoods | |
| Employee Salaries | |
| Merge Sorted Lists | |
| Top Three Salaries | |
| Subscription Overlap | |
| Monthly Customer Report | |
| Top 3 Users | |
| Random SQL Sample | |
| Weighted Keys | |
| Rolling Bank Transactions | |
| String Shift | |
| Comments Histogram | |
| Over-Budget Projects | |
| Like Tracker | |
| Find the First Non-Repeating Character in a String | |
| Delivery Estimate Model | |
| Bagging vs Boosting | |
| Job Recommendation | |
| P-value to a Layman | |
| Scrambled Tickets | |
| Flight Records | |
| The Brackets Problem |
Synthesized from candidate reports. Individual experiences may vary.
Candidates report starting with a recruiter call about background and logistics. One candidate says the recruiter shared a list of topics to prepare for the technical rounds. Scheduling and feedback speed may vary, and some candidates describe slow communication between stages.
Some candidates report a long online assessment before live interviews, with two describing it as five hours. One felt solving roughly three of five problems was needed to stay competitive. Other candidates do not mention it, so it may not apply to every role or location, and you should confirm with your recruiter.
Candidates typically report one or more coding rounds of about an hour with two problems each, usually easy to medium. Interviewers reportedly ask for approach, complexity and edge cases. Some candidates had to explain a solution verbally or on paper first, or find bugs without running code.
One candidate reports a design round on a square-root service with billing. Others report language and fundamentals questions covering Python, C++, web basics or microservices. It may depend on the role and seniority, so not every process includes it.
Candidates report a final or near-final conversation with a team lead or department head. Topics reportedly include past projects, public API maintenance and the day-to-day role. One account describes team matching as less structured than the coding rounds, so prepare questions about the role.
