Mastercard Data Engineer interviews reported by six candidates typically involve 3-4 rounds mixing SQL, ETL, Spark or system design, estimation puzzles and a manager or HR conversation. Two candidates received offers.
$105K
Avg. Base Comp
$131K
Avg. Total Comp
3-4 rounds
Typical Rounds
Not reported
Process Length
Candidates describe the Mastercard Data Engineer interview as SQL-heavy, with ETL and project depth close behind. SQL comes up in every report, and several single out window functions or progressively harder queries. One candidate who received an offer was asked basic SQL, then ETL and ELT, then how their current project handles high data volume: components, storage, extraction and recent challenges. Another offer recipient was asked to explain Spark architecture, including how data is distributed across a cluster and how jobs run, and also got questions on stored procedures and database consistency.
The rest of the loop varies. One candidate had a data modeling design problem and a business case, such as estimating a bidding strategy if a coffee chain moved to tablet ordering. Another faced puzzles and market-size estimation. A third met textbook-style questions on data warehousing and ACID properties in Delta tables, alongside string-manipulation coding and a dashboard scalability design. Reports mention three to four rounds, usually ending with a manager, director, VP or HR conversation.
Prepare a project walkthrough you can defend in detail, drill window functions, and practice talking through estimation assumptions out loud. Some candidates also reported slow or missing follow-up after interviews, so ask the recruiter about next steps at the end of each round.
Synthesized from 6 candidate reports by our editorial team.
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Real interview reports from people who went through the Mastercard process.
3 rounds. The 1st was technical, with the lead Data Engineer and the hiring manager. The 2nd was with 3 people from the team. The 3rd was with a Director, followed by HR. All rounds were an hour long.
The 1st round concentrated on pure technical topics. The 2nd covered design and implementation procedures, plus a detailed walkthrough of a real project.
Questions asked: basic SQL questions, then ETL and ELT. Then how high data volume is handled, which components are used, where the data is stored, and how it is extracted. Also recent challenges, an overview of the project, very specific questions about the current project, and day-to-day roles and responsibilities.
Prep tip from this candidate
Be ready to walk through a real project in detail: how you handled high data volume, which components you used, where the data was stored, how it was extracted, and what challenges you faced. Refresh basic SQL, ETL and ELT.
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Sourced from candidate reports and verified by our team.
Topics based on recent interview experiences.
Featured question at Mastercard
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Synthesized from candidate reports. Individual experiences may vary.
Candidates report different openings. One described an initial recruiter screen on ETL fundamentals, and another took an online assessment covering quantitative reasoning, data interpretation and verbal skills. Others went straight into interviews, so this step may not appear in every loop.
Candidates report a technical round with an engineer, lead or hiring manager. Topics included basic to advanced SQL, ETL and ELT, Spark architecture, and coding in Spark or Python depending on the interviewer. One candidate also got resume questions followed by puzzles and estimation.
A second round typically goes deeper. One candidate faced three team members and discussed design, implementation and a detailed real-project walkthrough. Others reported data modeling, escalating SQL, stored procedures, database consistency, guesstimates, and basic math or puzzles. Window functions came up repeatedly.
Some candidates report case-style questions. One had a business case on estimating bidding strategy for a coffee chain moving to tablet ordering. Another was asked to design a dashboard scaling to a decade of data with real-time refresh. Not every candidate reported this step, so treat it as possible rather than guaranteed.
Final conversations are reported with a hiring manager, director, VP or HR. They covered background, team fit, what the candidate wants in the role, and logistics such as location and compensation. One candidate said behavioral questions took 20-25 minutes of their first round and also opened their final round, so prepare concrete stories.
