Paytm Software Engineer candidates report an online coding assessment, one or more DSA-heavy technical rounds, and an HR or managerial conversation. Linked lists, LRU cache, SQL, OOP and project depth come up repeatedly.
$20K
Avg. Base Comp
$26K
Avg. Total Comp
3-5 rounds
Typical Rounds
Not reported
Process Length
Candidates describe Paytm's Software Engineer interview as a DSA-first process with a strong fundamentals layer. Most reports begin with an online assessment, in one case on HackerRank, that pairs coding problems with aptitude, MCQ or database questions. Later rounds are live technical interviews and a closing HR or managerial conversation.
Linked lists appear in several accounts: reversal, cycle detection and finding the middle in a single pass. LRU cache is also reported, including a round where it was implemented with a hashmap and doubly linked list. Other reported problems include valid parentheses, finding a duplicate in an array of 1 to N-1, Kth smallest element, a graph connected-islands problem, a tree manipulation question and the train platform problem.
Fundamentals matter alongside algorithms. Candidates mention SQL queries, OOP concepts such as polymorphism and encapsulation, HashMap internals, Java fundamentals and design patterns. One candidate was told to own everything they claimed on their resume. Expect project discussion too, including database design decisions in at least one report.
Outcomes were mixed: three of the Software Engineer reports ended in offers and two did not. Round counts vary by candidate, from three to five, so confirm the schedule with your recruiter. Practice explaining complexity trade-offs out loud, since interviewers reportedly pushed past a first working solution.
Synthesized from 8 candidate reports by our editorial team.
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Real interview reports from people who went through the Paytm process.
I went through Paytm's interview process for a Software Engineer role, and it was a pretty straightforward three-round setup spread over a couple of weeks. The first round was an online coding assessment with two DSA questions and some MCQs mixed in. I got a connected islands problem — a classic BFS scenario — which wasn't too bad if you know your graph traversal. The second question was more general computer fundamentals, testing whether I actually understood the concepts behind what I was coding. That initial round felt like a fair screening to weed out people who hadn't done their homework.
The second round was a technical interview where they had me code a live problem, a tree manipulation question. The key is that it's not just about solving it; they dug into my approach, asked follow-up questions, and wanted to see how I thought through trade-offs. This is where the actual technical depth got tested, beyond just pattern matching on coding practice sites.
The third round was with a hiring manager, which felt more conversational. They wanted to understand my project experience, how I collaborate in teams, and whether I'd fit the culture. This is also where salary negotiation happened as I moved forward. The whole process was virtual and relatively quick — everything wrapped up within two weeks, which I appreciated. If you're prepping for this role, solid DSA fundamentals and the ability to explain your thinking clearly are non-negotiable. The interviews felt fair and focused, not tricky for the sake of being tricky.
Prep tip from this candidate
Focus on graph problems (BFS/DFS) and tree manipulation — these came up frequently in the DSA rounds. Be ready to code live and explain your complexity trade-offs, as the technical round emphasizes both the solution and your reasoning process.
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Topics based on recent interview experiences.
Featured question at Paytm
Create top_ads with the top 3 ads and return the row counts for inner, left, right, and cross joins with ads
| Question | |
|---|---|
| Cumulative Distribution | |
| Month Over Month | |
| Cumulative Reset | |
| Longest Increasing Subsequence | |
| Justify a Neural Network | |
| Precision and Recall | |
| Evaluate News | |
| Solo ML Deployment | |
| String Palindromes | |
| Pathfinder in Maze | |
| Choosing Between Python and SQL | |
| 2nd Highest Salary | |
| Empty Neighborhoods | |
| Top Three Salaries | |
| Employee Salaries | |
| Closest SAT Scores | |
| Rolling Bank Transactions | |
| Top 5 Turnover Risk | |
| Subscription Overlap | |
| Payments Received | |
| Top 3 Users | |
| Total Spent on Products | |
| Merge Sorted Lists | |
| Last Transaction | |
| Like Tracker | |
| Find the First Non-Repeating Character in a String | |
| String Shift | |
| Largest Salary by Department | |
| Google Maps Improvement |
Synthesized from candidate reports. Individual experiences may vary.
Candidates report an online first stage, in one case on HackerRank, with one or two DSA problems. Some accounts add MCQs, aptitude questions or a SQL question. Reported problems include Kth smallest element and a connected-islands graph problem. Formats differ between candidates, so prepare for both coding and fundamentals.
Candidates typically describe a live coding interview on classic data structures. Reported questions include valid parentheses, finding a duplicate in an array, linked list reversal and cycle detection, LRU cache, tree manipulation and the train platform problem. Interviewers reportedly probe optimization, edge cases and complexity trade-offs, and in one account gave no hints.
Several candidates report a round on computer science fundamentals and their own projects. Topics mentioned include SQL queries, OOP concepts, HashMap internals, Java, design patterns and database schema decisions. One candidate said the interviewer tested every claim they made. Be ready to defend each technology on your resume.
Candidates report a final conversation that may be with a hiring manager or HR. Reported topics include project experience, teamwork, culture fit and compensation discussion. The exact sequence of rounds can vary by candidate.
