Udemy software engineer interviews, as three candidates describe them, mix a HackerRank assessment, conversational team chats, broad web and database questions, and one system design round on link management.
$168K
Avg. Base Comp
$190K
Avg. Total Comp
3-4 rounds
Typical Rounds
Not reported
Process Length
Three candidates describe Udemy software engineering loops, and their accounts differ, so treat them as examples rather than a fixed script. Two of them mention a HackerRank assessment. One describes about two and a half hours with easy and medium problems, multiple choice questions and one hard algorithmic challenge. The other describes two easy coding problems plus technical and logic quizzes.
The conversations that followed were described as friendly. One candidate had a casual team leader chat that turned technical, then a final coding interview with several sections. One section was a system design problem for campaign link management for 10 million users, including shortened URLs and request handling at scale. The same interview also had a LeetCode-style unique paths problem. That candidate did not receive an offer and called the system design section the hardest part.
An internship candidate in Dublin reported broader questions. They covered GET versus POST, synchronous versus asynchronous code, promises versus async and await, unit and integration tests, CI/CD, MongoDB versus MySQL, CAP availability, Elasticsearch, and serving customers in China and Ireland. They were also asked why they wanted to join Udemy and how well they knew the platform. That team passed on them, but HR arranged a one-round conversation with another team's hiring manager, which led to an offer.
For preparation, practise timed algorithm problems, rehearse a scalable URL-shortening design, review web and database basics, and be ready to explain why Udemy interests you. If you reach the offer stage, confirm the title and level in writing.
Synthesized from 3 candidate reports by our editorial team.
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Real interview reports from people who went through the Udemy process.
The process kicked off with a HackerRank assessment that lasted about two and a half hours. It included a mix of easy and medium problems, multiple choice questions, and one hard algorithmic challenge that really tested my problem-solving under pressure. The difficulty ramped up noticeably on that hard problem, and I remember feeling the time constraint more acutely toward the end.
Next came a conversation with the team leader, which started casual — just introductions and getting to know each other — but then shifted into some technical discussion. It felt more like a chat than an interrogation, which helped me relax a bit. They were curious about my past experiences and the toughest problems I'd tackled in previous roles.
The final round was a detailed coding interview broken into several sections. One section focused on a system design problem: designing a system to handle campaign link management for 10 million users, including shortened URLs and request handling at scale. That was the most challenging part for me — thinking through architecture, trade-offs, and scalability in real time. They also threw in a LeetCode-style problem about finding the number of unique paths, which was more algorithmic but felt less intense after the system design piece.
Throughout the process, the interviewers were genuinely friendly and engaged. The hiring manager especially created a motivating atmosphere, and the overall recruitment experience was smooth with good communication. That said, the technical bar was high, and I didn't make it through to an offer. The combination of the hard HackerRank problem and the system design section really separated the strong candidates from the rest.
Prep tip from this candidate
Dive deep into system design for scaled scenarios — specifically URL shortening and link management systems that handle millions of users — and practice staying composed under the time pressure of hard algorithmic problems in live coding environments.
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Topics based on recent interview experiences.
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Synthesized from candidate reports. Individual experiences may vary.
Two candidates report a HackerRank assessment. One describes about two and a half hours with easy and medium problems, multiple choice questions and one hard algorithmic challenge. Another describes two easy coding problems with technical and logic quizzes. Format and placement may vary by team.
Candidates describe conversational early calls. One had an HR background walkthrough, while another spoke with a team leader about past experience and the toughest problems they had solved. The talk may move into technical topics, so be ready to discuss your previous work in detail.
One candidate reports a senior engineer interview followed by a panel with three engineers. Topics included OOP, design patterns, GET versus POST, async code, testing, CI/CD, MongoDB versus MySQL and CAP availability. Behavioural questions covered motivation for Udemy and handling unfamiliar problems.
One candidate reports a final coding interview split into sections. It included a system design task for campaign link management with shortened URLs for 10 million users, plus a unique paths algorithm problem. Prepare to discuss architecture, trade-offs and scalability aloud.
One candidate who was turned down by one team emailed HR and was set up with a different team, which made an offer after a single hiring manager round. Another candidate reports an offer discussion stalling over the role's level, so ask early for the title and level in writing.
