Interview Experiences

Real candidates, real loops: every round, what was asked, and how it ended.

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11 stories

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IBMSoftware Engineer
Aug 2026

An 80-Minute OA with Tree Distances and Django Debugging

IBM's OA was unproctored. Here are a few pitfalls to watch out for: Q1: Tree Pythagorean Triples The problem: Given a tree and three fixed vertices x, y, z, count the vertices whose distances to those three vertices, sorted as a ≤ b ≤ c, form a Pythagorean triple: a² + b² = c², with all three distances positive integers. My approach: Run BFS or DFS once from each of x, y, z, record the distances…

Online Assessment0
IBMSoftware Engineer
Aug 2026

An 80-Minute HackerRank with a Slow Web IDE

The assessment lasted 80 minutes in total. At the beginning, it recommended choosing one of three frameworks: Django, Spring Boot, or Node. The first problem was LeetCode's Design Authentication Manager. The second problem provided a web application for a ticket-booking system. I had to fix errors in the backend. It involved basic concepts such as RESTful APIs, caching, and paginating returned da…

Online Assessment1
IBMSoftware Engineer
Reported Jul 2026

Software Engineer interview at IBM: automated rejection and silence

I completed a HackerRank online assessment under a tight timeline, but much of the rest of the process lacked human contact. I later received an automated-looking rejection notice without having heard from an actual person. In another similar timeline, I completed a HireVue-style interview with standard prompts and then waited more than a month and a half without an update. That long silence felt…

Rejected0
IBMSoftware Engineer
Reported Jul 2026

IBM Software Engineer interview: automation testing, then manager fit

The technical interview was direct about testing and engineering fundamentals. We discussed my automation-testing experience, C# and Python, Selenium, BDD concepts, and how those topics connected to my own projects. The final round was with a hiring manager and focused on problem-solving, communication, and fit. I had to describe challenges I had handled and place the role in the context of real…

Technical Screen0
IBMSoftware Engineer
Reported Jul 2026

IBM Software Engineer interview: coffee chat, pitch, and technical-behavioral session

I started with a more casual conversation than expected: a coffee chat about my background, resume projects, and prior work. There was no real coding pressure, just friendly questions and a sense of getting to know the role and team. The next step was more structured. I received an email with questions about my location and background, then had one 30-minute technical and behavioral session. It s…

Offer0
IBMSoftware Engineer
Reported Jul 2026

IBM Software Engineer interview: campus shortlists and interrupted interview

My IBM process began with an on-campus assessment that combined multiple-choice questions and coding. Only a limited number of students were shortlisted. The technical interview took a fixed hour block and went well enough that the interviewer gave positive feedback. Afterward, HR announced names for the next stage in waves. When my name was not in the first list, I assumed I had been rejected. I…

RejectedOnline Assessment0
IBMSoftware Engineer
Reported Jul 2026

IBM Software Engineer Interview Experience: Resume reasoning and follow-ups

I was scheduled for an interview about a week after applying. The early conversation was fairly standard: I walked through my experience and qualifications, then answered technical questions tied to what I had put on my resume. Even when there was not much coding, it felt like they wanted to know whether I could connect my background to actual work. Behavioral questions were a major part of it. I…

Technical Screen0
IBMConsultant
Reported Jul 2026

IBM Consultant interview with a one-attempt recorded assessment and live storytelling rounds

After I applied, the process began with an online recorded assessment. It felt fast and high stakes because I had only one attempt for each answer. The short timed set covered behavioral and consulting-style questions, including working with others, pressure, and close deadlines. In the recording format, I had a brief moment to think and then a couple of minutes to answer. My camera had to stay o…

Online Assessment0
IBMSoftware Engineer
Reported Jul 2026

IBM Software Engineer HackerRank assessment with two timed coding questions

Right after I applied, I received a timed online-assessment request that had to be completed within a week. It ran on HackerRank and consisted of two coding questions to finish in about an hour. The questions were clearly meant to filter quickly for problem-solving ability. My version used classic algorithmic prompts that felt like LeetCode problems. One was more puzzle-like than I expected: coun…

Online Assessment0
IBMData ScientistIntern
Jan 2026

Marketing Lead-Scoring Case, Offer in Two Weeks

After I submitted my application, I automatically got sent an OA — one Python question and one SQL question, not too hard. First round (mainly asked about my resume, a deep dive into the ML project on my resume, and a case): What's your experience building a statistical model and a machine learning model? What kinds of variables/features did you use? Did the client only care about the results, or…

OfferTechnical Screen0
IBMData ScientistIntern
Nov 2025

Lead Scoring Case Twice, Offer in Two Weeks

After I submitted my application, the OA went out automatically — one Python question and one SQL question, nothing too hard. First round (mainly asked about my resume, a deep dive into the ML project on my resume, and a case): What's your experience of building a statistical model and machine learning model? What kinds of variables/features did you use? Did the client only care about the results…

OfferTechnical Screen0

What are interview experiences?

An interview experience is a candidate's own account of a hiring loop — not a question bank entry. It tells you the shape of the process: how many rounds there were, what each round actually tested, how long the gaps between them ran, and what the recruiter said at the end. That context is the part a question list cannot give you.

How to read them

Weight recent write-ups more heavily — interview loops change, often within a year. Read several for the same company and role rather than one: a single account tells you what one interviewer asked, while five tell you what the bar is. Note the outcome badge too, since a rejection write-up usually explains the gap far more precisely than an offer one.

Share your own

Every published experience earns 50 XP, and each of the first 3 likes it receives in a day earns you 10 XP more. Likes must come from established accounts; like-for-like swaps and likes from your own second account are not paid. Write it while the details are fresh — the round order, the exact prompts, and how much time you were given are what the next reader needs.

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