As a Software Engineer at Pushpay, you play a crucial role in the development and enhancement of software solutions that enable seamless giving and engagement for churches and nonprofits. Your work directly impacts the user experience, improving how organizations interact with their communities. With a focus on delivering high-quality, scalable applications, you will contribute to the mission of helping clients maximize their impact. In this position, you will be involved in diverse projects ranging from backend services to user-facing applications. You'll collaborate cross-functionally with product managers, designers, and other engineers to create innovative solutions that address real user needs. The complexity and scale of the challenges you face will not only test your technical skills but also provide opportunities for professional growth and strategic influence within the company.
Coding Test
reportedInitial assessment to evaluate your coding skills.
What to demonstrate
- Initial assessment to evaluate your coding skills
- Depth in Concurrency / Multithreading
How to prepare
- Answer aloud and timed: How do you approach debugging a complex issue in your code?
- Answer aloud and timed: Can you explain the differences between synchronous and asynchronous programming?
Technical Interviews
reportedOne or more interviews focusing on technical knowledge and problem-solving.
What to demonstrate
- One or more interviews focusing on technical knowledge and problem-solving
- Depth in Concurrency / Multithreading
How to prepare
- Answer aloud and timed: Describe a challenging technical problem you've solved in a previous role.
- Answer aloud and timed: What design patterns do you commonly use, and why?
Cultural Fit Discussion
reportedInterviews include discussions about the company's mission, values, and your contributions.
What to demonstrate
- Interviews include discussions about the company's mission, values, and your contributions
- Depth in Concurrency / Multithreading
How to prepare
- Answer aloud and timed: Discuss your experience with cloud technologies and services.
- Answer aloud and timed: Tell me about a time you faced a conflict within your team. How did you handle it?
PracHub editorial advice for the preparation topics above.
Understand the company values
Familiarize yourself with Pushpay's mission and values, as alignment with these is crucial for cultural fit.
Practice coding challenges
Regularly engage in coding exercises and algorithm problems to build your confidence and proficiency.
Communicate your thought process
During technical interviews, articulate your reasoning and approach. This helps interviewers understand your problem-solving strategy.
Prepare for behavioral questions
Reflect on past experiences that demonstrate your teamwork, leadership, and adaptability. Use the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) method to structure your answers.
Choose a category, try a prompt, then open its approach, worked solution or follow-up when you need it.
Can you explain the differences between synchronous and asynchronous programming?
Can you explain the differences between synchronous and asynchronous programming?
Approach
- Say what the runtime actually does before reasoning about the code.
- Name what is shared across threads and what owns each piece of state.
- Identify the window where an invariant is briefly untrue.
- Distinguish a value from a reference to it, and say which one you handed out.
Follow-up
- What happens if two callers reach this at the same time?
- Where could this allocate more than you expect?
Write a function to reverse a linked list. Explain your thought process as you code.
Write a function to reverse a linked list. Explain your thought process as you code.
Approach
- Restate the input: its shape, its size, and what is guaranteed about it.
- Name the brute-force solution and its complexity before improving on it.
- Choose the data structure from the access pattern, not from familiarity.
- State the target complexity and say which constraint rules the naive version out.
Follow-up
- How does this change if the input no longer fits in memory?
- What is the worst case, and how likely is it on real data?
How would you optimize a search algorithm for a large dataset?
How would you optimize a search algorithm for a large dataset?
Approach
- Restate the input: its shape, its size, and what is guaranteed about it.
- Name the brute-force solution and its complexity before improving on it.
- Choose the data structure from the access pattern, not from familiarity.
- State the target complexity and say which constraint rules the naive version out.
Follow-up
- How does this change if the input no longer fits in memory?
- What is the worst case, and how likely is it on real data?
Solve the following coding challenge: [insert specific algorithm problem].
Solve the following coding challenge: [insert specific algorithm problem].
Approach
- Restate the input: its shape, its size, and what is guaranteed about it.
- Name the brute-force solution and its complexity before improving on it.
- Choose the data structure from the access pattern, not from familiarity.
- State the target complexity and say which constraint rules the naive version out.
Follow-up
- How does this change if the input no longer fits in memory?
- What is the worst case, and how likely is it on real data?
Hold a per-tenant active cap against concurrent creates
A tenant on the standard plan may hold at most 50 resources with status='active'. The create handler runs SELECT count(*) FROM resource WHERE tenant_id = $1 AND status = 'active', compares to 50, then inserts. Two creates arrive 3 ms apart on different instances and the tenant lands at 51. Name the anomaly, say whether PostgreSQL 16 READ COMMITTED or REPEATABLE READ prevents it and why, then give an implementation that holds the cap at READ COMMITTED with the exact statements. Finally, say what changes when the cap is 'at most one running export per tenant' on job_run.
Approach
- Name it: write skew. The two transactions read an overlapping set and write disjoint rows, so there is no row-level conflict for the engine to detect and each commit is individually legal.
- Rule out the levels precisely. READ COMMITTED takes a fresh snapshot per statement and takes no lock on the counted rows, so both see 49. PostgreSQL's REPEATABLE READ is snapshot isolation: it removes non-repeatable reads and phantoms within the snapshot but still admits write skew, because the anomaly is not a re-read of a changed row, it is a read of a set that a concurrent transaction invalidates. Only SERIALIZABLE closes it, by tracking the read dependency and aborting one transaction with SQLSTATE 40001 — a guarantee that exists only if the application re-runs the whole transaction from the read.
- Convert the set predicate into a single-row conflict: keep tenant.active_resource_count and run UPDATE tenant SET active_resource_count = active_resource_count + 1 WHERE tenant_id = $1 AND active_resource_count < 50 in the same transaction as the INSERT. Zero affected rows is the cap, returned as 409. The row lock serialises the decision at any isolation level, and contention is bounded to one tenant's row — which is also the fair-scheduling unit, unlike a global counter that would convoy every tenant behind one row.
- State the cost you just took on: a counter is a second source of truth that can drift, so every path that changes status must adjust it inside the same transaction, and a periodic reconciliation has to exist, with resource_revision as the authority for what the count should have been.
Follow-up
- A resource moves from archived back to active. Which statements change, and what breaks if the counter update and the status change land in different transactions?
- The cap becomes plan-dependent and a plan can change mid-month. Where does the number 50 live, and who reads it?
Find version gaps and relay lag with window functions
outbox_event holds event_id, aggregate_type, aggregate_id, aggregate_version, event_type, payload, status ('pending','published','dead'), attempts, created_at, published_at. A projection is missing rows and you must decide whether the relay skipped events or the consumer dropped them. Write three queries over the last seven days: one listing every aggregate_id whose published aggregate_version sequence has a hole, one giving per-day counts with a running total, and one returning the newest published event per aggregate. For each, say where the window function is evaluated relative to WHERE and LIMIT. PostgreSQL 16.
Approach
- Gaps: compute lead(aggregate_version) OVER (PARTITION BY aggregate_id ORDER BY aggregate_version) in a subquery, then filter next_version <> aggregate_version + 1 in the outer query. Window functions are evaluated after WHERE, GROUP BY and HAVING and before the outer ORDER BY and LIMIT, so the predicate cannot sit in the same WHERE clause and PostgreSQL 16 has no QUALIFY.
- Say what the seven-day filter does to the answer: it truncates every partition, so the first row per aggregate has no predecessor inside the window and a hole spanning the boundary is invisible. Widen the window, or join to resource.version as the authority for the true maximum.
- Running total: SELECT date_trunc('day', created_at) AS d, count() AS n, sum(count()) OVER (ORDER BY date_trunc('day', created_at) ROWS UNBOUNDED PRECEDING). An aggregate inside a window call is legal because grouping runs before windowing. The grouping key is unique per row here so ROWS and RANGE agree, but write the frame anyway — over ungrouped rows with tied timestamps the default RANGE frame pulls in every peer row and the total jumps.
- Newest per aggregate: DISTINCT ON (aggregate_id) ... ORDER BY aggregate_id, aggregate_version DESC is the cheap PostgreSQL-only form when an index matches that order; row_number() OVER (PARTITION BY aggregate_id ORDER BY aggregate_version DESC) = 1 is the portable form and needs a subquery for the same evaluation-order reason as the gap query.
Follow-up
- Relay failover redelivers events. Does a duplicate break the gap query, and how would you detect one from this table alone?
- Turn the gap check into a continuous monitor rather than a query someone runs after an incident. What does it watch?
Describe a challenging technical problem you've solved in a previous role.
Describe a challenging technical problem you've solved in a previous role.
Approach
- Clarify what is being asked and what a complete answer contains.
- State your assumptions explicitly before working the problem.
- Say what you would check first and why it is the highest-information step.
- Work from the requirement backwards to the design.
Follow-up
- What assumption would you test first?
- How would you know your answer was wrong?
What design patterns do you commonly use, and why?
What design patterns do you commonly use, and why?
Approach
- Clarify what is being asked and what a complete answer contains.
- State your assumptions explicitly before working the problem.
- Say what you would check first and why it is the highest-information step.
- Work from the requirement backwards to the design.
Follow-up
- What assumption would you test first?
- How would you know your answer was wrong?
Given a scenario where a system is under heavy load, how would you approach optimizing performance?
Given a scenario where a system is under heavy load, how would you approach optimizing performance?
Approach
- Clarify what is being asked and what a complete answer contains.
- State your assumptions explicitly before working the problem.
- Say what you would check first and why it is the highest-information step.
- Work from the requirement backwards to the design.
Follow-up
- What assumption would you test first?
- How would you know your answer was wrong?
If you were tasked with designing a new feature, what steps would you take from concept to implementation?
If you were tasked with designing a new feature, what steps would you take from concept to implementation?
Approach
- Clarify what is being asked and what a complete answer contains.
- State your assumptions explicitly before working the problem.
- Say what you would check first and why it is the highest-information step.
- Work from the requirement backwards to the design.
Follow-up
- What assumption would you test first?
- How would you know your answer was wrong?
How do you approach debugging a complex issue in your code?
How do you approach debugging a complex issue in your code?
Approach
- Establish what changed and when, before forming any theory.
- Pick a bisection that eliminates candidates whichever way it turns out.
- Check the instrumentation before believing the symptom.
- Separate the trigger from the cause; the deploy is rarely the bug.
Follow-up
- What would you look at first, and what would it rule out?
- How would you tell a cause from a coincidence here?
Describe how you would troubleshoot a performance issue in a live application.
Describe how you would troubleshoot a performance issue in a live application.
Approach
- Establish what changed and when, before forming any theory.
- Pick a bisection that eliminates candidates whichever way it turns out.
- Check the instrumentation before believing the symptom.
- Separate the trigger from the cause; the deploy is rarely the bug.
Follow-up
- What would you look at first, and what would it rule out?
- How would you tell a cause from a coincidence here?
Built from the rounds and topics Pushpay candidates report.
Prepare, practise & reflect
One practical outcome each day. Spend longer where you need it.
0 / 7 done01Map the Pushpay loop
- Write out the reported sequence: Coding Test, Technical Interviews, Cultural Fit Discussion.
- For each round, write one sentence on what it is judging, from the description above, and mark the one you are least ready for.
Deliverable: A one-page map of the 3 reported rounds, with the weakest marked.
02Work Concurrency / Multithreading
- Spend the session on Concurrency / Multithreading, which Pushpay candidates report being tested on.
- Write one worked example in Concurrency / Multithreading and time yourself on it.
Deliverable: One timed worked example in Concurrency / Multithreading.
03Work Threading Concepts
- Spend the session on Threading Concepts, which Pushpay candidates report being tested on.
- Write one worked example in Threading Concepts and time yourself on it.
Deliverable: One timed worked example in Threading Concepts.
04Work C#
- Spend the session on C#, which Pushpay candidates report being tested on.
- Write one worked example in C# and time yourself on it.
Deliverable: One timed worked example in C#.
05Answer out loud: Technical / Domain Questions
- Answer aloud, timed: How do you approach debugging a complex issue in your code?
- Answer aloud, timed: Can you explain the differences between synchronous and asynchronous programming?
Deliverable: Spoken answers to 2 reported Technical / Domain Questions question(s), under time.
06Answer out loud: Behavioral / Leadership
- Answer aloud, timed: Tell me about a time you faced a conflict within your team. How did you handle it?
- Answer aloud, timed: What motivates you to work in software engineering?
Deliverable: Spoken answers to 2 reported Behavioral / Leadership question(s), under time.
07Answer out loud: Problem-solving / Case Studies
- Answer aloud, timed: Given a scenario where a system is under heavy load, how would you approach optimizing performance?
- Answer aloud, timed: If you were tasked with designing a new feature, what steps would you take from concept to implementation?
Deliverable: Spoken answers to 2 reported Problem-solving / Case Studies question(s), under time.
Expand any day for tasks and deliverables. Your progress is saved on this device.
Behavioural rounds judge the decision you made and what it cost.
Discuss your experience with cloud technologies and services.
Discuss your experience with cloud technologies and services.
Approach
- Pick a story where you made the decision, not one where you watched it.
- State the situation in two sentences and spend the rest on the reasoning.
- Give the blast radius: what could have broken, and what you measured.
- Name the disagreement and how you resolved it with evidence.
Follow-up
- What would you do differently if you ran that again?
- How did you know your change caused the improvement?
Tell me about a time you faced a conflict within your team. How did you handle it?
Tell me about a time you faced a conflict within your team. How did you handle it?
Approach
- Pick a story where you made the decision, not one where you watched it.
- State the situation in two sentences and spend the rest on the reasoning.
- Give the blast radius: what could have broken, and what you measured.
- Name the disagreement and how you resolved it with evidence.
Follow-up
- What would you do differently if you ran that again?
- How did you know your change caused the improvement?
What motivates you to work in software engineering?
What motivates you to work in software engineering?
Approach
- Pick a story where you made the decision, not one where you watched it.
- State the situation in two sentences and spend the rest on the reasoning.
- Give the blast radius: what could have broken, and what you measured.
- Name the disagreement and how you resolved it with evidence.
Follow-up
- What would you do differently if you ran that again?
- How did you know your change caused the improvement?
Describe a situation where you had to adapt to significant changes in a project.
Describe a situation where you had to adapt to significant changes in a project.
Approach
- Pick a story where you made the decision, not one where you watched it.
- State the situation in two sentences and spend the rest on the reasoning.
- Give the blast radius: what could have broken, and what you measured.
- Name the disagreement and how you resolved it with evidence.
Follow-up
- What would you do differently if you ran that again?
- How did you know your change caused the improvement?
How do you prioritize tasks when working on multiple projects?
How do you prioritize tasks when working on multiple projects?
Approach
- Pick a story where you made the decision, not one where you watched it.
- State the situation in two sentences and spend the rest on the reasoning.
- Give the blast radius: what could have broken, and what you measured.
- Name the disagreement and how you resolved it with evidence.
Follow-up
- What would you do differently if you ran that again?
- How did you know your change caused the improvement?
- 01
Discuss your experience with cloud technologies and services.
- 02
Tell me about a time you faced a conflict within your team. How did you handle it?
- 03
What motivates you to work in software engineering?
- 04
Describe a situation where you had to adapt to significant changes in a project.
How difficult is the interview process, and how much preparation time is recommended?
The interview process at Pushpay is considered challenging, particularly the technical portions. Candidates often recommend dedicating several weeks for thorough preparation, focusing on both technical skills and understanding of the company culture.
Pushpay Software Engineer candidate reports ↗What differentiates successful candidates?
Successful candidates often demonstrate a strong alignment with Pushpay's values, possess solid technical expertise, and showcase effective problem-solving skills. Additionally, being able to communicate clearly and work collaboratively is crucial.
Pushpay Software Engineer candidate reports ↗What is the typical timeline from the initial screen to an offer?
The process can vary, but candidates typically experience a timeline of 2-4 weeks from the first interview to receiving an offer. Be prepared for multiple rounds of interviews that may include technical assessments.
Pushpay Software Engineer candidate reports ↗How does Pushpay support remote work or hybrid arrangements?
While specific policies may vary, Pushpay generally fosters a flexible work environment. Candidates are encouraged to inquire about current remote work options during their interviews.
Pushpay Software Engineer candidate reports ↗What is the company culture like at Pushpay?
Pushpay emphasizes collaboration, innovation, and a commitment to excellence. The culture is supportive, and employees are encouraged to pursue growth and continuous learning.
Pushpay Software Engineer candidate reports ↗What topics does Pushpay test in interviews?
Pushpay interviews most often cover Requirements Gathering, Stakeholder Management, Problem Solving, Analytical Thinking, and Marketing Analytics. The exact emphasis depends on the specific role you apply for.
Pushpay Software Engineer candidate reports ↗Sources & methodology 3 sources ↗
No official company page is cited. Rounds and questions come from candidate reports and PracHub editorial material; each source shows the date it was read.
- 01Pushpay Software Engineer candidate reports ↗
Company-reported rounds, questions and FAQ.
Candidate reports · Accessed 2026-09-22 - 02PracHub Software Engineer practice ↗
PracHub practice material, not company-reported.
PracHub page · Accessed 2026-09-22 - 03PracHub preparation framework ↗
PracHub preparation guidance.
PracHub page · Accessed 2026-09-22
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