The Software Engineer role at the University of Chicago is pivotal in advancing the institution's mission to lead in research, education, and innovation. As a Software Engineer, you will contribute to the development and maintenance of critical software applications that support various academic and administrative functions across the university. This role not only demands a high level of technical proficiency but also a commitment to solving complex problems that directly impact faculty, researchers, and students. Your work will involve collaborating with diverse teams, including faculty members and researchers, to design and implement software solutions that facilitate groundbreaking research and enhance the educational experience. You will have the opportunity to work on a variety of projects, ranging from developing data analysis tools to building scalable applications that manage vast amounts of information. The complexity and scale of the projects you will encounter make this position both challenging and rewarding, as you will be at the forefront of technological innovation in a prestigious academic environment.
Screening Interview
reportedInitial interview assessing problem-solving skills and technical expertise through scenario-based questions.
What to demonstrate
- Initial interview assessing problem-solving skills and technical expertise through scenario-based questions
- Depth in Python
How to prepare
- Answer aloud and timed: How would you approach debugging a complex software issue?
- Answer aloud and timed: Can you explain the differences between various software development methodologies?
Technical Skills Assessment
reportedIn-depth evaluation involving practical coding exercises and discussions about previous projects.
What to demonstrate
- In-depth evaluation involving practical coding exercises and discussions about previous projects
- Depth in Python
How to prepare
- Answer aloud and timed: Describe a project where you implemented a significant software feature. What challenges did you face?
- Answer aloud and timed: What are the principles of RESTful API design?
PracHub editorial advice for the preparation topics above.
Be Prepared for Technical Questions
Brush up on your coding skills and be ready to solve problems on the spot, as technical interviews often include live coding sessions.
Communicate Clearly
Practice articulating your thought process during problem-solving scenarios, as clear communication is key in collaborative environments.
Research the University’s Projects
Familiarize yourself with ongoing research projects and initiatives at the University of Chicago to demonstrate your interest and alignment with their goals.
Show Enthusiasm for Collaboration
Highlight your experiences working in teams and your approach to fostering a positive work environment.
Choose a category, try a prompt, then open its approach, worked solution or follow-up when you need it.
Write a function to reverse a linked list.
Write a function to reverse a linked list.
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?
Given a binary tree, how would you find its maximum depth?
Given a binary tree, how would you find its maximum depth?
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?
Explain how you would implement a caching mechanism in an application.
Explain how you would implement a caching mechanism in an application.
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?
Replace offset paging on the resource feed with keyset
resource holds resource_id, tenant_id, owner_user_id, title, body_ref, version, status ('draft','active','archived','deleted'), created_at, updated_at, deleted_at, with an index on (tenant_id, status, updated_at DESC, resource_id DESC). The listing endpoint returns active resources for one tenant, newest update first, 50 per page, today with LIMIT 50 OFFSET n. Tenants reach page 400 and rows are created while they read. Write the keyset query, define what the cursor carries and how it is encoded, and say which part of the index each predicate uses. Assume PostgreSQL 16.
Approach
- Name the two failures separately. OFFSET 20000 makes the server produce and discard 20,000 rows, so page cost grows with depth rather than with page size. Independently, any write that changes how many rows sort above the offset moves the window between two fetches, and the direction decides which anomaly you get: an insert lands at the head of updated_at DESC and pushes already-returned rows down past the boundary, so they are returned a second time; a delete above the offset, or a row whose updated_at is bumped above the cursor, pulls rows up and one is never returned at all. Nothing in the response reveals either.
- Write the seek: WHERE tenant_id = $1 AND status = 'active' AND (updated_at, resource_id) < ($2, $3) ORDER BY updated_at DESC, resource_id DESC LIMIT 50. The row-value comparison is one index range rather than a disjunction, and both columns are NOT NULL, which is what makes that comparison well defined.
- Map each predicate onto the index: tenant_id and status are equality on the leading columns, (updated_at, resource_id) is the range, and the ORDER BY matches the index order so no Sort node appears and the scan stops after 50 rows. The DESC in the definition only matters for mixed directions — a plain ascending btree on the same columns is read backwards for this query.
- Put both sort columns in the cursor and nothing the client can tamper with into another tenant: base64 of (updated_at, resource_id), validated server-side, with tenant_id taken from the principal.
Follow-up
- The client asks for 'jump to page 400'. What do you offer instead, and what does the honest version cost?
- Sort order becomes user-selectable across four columns. How many indexes is that, and which would you refuse to add?
Write the update path that detects a concurrent edit
resource carries version INT NOT NULL DEFAULT 1. resource_revision holds revision_id, resource_id, version, actor_user_id, change_kind, patch JSONB, request_id, created_at with UNIQUE (resource_id, version). outbox_event holds aggregate_type, aggregate_id, aggregate_version, event_type, payload, status. A PUT carries the version the client read. Write the exact statements for the single transaction that applies the edit, records the revision and enqueues 'resource.updated', and give the handler's branch on zero affected rows. Then say what PostgreSQL 16 does under READ COMMITTED when two of these updates hit one row at once.
Approach
- One transaction, three writes, no network call inside it: UPDATE resource SET title = $3, version = version + 1, updated_at = now() WHERE resource_id = $1 AND tenant_id = $4 AND version = $2; then INSERT the resource_revision row at version $2 + 1; then INSERT the outbox_event row at the same aggregate_version. The event goes to a table rather than a broker because no transaction spans both.
- Branch on the affected-row count before doing anything else. Zero has three causes — stale version, wrong tenant, row gone — so re-read once and map to 409 carrying the current version, or 404 for an id outside the caller's tenant, which also stops the endpoint confirming that another tenant's id exists.
- State the engine behaviour instead of assuming it. Under READ COMMITTED the second UPDATE blocks on the row lock, and when the first commits PostgreSQL re-evaluates the WHERE clause against the newly committed row, so the version predicate now fails and the statement reports zero rows. Under REPEATABLE READ the identical collision raises SQLSTATE 40001 instead, so the handler must fold both shapes into one conflict response.
- Keep UNIQUE (resource_id, version) even though the predicate already serialises writers. It is what makes a lost update unwritable if any other path ever reaches the revision table, and it converts a logic bug into 23505 rather than into a silently missing history row.
Follow-up
- A client sends the version it read ten minutes ago and the resource has moved three versions. What is in your 409 so it can resolve the conflict without a full re-fetch?
- Two editors, two disjoint fields, no overlap. Does your answer still refuse the second write, and should it?
Can you explain the differences between various software development methodologies?
Can you explain the differences between various software development methodologies?
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?
Describe a project where you implemented a significant software feature. What challenges did you face?
Describe a project where you implemented a significant software feature. What challenges did you face?
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 are the principles of RESTful API design?
What are the principles of RESTful API design?
Approach
- Say who the caller is and what they do when the call fails halfway.
- Define the identity of a request so a retry cannot double-apply it.
- Separate accepted, pending, failed and confirmed; they are different facts.
- Design the error taxonomy before the success shape; callers branch on it.
Follow-up
- What happens if the caller retries after a timeout?
- How does a client discover it is on an old version of this contract?
Explain how you would optimize a slow-running application.
Explain how you would optimize a slow-running application.
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 given a large dataset with missing values, how would you handle it?
If given a large dataset with missing values, how would you handle it?
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?
Describe how you would design a system to manage user authentication and authorization.
Describe how you would design a system to manage user authentication and authorization.
Approach
- Fix the scope first: who calls this, how often, and what they do when it fails.
- Name the read and write paths separately; they rarely have the same bottleneck.
- Choose a partition key and say what query it makes expensive.
- State the consistency you need, and where you are willing to be stale.
Follow-up
- What breaks first when traffic grows ten times?
- How does this behave when that dependency is down for an hour?
Explain a time you faced an unexpected challenge in a project and how you resolved it.
Explain a time you faced an unexpected challenge in a project and how you resolved it.
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 would you approach debugging a complex software issue?
How would you approach debugging a complex software issue?
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 University of Chicago candidates report.
Prepare, practise & reflect
One practical outcome each day. Spend longer where you need it.
0 / 7 done01Map the University of Chicago loop
- Write out the reported sequence: Screening Interview, Technical Skills Assessment.
- 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 2 reported rounds, with the weakest marked.
02Work Python
- Spend the session on Python, which University of Chicago candidates report being tested on.
- Write one worked example in Python and time yourself on it.
Deliverable: One timed worked example in Python.
03Work Problem Solving
- Spend the session on Problem Solving, which University of Chicago candidates report being tested on.
- Write one worked example in Problem Solving and time yourself on it.
Deliverable: One timed worked example in Problem Solving.
04Work REST API Development
- Spend the session on REST API Development, which University of Chicago candidates report being tested on.
- Write one worked example in REST API Development and time yourself on it.
Deliverable: One timed worked example in REST API Development.
05Answer out loud: Technical / Domain Questions
- Answer aloud, timed: How would you approach debugging a complex software issue?
- Answer aloud, timed: Can you explain the differences between various software development methodologies?
Deliverable: Spoken answers to 2 reported Technical / Domain Questions question(s), under time.
06Answer out loud: Problem-Solving / Case Studies
- Answer aloud, timed: If given a large dataset with missing values, how would you handle it?
- Answer aloud, timed: Describe how you would design a system to manage user authentication and authorization.
Deliverable: Spoken answers to 2 reported Problem-Solving / Case Studies question(s), under time.
07Answer out loud: Behavioral / Leadership
- Answer aloud, timed: Describe a situation where you had to work under tight deadlines. How did you manage your time?
- Answer aloud, timed: How do you handle disagreements with team members?
Deliverable: Spoken answers to 2 reported Behavioral / Leadership 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.
Describe a situation where you had to work under tight deadlines. How did you manage your time?
Describe a situation where you had to work under tight deadlines. How did you manage your time?
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 handle disagreements with team members?
How do you handle disagreements with team members?
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?
Can you provide an example of how you have mentored a junior developer?
Can you provide an example of how you have mentored a junior developer?
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
Describe a situation where you had to work under tight deadlines. How did you manage your time?
- 02
How do you handle disagreements with team members?
- 03
Can you provide an example of how you have mentored a junior developer?
How difficult are the interviews for this position?
The interviews are generally considered to be of average difficulty, focusing on both technical skills and cultural fit. Candidates should expect a mix of coding challenges and behavioral questions.
University of Chicago Software Engineer candidate reports ↗What makes a successful candidate stand out?
Successful candidates typically have a strong technical background, demonstrate effective problem-solving skills, and show a genuine interest in collaborating with researchers and faculty.
University of Chicago Software Engineer candidate reports ↗What is the timeline from initial screening to offer?
The process can take anywhere from a few weeks to a month, depending on the number of candidates and the scheduling of interviews.
University of Chicago Software Engineer candidate reports ↗Is remote work an option for this position?
While many roles at the University of Chicago offer flexibility, the specifics may vary by department. It is advisable to inquire about remote or hybrid work options during the interview.
University of Chicago Software Engineer candidate reports ↗What topics does University of Chicago test in interviews?
University of Chicago interviews most often cover Problem Solving, Behavioral Interviewing, Python, Stakeholder Management, and SQL. The exact emphasis depends on the specific role you apply for.
University of Chicago 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.
- 01University of Chicago 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
Explore related engineering environments and compare the preparation focus.
Scale Ai Software Engineer Interview Guide
Data structures and algorithms practice for Scale Ai candidates, where stating a bound means stating its precondition: constant-time hash lookup is an average case over keys that spread.
Lambda Software Engineer Interview Guide
Failure-handling practice for Lambda software engineer candidates: requests whose outcome a timeout leaves unknown, where a retry is safe, and deduplicating at the receiver instead of assuming exactly-once delivery.
Discord Software Engineer Interview Guide
Database practice for Discord candidates: how an index changes a query plan, and which anomalies survive a given isolation level, since read committed still permits non-repeatable reads.
CoreWeave Software Engineer Interview Guide
Failure-handling practice for CoreWeave software engineer candidates: requests whose outcome a timeout leaves unknown, where a retry is safe, and deduplicating at the receiver instead of assuming exactly-once delivery.