The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at Two Sigma (Houston, TX) in Feb 2012
Interview
Application facilitated by a recruiting firm. Initially screened by HR representative over the phone. The next step was a timed coding test: two simple problems sent via email. Acceptable programming languages were Java, C++, and C. Solution had to be emailed back within two hours. Feedback on code test came within two or three days, and I was invited to an on-site interview. I had one-on-one interviews with five different people and was taken to lunch by two others. Altogether, the interviews lasted 8.5 hours. The interviews were primarily technical in nature. I was asked on multiple occasions to write Java code on a provided laptop. Interview topics included features and syntax of Java and C++, data structures and algorithms, UNIX commands, databases, concurrency, software design. No brain teasers. Everybody that I interacted with was first class; there was no condescension, smugness, or rudeness of any kind. Everyone seemed extremely intelligent, highly competent, and laid-back. I received notice of their decision within a couple of days after the interview. I believe they are an outstanding company and will be highly successful for years to come. I was disappointed not to receive an offer.
first interview was 60 minutes long with a leetcode hard question. second interview was 2 back to back 60 minute leetcode hard with emphasis on data structures. each interview had a 5 minute introduction and 10 minute at the end to ask questions
Standard medium difficulty hackerrank. The question involved decoded an encoded string. It was not something I had seen on LeetCode before and I think was unique to the company. The question was not that difficult but I ran out of time right before I could finish answering.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Decode a string encoded using a specific encoding algorithm.
It started of with one phone screen, then if you pass you have 2 back to back technicals, then 3 1 hour behaviorals, hiring committee, and management committee. Standard Leetcode and behavioral questions.