Engineer Interviews

Engineer Interview Questions

Engineers are responsible for designing and building products. In an interview context, expect to be quizzed on your technical skills, and also evaluated for your ability to work as a part of a team to get things built. The specific questions you are asked will depend on what type of engineering position you are looking for such as a specific engineering discipline like software engineer, electrical engineer, or mechanical engineer.

Top Engineer Interview Questions & How to Answer

Question 1

Question #1: What is the most challenging engineering project you've dealt with, and how did you ensure it was successful?

How to answer
How to answer: This question requires you to give a specific example. Ideally, you're able to choose a project that mirrors the type of work you'd do in the role you're interviewing for. Even if it's not your most challenging project, make sure you describe your obstacle(s) and the successful outcome clearly and enthusiastically.
Question 2

Question #2: In your current role, what steps do you take to avoid making mistakes?

How to answer
How to answer: Whether you have a formal process or not, list any specific measures you employ (i.e., digital tools, consulting with colleagues, etc.). Make sure your answer demonstrates a commitment to quality control, efficiency, and safety.
Question 3

Question #3: Describe a time you dealt with a difficult client or stakeholder.

How to answer
How to answer: This one also requires a specific example that demonstrates patience and good judgment. An employer is looking for evidence that you're able to confidently and calmly stand by your decisions. Share an example with a positive outcome.

840,786 engineer interview questions shared by candidates

want you to write me a simple spell checking engine. The query language is a very simple regular expression-like language, with one special character: . (the dot character), which means EXACTLY ONE character (it can be any character). So, for example, 'c.t' would match 'cat' as the dot matches any character. There may be any number of dot characters in the query (or none). Your spell checker will have to be optimized for speed, so you will have to write it in the required way. There would be a one-time setUp() function that does any pre-processing you require, and then there will be an isMatch() function that should run as fast as possible, utilizing that pre-processing. There are some examples below, feel free to ask for clarification. Word List: [cat, bat, rat, drat, dart, drab] Queries: cat -> true c.t -> true .at -> true ..t -> true d..t -> true dr.. -> true ... -> true .... -> true ..... -> false h.t -> false c. -> false */ // write a function // Struct setup(List<String> list_of_words) // Do whatever processing you want here // with reasonable efficiency. // Return whatever data structures you want. // This function will only run once // write a function // bool isMatch(Struct struct, String query) // Returns whether the query is a match in the // dictionary (True/False) // Should be optimized for speed
avatar

Data Engineer

Interviewed at Meta

3.6
May 22, 2020

want you to write me a simple spell checking engine. The query language is a very simple regular expression-like language, with one special character: . (the dot character), which means EXACTLY ONE character (it can be any character). So, for example, 'c.t' would match 'cat' as the dot matches any character. There may be any number of dot characters in the query (or none). Your spell checker will have to be optimized for speed, so you will have to write it in the required way. There would be a one-time setUp() function that does any pre-processing you require, and then there will be an isMatch() function that should run as fast as possible, utilizing that pre-processing. There are some examples below, feel free to ask for clarification. Word List: [cat, bat, rat, drat, dart, drab] Queries: cat -> true c.t -> true .at -> true ..t -> true d..t -> true dr.. -> true ... -> true .... -> true ..... -> false h.t -> false c. -> false */ // write a function // Struct setup(List<String> list_of_words) // Do whatever processing you want here // with reasonable efficiency. // Return whatever data structures you want. // This function will only run once // write a function // bool isMatch(Struct struct, String query) // Returns whether the query is a match in the // dictionary (True/False) // Should be optimized for speed

Given an input array and another array that describes a new index for each element, mutate the input array so that each element ends up in their new index. Discuss the runtime of the algorithm and how you can be sure there won't be any infinite loops.
avatar

Front End Engineer

Interviewed at Meta

3.6
Apr 8, 2013

Given an input array and another array that describes a new index for each element, mutate the input array so that each element ends up in their new index. Discuss the runtime of the algorithm and how you can be sure there won't be any infinite loops.

Given input: // could be potentially more than 3 keys in the object above items = [ {color: 'red', type: 'tv', age: 18}, {color: 'silver', type: 'phone', age: 20} ... ] excludes = [ {k: 'color', v: 'silver'}, {k: 'type', v: 'tv'}, .... ] function excludeItems(items, excludes) { excludes.forEach(pair => { items = items.filter(item => item[pair.k] === item[pair.v]); }); return items; } 1. Describe what this function is doing... 2. What is wrong with that function ? 3. How would you optimize it ?
avatar

Front End Engineer

Interviewed at Meta

3.6
Nov 27, 2017

Given input: // could be potentially more than 3 keys in the object above items = [ {color: 'red', type: 'tv', age: 18}, {color: 'silver', type: 'phone', age: 20} ... ] excludes = [ {k: 'color', v: 'silver'}, {k: 'type', v: 'tv'}, .... ] function excludeItems(items, excludes) { excludes.forEach(pair => { items = items.filter(item => item[pair.k] === item[pair.v]); }); return items; } 1. Describe what this function is doing... 2. What is wrong with that function ? 3. How would you optimize it ?

Given a fleet of 50 trucks, each with a full fuel tank and a range of 100 miles, how far can you deliver a payload? You can transfer the payload from truck to truck, and you can transfer fuel from truck to truck. Extend your answer for n trucks.
avatar

Business Development Engineer

Interviewed at Palantir Technologies

3.7
Nov 8, 2009

Given a fleet of 50 trucks, each with a full fuel tank and a range of 100 miles, how far can you deliver a payload? You can transfer the payload from truck to truck, and you can transfer fuel from truck to truck. Extend your answer for n trucks.

Given the list of points of the skyline of a city in order (from East to West) Find the maximal rectangle contained in this skyline. I was asked to write the code. I managed to find the algorithm but was not sufficient.
avatar

Software Engineer

Interviewed at Google

4.4
Dec 4, 2009

Given the list of points of the skyline of a city in order (from East to West) Find the maximal rectangle contained in this skyline. I was asked to write the code. I managed to find the algorithm but was not sufficient.

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