Uber Software Engineer Interview Guide

Uber, one of the top tech companies in the world, was founded in 2009 by Travis Kalanick. Uber disrupted the tech world by providing high-quality ride services to millions of people. Today, Uber’s smart idea of using an app to order car rides, its rapid growth worldwide, and the way it regularly challenges rules make it an exciting company to watch.

This success wouldn’t be possible without the company’s experienced and world-class team. With its headquarters in San Francisco, Uber operates in more than 70 countries. And this success and prestige make working at Uber a dream for many software engineers. If you’re preparing for an Uber software engineer interview, then you’ve landed at the right place. Not only will this blog help you increase your knowledge of Uber and its software engineer interviews, but Educative also offers interactive interview prep courses and skill paths that help you prepare thoroughly for your Uber interview.

So, without further ado, let’s dive deep into the Uber interview process and questions.

Uber Software Engineer Interview Process#

The Uber software engineer interview process consists of four rounds: phone screening, on-site interviews, take-home assessments (if required), and a behavioral interview. The basic interview steps are explained below:

Initial Application#

When you decide to apply for a job at Uber, the first step is sending in your application. Uber’s team will review your details to see if you’re a good match for the job. Sometimes, Uber’s recruiters might even recommend a different role that aligns better with your skills and experience.

If your application catches their eye, they’ll schedule a technical phone interview. If that goes well, the next step is an on-site interview.

Technical Phone Interview#

The technical phone interview at Uber is essential in the hiring process for software engineering roles. The interview is typically conducted over a phone call or video conference call. The phone screening interview is usually 45 to 60 minutes long. Candidates are usually asked to code in real time, often using a shared coding platform where the interviewer and the candidate can view and edit the code.

Uber might use platforms like HackerRank, CodeSignal, or their own proprietary platform for these interviews. These platforms allow candidates to write and run code, making it easier for interviewers to assess coding skills. Some of the common Uber interview questions involve arrays, linked lists, dynamic programming, and real-world system design problems.

On-Site Interviews#

After a successful technical phone interview, the recruiters will call you for an on-site interview. Uber’s on-site software engineer interviews are challenging and will help interviewers know whether or not they’re the right fit for the position.

The on-site interviews consist of the following:

• Coding Questions

• System Design Interview Questions

• Behavioral Questions

Coding questions usually consist of technical problems related to data structures and algorithms, dynamic programming, etc. During this part of the process, interviewers assess the clarity of thought, correctness of the solution, efficiency of the code, and the candidate’s ability to handle edge cases. An optimal solution is often expected, but the approach and thought process are equally valued.

Candidates are also expected to design complex software systems. System design questions are not related to coding. They are more focused on your problem-solving and critical-thinking abilities. Uber software engineer interviews also ensure that the candidate fits the company’s culture perfectly. They ask questions related to candidates’ collaborative skills and team-building abilities.

Commonly Asked Questions During Uber Software Engineer Interview#

Uber software engineer interviews are challenging and have different questions for all candidates. We have mentioned some of the most commonly asked Uber interview questions. For more prep guides and questions, you can try Educative-99 and Educative-77, which can help you prepare for coding interviews in five different languages (Python, Go, Java, JavaScript, and C++).

Behavioral Questions#

Here are some commonly asked behavioral questions that can appear during the Uber interview. Each question helps the interviewer learn more about the candidate and whether they fit the role.

• Tell me about a time when you had to deal with a difficult problem at work. How did you handle it?

• Describe a project that you are particularly proud of. What was your role and contribution?

• Can you talk about a technical challenge you faced and how you overcame it?

• Uber is a fast-paced company. How do you handle priority changes or sudden shifts in a project’s direction?

• Describe a situation where you had to learn a new technology or skill in a short amount of time.

• Uber is highly customer-focused. Can you describe a time when you went above and beyond to meet a user or customer’s needs?

• Even if you weren’t in a leadership role, describe when you took the lead on a project or initiative.

• How do you handle situations where you need to motivate a team or maintain morale during challenging times?

• How do you align with Uber’s core values?

• Why did you choose to apply to Uber, and what do you think you can bring to our team?

Technical Questions#

• Implement an algorithm to find the shortest path in a city grid, considering one-way streets.

• Describe how you would implement an LRU (Least Recently Used) Cache.

• Write a function to detect a cycle in a linked list.

• Implement an autocomplete system. This might require a combination of Trie data structure and sorting algorithms.

• Find the longest substring without repeating characters.

• Merge K sorted arrays.

• How would you design Uber’s ride-matching system to efficiently match drivers with riders?

• Design a rate limiter to prevent abuse of Uber’s API.

• How would you architect a system to handle the logging of millions of events per minute from the Uber app?

• Discuss potential strategies to scale Uber’s backend to handle surges during ride times.

• How would you design a database schema to handle user trip histories?

• Discuss the trade-offs between SQL and NoSQL databases in the context of Uber’s dynamic pricing system.

• Implement a function to handle frequent updates to driver locations.

These are some commonly asked technical questions during an Uber software engineer interview. Candidates must prepare thoroughly before their interview. That is why we suggest Educative-99, a combination of the top 99 questions (with solutions) to help you prepare for all kinds of questions that can be asked in interviews with top tech companies.

Educative-99 offers a well-organized collection of 99 practice questions meticulously chosen to help you grasp and hone vital coding interview techniques. What sets this resource apart in the field is its blend of diverse patterns coupled with a range of difficulty levels. This ensures you’re equipped to tackle the depth and breadth of any interview question.

• Educative-99 in Python

• Educative-99 in Java

• Educative-99 in C++

• Educative 99 in JavaScript

• Educative 99 in Go

Tips to Answer Uber Software Engineer Interview Questions#

• Before jumping to a conclusion, make sure that you take your time to understand the question.

• Share your thought process with the interviewers because they want to evaluate your thoughts and problem-solving skills.

• Review all the basic coding and system design concepts before appearing at the interview.

• Practice. Practice. Practice. Practice your coding and system design skills on coding platforms like Educative.

• For experienced candidates, system design interviews are crucial. Familiarize yourself with load balancing, caching, distributed databases, and scalability strategies.

• When asked about past experiences, use the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) technique. It helps structure your response and highlight your contributions and outcomes.