# Software Engineer
**Role:** Software Engineer · **Level:** LMTS
**Company:** [athenahealth](https://scaleengineer.com/companies/athenahealth)
**Difficulty:** Medium to Hard
**Salary:** US$110000 - US$150000
**Experience:** 3 - 7
**Timeline:** ~14 days
The interview process for a Software Engineer at athenahealth, specifically for the LMTS level, is designed to assess a candidate's technical proficiency, problem-solving abilities, and cultural fit within the company. The process typically involves multiple rounds, starting with an initial screening and progressing through technical and behavioral assessments.
Canonical: https://scaleengineer.com/interviews/athenahealth/lmts-software-engineer
---
## Overall evaluation

- Technical Skills
- Behavioral and Communication Skills
- Software Engineering Practices

## Questions asked

- Tell me about a time you had to deal with a difficult stakeholder.
- How would you design a system to manage patient appointments?
- Write a function to find the kth largest element in an unsorted array.
- Describe your experience with cloud-native architectures.
- What are the trade-offs between SQL and NoSQL databases?
- How do you ensure the security of sensitive data in your applications?
- Explain the concept of RESTful APIs.
- Describe a situation where you had to work under a tight deadline.
- How do you approach code refactoring?
- What are your thoughts on test-driven development (TDD)?

## Preparation tips

### lists

- Review core computer science concepts (data structures, algorithms, operating systems, databases).
- Practice coding problems on platforms like LeetCode, HackerRank, or similar.
- Study system design principles and common architectural patterns.
- Prepare behavioral questions using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result).
- Research athenahealth's mission, values, and products.
- Understand the specific technologies and tools mentioned in the job description.
- Prepare questions to ask the interviewers about the role, team, and company culture.

### studyPlan

- {"title":"Data Structures and Algorithms","longDescription":"Weeks 1-2: Focus on Data Structures and Algorithms. Cover arrays, linked lists, trees, graphs, hash tables, sorting, searching, and dynamic programming. Practice medium to hard level problems on platforms like LeetCode. Aim for 2-3 hours of study per day.","shortDescription":"Weeks 1-2: DSA practice (LeetCode medium/hard)."}
- {"title":"System Design","longDescription":"Weeks 3-4: Dive into System Design. Study concepts like scalability, availability, reliability, load balancing, caching, databases (SQL vs. NoSQL), message queues, and microservices. Review common system design interview questions and practice designing systems. Aim for 2-3 hours of study per day.","shortDescription":"Weeks 3-4: System Design concepts and practice."}
- {"title":"Behavioral and Company Fit","longDescription":"Week 5: Prepare for Behavioral and Situational Questions. Reflect on past experiences and prepare stories using the STAR method for common behavioral questions (teamwork, leadership, conflict resolution, problem-solving). Also, research athenahealth's culture and values. Aim for 1-2 hours of study per day.","shortDescription":"Week 5: Behavioral questions (STAR method) and company research."}
- {"title":"Mock Interviews and Final Preparation","longDescription":"Week 6: Mock Interviews and Review. Conduct mock interviews with peers or mentors to simulate the interview environment. Review weak areas identified during practice and mock interviews. Finalize questions to ask the interviewers. Aim for 2-3 hours of practice and review.","shortDescription":"Week 6: Mock interviews and final review."}

## Location differences

- {"location":"Remote","differences":{"tips":["Research athenahealth's specific products and services in the healthcare IT space.","Be prepared to discuss your experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure) and their relevance to healthcare.","Familiarize yourself with common healthcare workflows and challenges.","Highlight any experience with compliance and security in healthcare data."],"interviewFocus":["System design for healthcare applications","Scalability and performance in a regulated environment","Understanding of healthcare data standards (e.g., HL7, FHIR)","Collaboration and communication within cross-functional teams"],"commonQuestions":["How would you design a system to handle real-time patient data updates?","Describe a challenging technical problem you solved and your approach.","How do you ensure the scalability and reliability of your code?","What are your thoughts on microservices vs. monolithic architecture in a healthcare context?","Tell me about a time you had to mentor a junior engineer."]}}
- {"location":"On-site (e.g., Watertown, MA)","differences":{"tips":["Be ready to whiteboard solutions to coding problems.","Prepare specific examples from your past projects that demonstrate your technical skills.","Understand the importance of collaboration and communication in an office environment.","Showcase your ability to adapt to different team dynamics."],"interviewFocus":["Problem-solving and debugging skills","Code quality and best practices","Familiarity with agile methodologies","Teamwork and collaboration"],"commonQuestions":["Discuss a time you disagreed with a technical decision and how you handled it.","How do you approach debugging complex issues in a production environment?","What are your preferred methods for code reviews and ensuring code quality?","Describe your experience with CI/CD pipelines and automated testing.","How do you stay updated with the latest technologies and best practices?"]}}

## Round 1: Data Structures and Algorithms Round
**Type:** Technical Interview - Coding · **Difficulty:** Medium · **Duration:** 45 min
Coding challenge focused on data structures and algorithms.
This round focuses on assessing your fundamental programming skills. You will be asked to solve one or two coding problems, typically involving data structures and algorithms. The interviewer will evaluate your approach to problem-solving, your ability to write clean and efficient code, and how well you communicate your thought process. Expect to write code in a shared editor or on a whiteboard.
**Interviewers look for:** Strong grasp of data structures and algorithms.; Ability to translate a problem into a working code solution.; Clear communication of thought process.; Attention to detail and edge case handling.
**Evaluation criteria:** Correctness of the solution.; Efficiency of the algorithm (time and space complexity).; Code clarity and readability.; Problem-solving approach.; Ability to handle edge cases.
**Common rejection reasons:** Inability to articulate thought process.; Poor understanding of fundamental data structures and algorithms.; Inefficient or incorrect coding solutions.; Lack of clarity in explaining technical concepts.
## Questions

- Given a binary tree, find its inorder traversal.
- Implement a function to reverse a linked list.
- Find the two numbers in an array that add up to a specific target.

## Preparation tips

- Practice coding problems on platforms like LeetCode, HackerRank.
- Focus on understanding time and space complexity (Big O notation).
- Be prepared to explain your solution and discuss alternative approaches.
- Practice explaining your thought process out loud.

## Round 2: System Design Round
**Type:** Technical Interview - System Design · **Difficulty:** Hard · **Duration:** 60 min
Design a scalable software system.
This round assesses your ability to design and architect software systems. You'll be given an open-ended problem, such as designing a specific feature or a large-scale system (e.g., a URL shortener, a social media feed, or a healthcare data management system). The interviewer will evaluate your ability to break down the problem, identify requirements, propose a high-level design, and then dive deeper into specific components, considering scalability, reliability, and trade-offs. You'll likely use a whiteboard or a collaborative design tool.
**Interviewers look for:** Ability to design complex systems from scratch.; Understanding of distributed systems principles.; Pragmatic approach to problem-solving.; Clear communication of design choices and trade-offs.
**Evaluation criteria:** System design approach.; Scalability and performance considerations.; Reliability and fault tolerance.; Understanding of trade-offs.; Knowledge of relevant technologies (databases, caching, messaging).; Ability to handle ambiguity.
**Common rejection reasons:** Inability to design scalable and reliable systems.; Lack of understanding of distributed systems concepts.; Poor consideration of trade-offs.; Not addressing non-functional requirements adequately.
## Questions

- Design a system like Twitter's news feed.
- Design a rate limiter for an API.
- Design a distributed key-value store.

## Preparation tips

- Study common system design patterns and architectures.
- Understand concepts like load balancing, caching, database sharding, and message queues.
- Practice designing various systems, considering different scales.
- Be prepared to discuss trade-offs for your design choices.

## Round 3: Behavioral and Cultural Fit Round
**Type:** Behavioral Interview · **Difficulty:** Medium · **Duration:** 45 min
Assesses past behavior and cultural fit.
This round focuses on your behavioral and situational responses. You'll be asked questions about your past experiences, how you handle specific work scenarios, and your motivations. The goal is to understand your work style, how you collaborate with others, and how you align with athenahealth's culture and values. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your answers effectively.
**Interviewers look for:** Evidence of collaboration and teamwork.; Ability to handle challenging situations professionally.; Self-awareness and reflection on past experiences.; Alignment with athenahealth's mission and culture.
**Evaluation criteria:** Teamwork and collaboration skills.; Problem-solving approach in past situations.; Leadership potential.; Adaptability and learning agility.; Cultural fit with athenahealth's values.; Motivation and career goals.
**Common rejection reasons:** Lack of alignment with company values.; Poor communication or interpersonal skills.; Inability to provide specific examples for behavioral questions.; Negative attitude or lack of enthusiasm.
## Questions

- Tell me about a time you failed. What did you learn from it?
- Describe a challenging project you worked on and how you overcame obstacles.
- How do you handle disagreements within a team?

## Preparation tips

- Prepare examples for common behavioral questions (teamwork, conflict, failure, success).
- Use the STAR method to structure your answers.
- Research athenahealth's company culture and values.
- Be honest and authentic in your responses.

## Round 4: Hiring Manager Round
**Type:** Hiring Manager / Team Fit Interview · **Difficulty:** Medium · **Duration:** 30 min
Final discussion with the hiring manager.
This is often the final round, conducted by the hiring manager or a senior member of the team you would be joining. It's a chance for them to assess your overall fit for the team and the specific role, discuss your career aspirations, and answer any remaining questions you might have. They will also gauge your understanding of the team's work and your potential contributions.
**Interviewers look for:** Technical curiosity.; Understanding of the role and its impact.; Good questions that show engagement.; Enthusiasm for athenahealth's mission.
**Evaluation criteria:** Alignment with the team's technical stack.; Understanding of the role's responsibilities.; Enthusiasm for the position.; Ability to ask insightful questions.; Overall fit for the specific team and project.
**Common rejection reasons:** Lack of alignment with the team's technical direction.; Inability to answer specific technical questions related to the role.; Poor communication of technical ideas.; Unrealistic salary expectations.
## Questions

- What are your strengths and weaknesses as a software engineer?
- Why are you interested in working at athenahealth?
- What are your salary expectations?

## Preparation tips

- Review the job description and understand the team's focus.
- Prepare questions about the team's projects, challenges, and culture.
- Be ready to discuss your career goals and how this role fits into them.
- Show genuine interest in the company and the team.