# Software Engineer
**Role:** Software Engineer · **Level:** MTS
**Company:** [athenahealth](https://scaleengineer.com/companies/athenahealth)
**Difficulty:** Medium to Hard
**Salary:** US$90000 - US$120000
**Experience:** 2 - 5
**Timeline:** ~14 days
The Software Engineer (MTS) interview at athenahealth is a comprehensive process designed to assess a candidate's technical skills, problem-solving abilities, and cultural fit within the company. It typically involves multiple rounds, including HR screening, technical interviews focusing on data structures and algorithms, system design, and behavioral aspects, culminating in a final managerial or team-fit interview. The goal is to identify candidates who can contribute effectively to developing and maintaining athenahealth's innovative healthcare IT solutions.
Canonical: https://scaleengineer.com/interviews/athenahealth/mts-software-engineer
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## Overall evaluation

- Technical Proficiency
- Communication and Collaboration
- Behavioral and Cultural Fit

## Questions asked

- Write a function to reverse a linked list.
- Given an array of integers, find the two numbers that add up to a specific target.
- Design a system to handle real-time notifications for a social media platform.
- Tell me about a time you disagreed with a team member and how you resolved it.
- How would you optimize a slow database query?
- Explain the difference between a process and a thread.
- Describe a challenging bug you encountered and how you debugged it.
- How do you approach learning a new technology?
- What are your strengths and weaknesses as a software engineer?
- Why are you interested in athenahealth?

## Preparation tips

### lists

- Review fundamental data structures (arrays, linked lists, trees, graphs, hash maps) and algorithms (sorting, searching, dynamic programming, recursion).
- Practice coding problems on platforms like LeetCode, HackerRank, or similar sites, focusing on medium-difficulty problems.
- Understand core computer science concepts such as operating systems, databases, and networking.
- Prepare for system design questions by studying common architectural patterns, scalability concepts, and trade-offs.
- Reflect on past projects and experiences to prepare for behavioral questions using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result).
- Research athenahealth's products, mission, and recent news to demonstrate genuine interest.
- Prepare thoughtful 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, stacks, queues, trees (binary, BST, AVL), heaps, hash tables, and graphs. Implement common algorithms like sorting (quicksort, mergesort), searching (binary search), graph traversal (BFS, DFS), and dynamic programming basics. Practice coding these on a whiteboard or online editor.","shortDescription":"Weeks 1-2: Data Structures & Algorithms (Arrays, Lists, Trees, Graphs, Sorting, Searching, DP). Practice coding."}
- {"title":"System Design","longDescription":"Week 3: System Design. Study concepts like scalability, availability, reliability, load balancing, caching, database design (SQL vs. NoSQL), API design, and microservices. Work through common system design problems like designing a URL shortener, a Twitter feed, or a distributed cache.","shortDescription":"Week 3: System Design (Scalability, Caching, Databases, APIs). Practice design problems."}
- {"title":"Behavioral and Company Fit","longDescription":"Week 4: Behavioral and Behavioral Questions. Prepare examples using the STAR method for common behavioral questions related to teamwork, problem-solving, leadership, handling conflict, and dealing with failure. Also, research athenahealth's values and mission to align your answers.","shortDescription":"Week 4: Behavioral Prep (STAR Method), Company Research. Prepare questions for interviewers."}

## Location differences

- {"location":"Remote","differences":{"tips":["Research the specific athenahealth office and its local impact.","Be prepared to discuss how your skills align with the needs of the local team.","Highlight any experience working with distributed teams if the role requires it."],"interviewFocus":["Adaptability to local market trends and technologies.","Understanding of specific healthcare regulations relevant to the region (if applicable).","Collaboration with local teams and understanding of regional business needs."],"commonQuestions":["Tell me about a challenging technical problem you solved at your previous role.","How do you approach debugging a complex issue?","Describe a time you had to work with a difficult stakeholder.","What are your thoughts on agile development methodologies?","How do you stay updated with new technologies?"]}}
- {"location":"On-site (e.g., Watertown, MA; Durham, NC)","differences":{"tips":["Tailor your answers to the specific projects and technologies mentioned in the job description for that location.","Emphasize your ability to collaborate effectively in an in-office setting.","Show enthusiasm for athenahealth's mission and its impact on healthcare."],"interviewFocus":["Deep dive into specific technical skills relevant to the office's projects.","Understanding of the company's mission and values.","Potential for on-site collaboration and team integration."],"commonQuestions":["Describe your experience with our specific technology stack.","How do you handle tight deadlines and pressure?","What are your career aspirations within athenahealth?","Tell me about a project you are particularly proud of.","How do you contribute to a positive team environment?"]}}

## Round 0: HR/Recruiter Screen
**Type:** HR/Recruiter Screen · **Difficulty:** Easy to Medium · **Duration:** 30 min
Initial screening for basic qualifications and fit.
This initial screening call with HR or a recruiter is to assess your basic qualifications, understand your career goals, discuss salary expectations, and provide an overview of the role and company. It's also an opportunity for you to ask initial questions about the process and the company.
**Interviewers look for:** Enthusiasm for the role and athenahealth.; Clear understanding of the position.; Good rapport with potential team members.; Alignment with team dynamics and values.
**Evaluation criteria:** Mutual interest in the role and team.; Alignment of expectations (role, career growth).; Cultural alignment with the immediate team.; Candidate's questions and engagement.
**Common rejection reasons:** Lack of alignment with the team's technical direction.; Poor cultural fit with the specific team.; Unrealistic salary expectations.; Lack of clarity on role expectations.
## Questions

- Can you tell me about your background and why you're interested in this role?
- What are your salary expectations?
- What do you know about athenahealth?

## Preparation tips

- Be prepared to discuss your resume and experience.
- Have a clear understanding of your salary expectations.
- Research athenahealth's mission and values.
- Prepare questions about the role, team, and company culture.

## Round 1: Data Structures and Algorithms
**Type:** Technical Interview - Data Structures & Algorithms · **Difficulty:** Medium · **Duration:** 45 min
Assess core CS fundamentals with coding problems.
This round focuses on your core computer science knowledge, particularly data structures and algorithms. You will be asked to solve coding problems, often on a shared online editor or whiteboard. The interviewer will assess your ability to analyze problems, choose appropriate data structures and algorithms, write clean and efficient code, and explain your thought process clearly. Expect questions that test your understanding of time and space complexity.
**Interviewers look for:** Strong grasp of data structures and algorithms.; Ability to translate a problem into code.; Logical thinking and problem-solving skills.; Clear communication of technical concepts.
**Evaluation criteria:** Correctness of the solution.; Efficiency of the algorithm (time and space complexity).; Clarity and readability of the code.; Ability to explain the approach and trade-offs.; Handling of edge cases.
**Common rejection reasons:** Poor communication of thought process.; Inability to write clean, working code.; Lack of understanding of fundamental data structures and algorithms.; Failure to consider edge cases or optimize solutions.
## Questions

- Given a binary tree, find its inorder traversal.
- Implement a function to find the kth smallest element in an unsorted array.
- Write a program to detect a cycle in a linked list.

## Preparation tips

- Practice coding problems regularly.
- Understand the time and space complexity of your solutions.
- Be prepared to discuss trade-offs between different approaches.
- Practice explaining your code and logic out loud.

## Round 2: System Design
**Type:** Technical Interview - System Design · **Difficulty:** Hard · **Duration:** 60 min
Assess system design and architecture skills.
This round evaluates your ability to design and architect software systems. You'll be presented with a high-level problem (e.g., design a URL shortener, a social media feed, or a rate limiter) and expected to discuss various aspects of the design, including data models, APIs, scalability, performance, and fault tolerance. The focus is on your ability to think critically about system components and their interactions.
**Interviewers look for:** Ability to design complex systems.; Understanding of distributed systems principles.; Knowledge of databases, caching, load balancing, and messaging queues.; Pragmatic approach to problem-solving and trade-offs.
**Evaluation criteria:** Scalability of the proposed design.; Availability and reliability considerations.; Choice of appropriate technologies and components.; Understanding of trade-offs and justifications.; Ability to handle various constraints and requirements.
**Common rejection reasons:** Inability to design scalable and reliable systems.; Lack of understanding of distributed systems concepts.; Poor consideration of trade-offs.; Failure to address potential bottlenecks or failure points.
## Questions

- Design a system like Twitter's news feed.
- How would you design a distributed key-value store?
- Design an API rate limiter.

## Preparation tips

- Study common system design patterns and architectures.
- Understand concepts like CAP theorem, eventual consistency, and ACID properties.
- Practice designing systems for scale.
- Be prepared to justify your design choices and discuss alternatives.

## Round 3: Behavioral and Managerial Fit
**Type:** Behavioral and Managerial Interview · **Difficulty:** Medium · **Duration:** 45 min
Assess behavioral competencies and team fit.
This round focuses on your behavioral and situational responses. You'll be asked questions about your past experiences, how you handle specific work situations, and your motivations. The interviewer aims to understand your personality, work style, and how well you would fit into the team and the company culture. Using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) is highly recommended for answering these questions.
**Interviewers look for:** Evidence of collaboration and teamwork.; Ability to handle conflict and challenges constructively.; Proactiveness and ownership.; Alignment with athenahealth's mission and culture.; Growth mindset and willingness to learn.
**Evaluation criteria:** Teamwork and collaboration skills.; Problem-solving approach in real-world scenarios.; Communication clarity and effectiveness.; Cultural fit with athenahealth's values.; Motivation and career aspirations.
**Common rejection reasons:** Lack of alignment with company values.; Poor communication or interpersonal skills.; Negative attitude or lack of enthusiasm.; Inability to provide specific examples for behavioral questions.; Mismatch in career goals or expectations.
## Questions

- Tell me about a time you failed. What did you learn from it?
- Describe a situation where you had to work with a difficult colleague.
- How do you prioritize your work when you have multiple competing deadlines?

## Preparation tips

- Prepare specific examples using the STAR method for common behavioral questions.
- Research athenahealth's company values and mission.
- Be ready to discuss your career goals and why you're interested in this role.
- Show enthusiasm and a positive attitude.