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

- Technical Proficiency
- Problem-Solving Abilities
- Communication and Interpersonal Skills
- Cultural Fit and Behavioral Aspects

## Questions asked

- Given an array of integers, find the contiguous subarray with the largest sum.
- Design a URL shortening service like bit.ly.
- Explain the difference between a process and a thread.
- Tell me about a time you disagreed with a teammate and how you resolved it.
- How would you design a system to handle real-time notifications for a social media platform?
- What are the trade-offs between SQL and NoSQL databases?
- Describe a situation where you had to deal with ambiguity in requirements.
- Implement a function to reverse a linked list.
- How do you ensure code quality and maintainability?
- What are your career aspirations?

## Preparation tips

### lists

- Review fundamental data structures and algorithms (arrays, linked lists, trees, graphs, sorting, searching).
- Practice coding problems on platforms like LeetCode, HackerRank, or AlgoExpert, focusing on medium to hard difficulty.
- Study system design principles, including scalability, reliability, availability, and common design patterns.
- Understand distributed systems concepts (e.g., CAP theorem, consensus algorithms).
- Prepare to discuss your past projects in detail, focusing on your contributions and the challenges you faced.
- Research athenahealth's mission, values, and products to understand their business context.
- Practice behavioral questions using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result).
- Prepare thoughtful questions to ask the interviewer about the role, team, and company culture.

### studyPlan

- {"title":"Data Structures and Algorithms Fundamentals","longDescription":"Weeks 1-2: Focus on core data structures (arrays, linked lists, stacks, queues, trees, graphs) and their common operations. Practice implementing them and solving problems related to them. Review basic algorithms like sorting and searching. Aim for 2-3 coding problems per day.","shortDescription":"Weeks 1-2: Data Structures & Basic Algorithms. Practice 2-3 problems/day."}
- {"title":"Advanced Algorithms and System Design Concepts","longDescription":"Weeks 3-4: Dive into more advanced algorithms (dynamic programming, greedy algorithms, graph traversal) and complexity analysis (Big O notation). Continue practicing coding problems, increasing the difficulty. Start exploring common system design concepts like load balancing, caching, and databases.","shortDescription":"Weeks 3-4: Advanced Algorithms & System Design Intro. Practice harder problems."}
- {"title":"System Design and Behavioral Preparation","longDescription":"Weeks 5-6: Deepen your understanding of system design. Focus on designing scalable and reliable systems, microservices architecture, API design, and data storage solutions. Practice system design case studies. Prepare for behavioral questions by reflecting on your past experiences and structuring your answers using the STAR method.","shortDescription":"Weeks 5-6: System Design Deep Dive & Behavioral Prep. Practice case studies & STAR method."}
- {"title":"Mock Interviews and Final Review","longDescription":"Week 7: Mock interviews with peers or mentors to simulate the interview environment. Focus on refining your communication skills, problem-solving approach, and time management during coding and design discussions. Review any areas you feel weak in and research athenahealth thoroughly.","shortDescription":"Week 7: Mock Interviews & Final Review. Focus on communication and company research."}

## Location differences

- {"location":"Remote","differences":{"tips":["Research athenahealth's products and services, particularly those related to healthcare IT.","Be prepared to discuss your experience with cloud-native architectures.","Familiarize yourself with common healthcare data standards (e.g., HL7, FHIR).","Highlight any experience you have in regulated industries."],"interviewFocus":["Understanding of healthcare specific challenges and regulations (HIPAA).","Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure) and their services.","Ability to design scalable and resilient systems for healthcare data.","Strong communication skills, especially when explaining complex technical concepts."],"commonQuestions":["How would you design a system to handle a large volume of patient data?","Describe a challenging technical problem you solved and how you approached it.","What are your thoughts on microservices vs. monolithic architecture for healthcare applications?","How do you ensure data security and privacy in a healthcare setting?","Tell me about a time you had to mentor a junior engineer."]}}
- {"location":"On-site (Watertown, MA)","differences":{"tips":["Be ready to share specific examples from your past projects that demonstrate your skills.","Emphasize your ability to work effectively in a team environment.","Showcase your passion for learning and continuous improvement.","Prepare questions to ask the interviewer about the team, culture, and projects."],"interviewFocus":["Collaboration and teamwork skills.","Problem-solving and debugging abilities.","Adaptability and learning agility.","Understanding of software development lifecycle.","Communication and interpersonal skills."],"commonQuestions":["Discuss your experience with agile methodologies and how you've adapted to changing requirements.","How do you approach debugging complex issues in a production environment?","Describe a situation where you had to collaborate with cross-functional teams (e.g., product managers, QA).","What are your preferred programming languages and why?","How do you stay updated with the latest technologies and trends?"]}}

## Round 1: Data Structures and Algorithms Round
**Type:** Technical Interview - Coding · **Difficulty:** Medium · **Duration:** 45 min
Assess coding skills with data structures and algorithms problems.
This round focuses on your fundamental programming skills. You will be asked to solve one or two coding problems, typically involving data structures and algorithms. The interviewer will assess your ability to write clean, efficient, and correct code, as well as your approach to problem-solving and debugging.
**Interviewers look for:** Strong grasp of data structures and algorithms.; Ability to translate a problem into working code.; Clear communication of thought process.; Attention to detail.
**Evaluation criteria:** Correctness of the solution.; Efficiency of the solution (time and space complexity).; Code clarity and readability.; Ability to handle edge cases.; Problem-solving approach.
**Common rejection reasons:** Inability to articulate thought process.; Poor coding practices (e.g., unreadable code, lack of error handling).; Not considering edge cases or constraints.; Lack of understanding of fundamental data structures and algorithms.
## Questions

- Given a binary tree, find its maximum depth.
- Implement a function to find the kth smallest element in an unsorted array.

## Preparation tips

- Practice coding problems on platforms like LeetCode, focusing on common data structures and algorithms.
- Think out loud and explain your approach before you start coding.
- Consider edge cases and constraints.
- Write clean, well-commented code.
- Be prepared to discuss the time and space complexity of your solution.

## Round 2: System Design Round
**Type:** System Design Interview · **Difficulty:** Hard · **Duration:** 60 min
Assess system design and architectural skills for complex problems.
This round evaluates your ability to design and architect software systems. You'll be presented with a high-level problem and asked to design a solution, considering aspects like scalability, reliability, data storage, and APIs. This is a crucial round for assessing your system-level thinking.
**Interviewers look for:** Ability to design complex systems from scratch.; Understanding of distributed systems principles.; Knowledge of various architectural patterns.; Ability to make reasoned design decisions and justify them.; Consideration of non-functional requirements (scalability, performance, security).
**Evaluation criteria:** Scalability of the design.; Reliability and availability.; Clarity and completeness of the design.; Understanding of trade-offs.; Ability to handle constraints and requirements.; Knowledge of distributed systems concepts.
**Common rejection reasons:** Inability to design a scalable and robust system.; Lack of understanding of trade-offs in design decisions.; Poor consideration of failure scenarios and error handling.; Not being able to justify design choices.; Over-simplification of the problem.
## Questions

- Design a system to track the stock prices of a financial exchange.
- Design a distributed cache system.

## Preparation tips

- Study common system design patterns (e.g., microservices, event-driven architecture).
- Understand concepts like load balancing, caching, database sharding, and message queues.
- Practice designing systems for common use cases (e.g., social media feed, URL shortener, ride-sharing app).
- Be prepared to discuss trade-offs and justify your design choices.
- Consider potential bottlenecks and failure points.

## Round 3: Behavioral and Managerial Round
**Type:** Behavioral / Managerial Interview · **Difficulty:** Medium · **Duration:** 45 min
Assess behavioral competencies, cultural fit, and career aspirations.
This round is typically conducted by the hiring manager and focuses on your behavioral and cultural fit. You'll be asked questions about your past experiences, how you handle challenges, work in teams, and your career goals. The aim is to understand how you operate and if you'll thrive in the athenahealth environment.
**Interviewers look for:** Alignment with athenahealth's values.; Ability to work collaboratively in a team.; Proactiveness and ownership.; Growth mindset.; Good communication and interpersonal skills.
**Evaluation criteria:** Cultural fit with the team and company.; Motivation and passion for the role.; Teamwork and collaboration skills.; Problem-solving approach in past experiences.; Self-awareness and learning agility.
**Common rejection reasons:** Lack of enthusiasm or interest in the role/company.; Poor communication or interpersonal skills.; Inability to provide specific examples for behavioral questions.; Negative attitude or lack of self-awareness.; Mismatch with team culture or company values.
## Questions

- Tell me about a time you failed and what you learned from it.
- Describe a situation where you had to influence a decision within your team.
- Why are you interested in athenahealth?

## Preparation tips

- Prepare examples using the STAR method for common behavioral questions (teamwork, conflict resolution, challenges, failures, successes).
- Research athenahealth's mission, values, and culture.
- Be ready to discuss your career goals and why you're interested in this specific role and company.
- Show enthusiasm and genuine interest.
- Prepare thoughtful questions to ask the interviewer.