The Software Engineer I (L2) interview at Chime is designed to assess a candidate's foundational software engineering skills, problem-solving abilities, and cultural fit within the company. It typically involves a mix of technical and behavioral assessments to ensure the candidate can contribute effectively to Chime's engineering teams.
Rounds·3
Timeline·~7d
Experience·1 - 3 yrs
Comp band·US$90000 - US$120000
Interview time·120 min
Evaluation
Preparation
Tips
Study plan
Fig · Study plan — 05 phases
01 / 05Phase 01 of 05
Weeks 1-2: Data Structures & Complexity Analysis. Cover arrays, lists, trees, graphs, hash tables. Practice Big O.
Weeks 1-2: Focus on core data structures (arrays, linked lists, stacks, queues, trees, graphs, hash tables) and their common operations. Practice problems related to these structures. Review time and space complexity analysis (Big O notation).
Phase 02 of 05
Weeks 3-4: Algorithmic Techniques. Focus on sorting, searching, recursion, DP, greedy. Solve related problems.
Weeks 3-4: Dive into algorithmic techniques such as sorting (quicksort, mergesort), searching (binary search), recursion, dynamic programming, and greedy algorithms. Solve problems that require applying these techniques.
Phase 03 of 05
Week 5: System Design Basics. Learn client-server, databases, caching, load balancing. Design simple systems.
Week 5: Begin exploring basic system design principles. Understand concepts like client-server architecture, databases (SQL vs. NoSQL), caching, load balancing, and APIs. Practice designing simple systems.
Phase 04 of 05
Week 6: Behavioral Preparation. Use STAR method for past experiences. Align with Chime's values.
Week 6: Prepare for behavioral questions. Identify key experiences from your past that demonstrate Chime's core values (e.g., collaboration, customer focus, innovation). Practice articulating these experiences using the STAR method.
Phase 05 of 05
Week 7: Mock Interviews & Review. Practice technical and behavioral questions. Refine communication.
Week 7: Conduct mock interviews, focusing on both technical and behavioral aspects. Refine your communication skills and ability to explain your thought process. Review any areas you feel less confident in.
Questions
Locations
Fig · Regions — 02 locations
01 / 02Location
Interview focus
Common questions
Tips
Location
Interview focus
Common questions
Tips
Rounds
Expand a step for evaluation criteria, sample questions, and prep notes.
Technical Interview (Coding) · 45 min · Software Engineer
This round focuses on your core 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 understand the problem, devise a solution, write clean code, and analyze its time and space complexity. You'll be expected to communicate your thought process throughout the exercise.
What they look for
Evaluation
Sample questions
Given a binary tree, determine if it is a valid binary search tree.
Implement a function to find the kth smallest element in an unsorted array.
Prep for this round
Common rejection reasons
System Design Interview · 45 min · Senior Software Engineer / Architect
This round evaluates your ability to think about software systems at a higher level. You might be asked to design a familiar application (e.g., a URL shortener, a social media feed) or discuss architectural patterns. The focus is on your understanding of scalability, reliability, trade-offs, and the components that make up a distributed system.
What they look for
Evaluation
Sample questions
Design a system to track the top N trending items on a platform like Twitter.
How would you design a rate limiter for an API?
Prep for this round
Common rejection reasons
Behavioral Interview · 30 min · Hiring Manager / Recruiter
This round focuses on your past experiences and how they relate to the role and Chime's culture. You'll be asked behavioral questions designed to understand your work style, how you handle challenges, collaborate with others, and learn from your experiences. Using the STAR method is highly recommended here.
What they look for
Evaluation
Sample questions
Tell me about a time you had to work with a difficult colleague. How did you handle it?
Describe a project you are particularly proud of and your role in it.
How do you prioritize your work when faced with multiple deadlines?
Prep for this round
Common rejection reasons
DSA
Frequently reported on Chime loops
Other guides
