# Software Engineer
**Role:** Software Engineer · **Level:** L2
**Company:** [DRW](https://scaleengineer.com/companies/drw)
**Difficulty:** Medium
**Salary:** US$110000 - US$150000
**Experience:** 2 - 5
**Timeline:** ~14 days
DRW is a leading principal trading firm that employs sophisticated technology and risk management to operate across global markets. We are looking for talented Software Engineers to join our team and contribute to building and maintaining our cutting-edge trading systems. This interview process is designed to assess your technical skills, problem-solving abilities, and cultural fit within our fast-paced environment.
Canonical: https://scaleengineer.com/interviews/drw/l2-software-engineer
---
## Overall evaluation

- Technical Skills
- Problem Solving
- Communication
- 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 URL shortening service.
- How would you design a system to handle real-time stock price updates?
- Tell me about a time you failed and what you learned from it.
- What are your strengths and weaknesses?
- Why are you interested in working at DRW?
- Describe a complex bug you encountered and how you debugged it.
- How do you approach code reviews?
- What is the difference between a process and a thread?

## Preparation tips

### lists

- Review fundamental data structures and algorithms.
- Practice coding problems on platforms like LeetCode, HackerRank, or AlgoExpert.
- Brush up on object-oriented programming principles and design patterns.
- Understand core computer science concepts such as operating systems, databases, and networking.
- Prepare to discuss your past projects and technical experiences in detail.
- Research DRW's business and the financial industry.
- Practice behavioral questions using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result).
- Prepare thoughtful questions to ask the interviewer.

### studyPlan

- {"title":"Data Structures","longDescription":"Weeks 1-2: Focus on core data structures (Arrays, Linked Lists, Stacks, Queues, Trees, Graphs, Hash Tables) and their common operations and time complexities. Practice problems related to these structures.","shortDescription":"Weeks 1-2: Data Structures (Arrays, Lists, Trees, Graphs, Hash Tables). Practice problems."}
- {"title":"Algorithms","longDescription":"Weeks 3-4: Dive into algorithms, including sorting (Merge Sort, Quick Sort), searching (Binary Search), graph traversal (BFS, DFS), dynamic programming, and greedy algorithms. Solve problems that require applying these algorithms.","shortDescription":"Weeks 3-4: Algorithms (Sorting, Searching, Graph Traversal, DP, Greedy). Practice problems."}
- {"title":"System Design","longDescription":"Week 5: Focus on system design concepts. Understand scalability, reliability, availability, load balancing, caching, and database design. Review common system design interview questions and practice designing systems.","shortDescription":"Week 5: System Design (Scalability, Databases, Caching, Load Balancing). Practice system design."}
- {"title":"Behavioral Preparation","longDescription":"Week 6: Prepare for behavioral and situational questions. Reflect on your past experiences and prepare examples using the STAR method. Research DRW's values and culture to align your answers.","shortDescription":"Week 6: Behavioral Questions (STAR Method), DRW Culture. Prepare examples."}
- {"title":"Mock Interviews","longDescription":"Week 7: Mock interviews. Practice with peers or mentors to simulate the interview environment. Get feedback on your technical explanations, problem-solving approach, and communication skills.","shortDescription":"Week 7: Mock Interviews. Practice coding and behavioral questions under timed conditions."}

## Location differences

- {"location":"Chicago","differences":{"tips":["Research DRW's specific technology stack if possible.","Be prepared to discuss your experience with low-latency systems.","Highlight any experience with financial markets or trading.","Emphasize your ability to work in a collaborative and high-pressure environment."],"interviewFocus":["Problem-solving and debugging skills","Understanding of distributed systems","Experience with high-frequency trading concepts (if applicable)","Adaptability to different technologies"],"commonQuestions":["Describe a challenging technical problem you solved in a previous role.","How do you approach debugging complex issues?","Tell me about a time you had to work with a legacy codebase.","What are your thoughts on microservices vs. monolithic architectures?","How do you ensure the quality and reliability of your code?"]}}
- {"location":"London","differences":{"tips":["Showcase your understanding of scalable system design principles.","Be ready to discuss your experience with containerization and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes).","Highlight any contributions to open-source projects.","Demonstrate your ability to adapt to new technologies and frameworks."],"interviewFocus":["System design and architecture","Cloud computing expertise","Performance optimization","Scalability and reliability"],"commonQuestions":["How do you handle concurrency in your applications?","Describe your experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP).","What are the trade-offs between different database technologies?","How do you optimize code for performance?","Tell me about a project where you had to make significant architectural decisions."]}}
- {"location":"Singapore","differences":{"tips":["Be prepared to discuss your preferred development workflow.","Highlight your understanding of agile methodologies.","Showcase your passion for software development and continuous learning.","Emphasize your ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams."],"interviewFocus":["Software development best practices","Testing methodologies","Continuous integration and delivery","Teamwork and communication"],"commonQuestions":["How do you approach testing your code? (Unit, Integration, End-to-End)","Describe your experience with CI/CD pipelines.","What are your favorite programming languages and why?","How do you stay updated with the latest industry trends?","Tell me about a time you disagreed with a team member and how you resolved it."]}}

## Round 1: Technical Coding Round 1
**Type:** Data Structures and Algorithms Interview · **Difficulty:** Medium · **Duration:** 45 min
Coding challenge focused on data structures and algorithms.
This round focuses on your fundamental computer science knowledge, particularly data structures and algorithms. You will be asked to solve coding problems, and your ability to explain your thought process, analyze the time and space complexity of your solution, and write clean, efficient code will be assessed.
**Interviewers look for:** Strong grasp of data structures and algorithms.; Logical thinking and problem-solving skills.; Clean and efficient coding practices.; Ability to communicate technical ideas effectively.
**Evaluation criteria:** Correctness of the solution.; Efficiency of the solution (time and space complexity).; Clarity and organization of the code.; Ability to explain the approach and trade-offs.
**Common rejection reasons:** Inability to articulate thought process.; Incorrect or inefficient algorithm implementation.; Poor understanding of fundamental data structures.; Failure to consider edge cases.
## Questions

- Given a binary tree, find its inorder traversal.
- Implement a function to find the kth smallest element in an unsorted array.
- Given two strings, determine if one is an anagram of the other.

## Preparation tips

- Practice coding problems on platforms like LeetCode, HackerRank.
- Review common data structures and algorithms.
- Be prepared to explain your solutions verbally.
- Think about edge cases and test your code mentally.

## Round 2: System Design Round
**Type:** System Design Interview · **Difficulty:** Hard · **Duration:** 60 min
Design a scalable software system.
This round assesses your ability to design and architect software systems. You will be presented with a high-level problem and expected to design a solution, considering aspects like scalability, reliability, performance, and maintainability. You'll need to discuss various components, data models, APIs, and trade-offs.
**Interviewers look for:** Experience in designing complex systems.; Understanding of distributed systems, databases, caching, and messaging queues.; Ability to think critically about system requirements and constraints.; Effective communication of design ideas.
**Evaluation criteria:** Ability to design scalable and reliable systems.; Understanding of trade-offs between different design choices.; Knowledge of distributed systems concepts.; Clarity and structure of the design proposal.
**Common rejection reasons:** Lack of understanding of system design principles.; Inability to handle scale and performance requirements.; Poor trade-off analysis.; Not considering failure scenarios.
## Questions

- Design a system like Instagram.
- Design a rate limiter.
- How would you design a distributed cache?

## Preparation tips

- Study system design concepts (scalability, availability, consistency).
- Review common system design interview questions (e.g., designing Twitter, URL shortener).
- Understand databases (SQL vs. NoSQL), caching strategies, load balancing, and message queues.
- Practice drawing system diagrams and explaining your design choices.

## Round 3: Behavioral and Managerial Round
**Type:** Behavioral Interview · **Difficulty:** Medium · **Duration:** 30 min
Assessing behavioral competencies and cultural fit.
This round focuses on your behavioral and situational responses. The interviewer will ask questions about your past experiences, how you handle specific work scenarios, your strengths and weaknesses, and your motivations for joining DRW. The goal is to understand your work style, how you collaborate with others, and if you are a good fit for the team and company culture.
**Interviewers look for:** Evidence of teamwork and collaboration.; Ability to handle challenging situations.; Self-awareness and a growth mindset.; Enthusiasm for the role and company.
**Evaluation criteria:** Behavioral competencies (teamwork, communication, problem-solving).; Alignment with DRW's values.; Motivation and career aspirations.; Cultural fit.
**Common rejection reasons:** Lack of self-awareness.; Inability to provide specific examples.; Negative attitude or blaming others.; Poor cultural fit.; Lack of enthusiasm or interest in the role/company.
## Questions

- Tell me about a time you had a conflict with a colleague and how you resolved it.
- Describe a project you are particularly proud of and your role in it.
- How do you handle tight deadlines and pressure?

## Preparation tips

- Prepare examples using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result).
- Reflect on your strengths, weaknesses, and career goals.
- Research DRW's company culture and values.
- Be ready to discuss why you are interested in this specific role and company.