# Software Engineer
**Role:** Software Engineer · **Level:** L5
**Company:** [Grammarly](https://scaleengineer.com/companies/grammarly)
**Difficulty:** Hard
**Salary:** US$140000 - US$180000
**Experience:** 5 - 10
**Timeline:** ~14 days
Grammarly's Software Engineer L5 interview process is designed to assess a candidate's technical expertise, problem-solving abilities, system design skills, and cultural fit. The process typically involves multiple rounds, including technical interviews, a system design interview, and behavioral interviews, to ensure a comprehensive evaluation.
Canonical: https://scaleengineer.com/interviews/grammarly/l5-software-engineer
---
## Overall evaluation

- Technical Skills
- System Design
- Behavioral & Cultural Fit

## Questions asked

- Design a system to detect plagiarism.
- How would you design a real-time collaborative editor like Google Docs?
- Given a large dataset of user interactions, how would you identify trending topics?
- Explain the concept of eventual consistency and when it's appropriate to use.
- Describe a time you had to deal with a production incident. What was your role and what did you learn?
- How do you approach performance optimization for a web application?
- What are the trade-offs between monolithic and microservices architectures?
- Tell me about a time you mentored a junior engineer.
- How would you design a rate limiter for an API?
- What are your favorite programming languages and why?

## Preparation tips

### lists

- Review core computer science concepts: data structures, algorithms, operating systems, databases.
- Practice coding problems on platforms like LeetCode, HackerRank, focusing on medium to hard difficulty.
- Study system design principles and common architectural patterns.
- Prepare to discuss your past projects in detail, highlighting your contributions and impact.
- Research Grammarly's products, mission, and values.
- Prepare behavioral questions using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result).
- Practice explaining your thought process clearly and concisely.
- Be ready to ask insightful questions about the role, team, and company.

### studyPlan

- {"title":"Data Structures & Algorithms","longDescription":"Weeks 1-2: Focus on Data Structures and Algorithms. Cover arrays, linked lists, trees, graphs, hash tables, heaps, sorting, searching, dynamic programming, and greedy algorithms. Practice implementing these structures and algorithms and analyzing their time and space complexity. Aim for 2-3 medium/hard problems per day.","shortDescription":"Weeks 1-2: DSA fundamentals and practice (2-3 problems/day)."}
- {"title":"System Design","longDescription":"Weeks 3-4: Dive into System Design. Study topics like scalability, availability, reliability, databases (SQL vs. NoSQL), caching, load balancing, message queues, microservices, and API design. Review common system design interview questions and practice designing systems like Twitter feed, URL shortener, etc.","shortDescription":"Weeks 3-4: System Design principles and practice (common patterns)."}
- {"title":"Behavioral & Product Sense","longDescription":"Week 5: Focus on Behavioral and Product Sense. Prepare examples for common behavioral questions (teamwork, conflict resolution, leadership, failures, successes) using the STAR method. Understand Grammarly's product, target audience, and business model. Think about how you would improve the product.","shortDescription":"Week 5: Behavioral questions (STAR method) & Product Sense."}
- {"title":"Mock Interviews & Review","longDescription":"Week 6: Mock Interviews and Review. Conduct mock interviews with peers or mentors to simulate the actual interview experience. Focus on communication, problem-solving approach, and time management. Review weak areas identified during practice and mock interviews.","shortDescription":"Week 6: Mock interviews and final review."}

## Location differences

- {"location":"San Francisco","differences":{"tips":["Be prepared to discuss your experience with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure) in detail.","Highlight instances where you've driven technical initiatives or led projects.","Showcase your understanding of asynchronous processing and microservices architecture."],"interviewFocus":["Emphasis on distributed systems and large-scale architecture.","Deep dive into performance optimization and scalability challenges.","Assessing leadership potential and ability to influence technical direction."],"commonQuestions":["Discuss a challenging technical problem you solved at scale.","How do you approach designing a scalable and reliable system for real-time collaboration?","Describe a time you had to mentor junior engineers. What was your approach?","Tell me about a time you disagreed with a technical decision. How did you handle it?"]}}
- {"location":"Kyiv","differences":{"tips":["Familiarize yourself with Grammarly's product and its core technologies.","Be ready to discuss your contributions to product development and user impact.","Prepare examples that demonstrate your ability to learn and adapt quickly."],"interviewFocus":["Focus on product sense and understanding user needs.","Evaluation of experience with machine learning and NLP concepts.","Assessing collaboration skills and ability to work in a fast-paced environment."],"commonQuestions":["How would you design a grammar checking API that can handle millions of requests per day?","Describe your experience with A/B testing and data-driven decision making.","Tell me about a time you had to adapt to a rapidly changing technical landscape.","How do you ensure code quality and maintainability in a large codebase?"]}}
- {"location":"Remote","differences":{"tips":["Brush up on data structures, algorithms, and complexity analysis.","Practice coding problems on platforms like LeetCode, focusing on medium to hard difficulty.","Be prepared to explain your thought process clearly and concisely."],"interviewFocus":["Strong emphasis on core computer science fundamentals.","Evaluation of problem-solving skills and algorithmic thinking.","Assessing ability to write clean, efficient, and well-tested code."],"commonQuestions":["How do you approach debugging complex issues in a distributed environment?","Describe a time you had to optimize the performance of a critical system.","What are your strategies for ensuring data consistency and integrity?","Tell me about a project where you had to make significant trade-offs."]}}

## Round 1: Coding Challenge
**Type:** Technical Interview (Coding) · **Difficulty:** Medium · **Duration:** 45 min
Assess core coding skills and problem-solving abilities with 1-2 coding problems.
This round focuses on your fundamental computer science knowledge. You will be asked to solve 1-2 coding problems that test your understanding of data structures (arrays, linked lists, trees, graphs, hash maps, etc.) and algorithms (sorting, searching, dynamic programming, graph traversal, etc.). The interviewer will assess your ability to analyze the problem, choose appropriate data structures and algorithms, write clean and efficient code, and explain your reasoning.
**Interviewers look for:** Strong grasp of DSA.; Ability to translate requirements into working code.; Clear communication of thought process.; Consideration of edge cases and testing.
**Evaluation criteria:** Correctness of the solution.; Efficiency of the solution (time and space complexity).; Code quality, readability, and maintainability.; Problem-solving approach and communication.
**Common rejection reasons:** Inability to articulate thought process clearly.; Poor understanding of fundamental data structures and algorithms.; Inefficient or incorrect code implementation.; Lack of attention to edge cases and error handling.
## Questions

- Given an array of integers, find the contiguous subarray with the largest sum.
- Implement a function to reverse a linked list.
- Find the kth smallest element in a binary search tree.

## Preparation tips

- Practice coding problems on platforms like LeetCode, HackerRank.
- Focus on understanding the time and space complexity of your solutions.
- Be prepared to explain your approach and justify your choices.
- Practice writing code on a whiteboard or in a shared editor.

## Round 2: System Design
**Type:** System Design Interview · **Difficulty:** Hard · **Duration:** 60 min
Design a scalable and reliable system for an open-ended problem.
This round evaluates your ability to design complex, scalable, and reliable systems. You will be presented with an open-ended problem (e.g., design a URL shortener, a social media feed, a chat system) and expected to design a high-level architecture. This includes defining APIs, data models, choosing appropriate technologies, and discussing trade-offs, scalability, and potential bottlenecks.
**Interviewers look for:** System design expertise.; Ability to think about distributed systems at scale.; Understanding of various system components (databases, caches, load balancers).; Pragmatic approach to problem-solving.
**Evaluation criteria:** Scalability and performance of the design.; Reliability and fault tolerance.; Clarity and completeness of the design.; Understanding of trade-offs and justifications.; Ability to handle ambiguity and ask clarifying questions.
**Common rejection reasons:** Inability to design a scalable and robust system.; Poor understanding of system design trade-offs.; Lack of consideration for failure scenarios and edge cases.; Inability to communicate design choices effectively.
## Questions

- Design a system to handle real-time notifications for a web application.
- Design a distributed key-value store.
- Design the backend for a ride-sharing service like Uber.

## Preparation tips

- Study common system design patterns and principles.
- Practice designing various systems, considering scalability, availability, and consistency.
- Understand different database types (SQL, NoSQL) and their use cases.
- Familiarize yourself with caching strategies, load balancing, and message queues.
- Be prepared to draw diagrams and explain your design choices clearly.

## Round 3: Behavioral & Managerial
**Type:** Behavioral Interview · **Difficulty:** Medium · **Duration:** 45 min
Assess past experiences, work style, and cultural fit through behavioral questions.
This round focuses on your past experiences, work style, and how you collaborate with others. You'll be asked behavioral questions designed to understand your strengths, weaknesses, how you handle conflict, your leadership style, and your motivation. The interviewer will also assess your cultural fit with Grammarly.
**Interviewers look for:** Teamwork and collaboration abilities.; How candidates handle challenges and failures.; Motivation and passion for the role and company.; Self-awareness and ability to learn from experiences.
**Evaluation criteria:** Communication and collaboration skills.; Problem-solving approach and critical thinking.; Leadership potential and initiative.; Adaptability and learning agility.; Cultural fit and alignment with Grammarly's values.
**Common rejection reasons:** Poor communication or interpersonal skills.; Lack of alignment with company values.; Negative attitude or lack of enthusiasm.; Inability to provide specific examples for behavioral questions.
## Questions

- Tell me about a time you had a conflict with a teammate. How did you resolve it?
- Describe a challenging project you worked on and how you overcame obstacles.
- How do you stay updated with new technologies and trends?
- Why are you interested in Grammarly?

## Preparation tips

- Prepare specific examples using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result).
- Reflect on your past projects, challenges, and successes.
- Think about your strengths and weaknesses, and how you've worked on them.
- Research Grammarly's values and be ready to discuss how you align with them.
- Prepare thoughtful questions to ask the interviewer.

## Round 4: Candidate Q&A
**Type:** Q&A / Wrap-up · **Difficulty:** Easy · **Duration:** 15 min
Opportunity for candidate to ask questions and for final impressions.
This is an opportunity for you to ask any remaining questions you have about the role, the team, the company culture, or the next steps in the hiring process. It's also a chance for the interviewer to gauge your overall interest and fit.
**Interviewers look for:** Genuine interest in the role and Grammarly.; Thoughtful questions that show engagement.; Professionalism and enthusiasm.
**Evaluation criteria:** Candidate's engagement and interest.; Quality and relevance of questions asked.; Demonstration of understanding of the role and company.
**Common rejection reasons:** Lack of enthusiasm or engagement.; Asking generic or uninspired questions.; Not demonstrating a clear understanding of the role or company.; Poor communication during the Q&A.
## Preparation tips

- Prepare a list of thoughtful questions about the team, projects, culture, and career growth.
- Avoid asking questions that can be easily found on the company website.
- Show genuine curiosity and engagement.