Scale Engineer

Software Engineer

Software EngineerL1Medium

The Software Engineer L1 interview at Jane Street is designed to assess foundational programming skills, problem-solving abilities, and a candidate's potential to grow within the company. It typically involves a mix of technical and behavioral assessments to evaluate a candidate's fit for the role and the company culture.

Rounds·3

Timeline·~7d

Experience·0 - 2 yrs

Comp band·US$90000 - US$120000

Interview time·135 min

Evaluation

What they measure.

  • Problem-solving approach
  • Algorithmic thinking
  • Data structure knowledge
  • Coding proficiency
  • Communication skills
  • Enthusiasm and curiosity

Preparation

How to prepare.

Tips

  1. Review fundamental data structures and algorithms (arrays, linked lists, trees, graphs, sorting, searching).
  2. Practice coding problems on platforms like LeetCode, HackerRank, or Coderbyte, focusing on easy to medium difficulty.
  3. Understand basic object-oriented programming (OOP) concepts.
  4. Prepare to discuss your resume, projects, and any technical experiences in detail.
  5. Research Jane Street's business and values to understand the company culture.
  6. Practice explaining your thought process clearly and concisely.
  7. Prepare questions to ask the interviewer about the role, team, and company.

Study plan

Fig · Study plan — 04 phases

01 / 04
01

Phase 01 of 04

Data Structures and Complexity

Weeks 1-2: Data Structures (Arrays, Linked Lists, Stacks, Queues, Hash Maps) & Complexity Analysis.

Weeks 1-2: Focus on core data structures like arrays, linked lists, stacks, queues, and hash maps. Practice problems involving these structures. Understand time and space complexity analysis (Big O notation).

Questions

Commonly 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.
  • Explain the difference between a process and a thread.
  • Tell me about a time you had to debug a complex issue.
  • How would you design a simple URL shortener?
  • What are your favorite programming languages and why?
  • Describe a situation where you had to work under pressure.

Locations

Regional differences.

Fig · Regions — 02 locations

01 / 02

Location

New York

Interview focus

Adaptability to different tech stacks.Collaboration and teamwork skills.Problem-solving in a collaborative environment.

Common questions

  • Describe a challenging bug you fixed.
  • How do you approach learning a new programming language?
  • Tell me about a time you disagreed with a teammate.

Tips

  • Research the specific technologies used by the team in this location.
  • Be prepared to discuss your experiences working in diverse teams.
  • Highlight any contributions to open-source projects or personal coding projects.

Rounds

Round-by-round.

Expand a step for evaluation criteria, sample questions, and prep notes.

DSA

Coding questions at Jane Street.

Frequently reported on Jane Street loops

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Other guides

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