This interview process is for a Senior Software Engineer (Software Engineer 3) position at MathWorks. It is designed to assess a candidate's technical expertise, problem-solving abilities, system design skills, and cultural fit within the company.
Rounds·4
Timeline·~14d
Experience·5 - 10 yrs
Comp band·US$130000 - US$180000
Interview time·210 min
Evaluation
Preparation
Tips
Study plan
Fig · Study plan — 04 phases
01 / 04Phase 01 of 04
Weeks 1-2: DSA fundamentals and practice (LeetCode medium/hard).
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 problems on platforms like LeetCode, HackerRank, focusing on medium to hard difficulty.
Phase 02 of 04
Weeks 3-4: System Design principles and practice.
Weeks 3-4: Dive into System Design. Study concepts like scalability, availability, reliability, load balancing, caching, databases (SQL vs. NoSQL), message queues, and microservices. Review common system design interview questions and practice designing systems.
Phase 03 of 04
Week 5: Behavioral questions (STAR method) and company research.
Week 5: Prepare for Behavioral and Situational Questions. Reflect on your past experiences related to teamwork, leadership, conflict resolution, problem-solving, and handling failure. Use the STAR method to structure your answers. Research MathWorks' values and culture.
Phase 04 of 04
Week 6: Domain-specific knowledge (MATLAB/Simulink if applicable) and coding practice.
Week 6: Focus on MathWorks-specific technologies and your domain expertise. If applying for a role related to MATLAB/Simulink, review your experience and be ready to discuss specific use cases. Also, practice coding in your primary language and review any specific technologies mentioned in the job description.
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.
Data Structures And Algorithms Interview · 45 min · Software Engineer / Senior Software Engineer
This round focuses on assessing your core programming skills. You will be given one or two coding problems, typically involving data structures and algorithms. The interviewer will expect you to write code, explain your approach, analyze its time and space complexity, and consider edge cases. The problems are often designed to be challenging and may require creative thinking.
What they look for
Evaluation
Sample questions
Given an array of integers, find the contiguous subarray with the largest sum.
Implement a function to reverse a linked list.
Find the k-th smallest element in a binary search tree.
Prep for this round
Common rejection reasons
System Design Interview · 60 min · Senior Software Engineer / Engineering Manager
This round evaluates your ability to design and architect software systems. You'll be presented with a high-level problem (e.g., design a social media feed, a URL shortener, or a ride-sharing service) and expected to propose a scalable, reliable, and maintainable solution. This involves discussing components, data models, APIs, and trade-offs.
What they look for
Evaluation
Sample questions
Design a URL shortening service like Bitly.
Design the backend for a real-time chat application.
How would you design a system to count the number of unique visitors to a website?
Prep for this round
Common rejection reasons
Behavioral Interview · 45 min · Hiring Manager / Senior Team Member
This round focuses on your behavioral and situational responses, assessing your fit within the MathWorks culture and team dynamics. You'll be asked questions about past experiences, how you handle challenges, teamwork, and leadership. The goal is to understand your working style, motivations, and how you contribute to a positive and productive environment.
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 where you took initiative or demonstrated leadership.
What are your career aspirations, and how does this role align with them?
How do you handle constructive criticism?
Prep for this round
Common rejection reasons
Technical Deep Dive & Leadership · 60 min · Principal Engineer / Director of Engineering
This is often the final technical round, conducted by a senior technical leader. It delves deeper into your technical expertise, architectural vision, and leadership potential. Expect questions that challenge your assumptions, explore your experience with complex technical decisions, and assess your ability to mentor and guide a team. This round might also include a discussion about your career aspirations and how you see yourself contributing to MathWorks' long-term technical goals.
What they look for
Evaluation
Sample questions
Describe a time you had to make a significant technical decision with incomplete information. What was the outcome?
How would you approach refactoring a large, legacy codebase?
What are your thoughts on the trade-offs between microservices and monolithic architectures?
How do you ensure the quality and maintainability of code within a team?
Prep for this round
Common rejection reasons
DSA
Frequently reported on MathWorks loops
Other guides
