Scale Engineer

Software Engineer

Software EngineerL2Medium

The Software Engineer L2 interview process at Notion is designed to assess a candidate's technical proficiency, problem-solving abilities, and cultural fit within the company. It typically involves multiple rounds, starting with an initial HR screening, followed by technical interviews focusing on data structures, algorithms, and system design, and concluding with a behavioral and managerial interview.

Rounds·4

Timeline·~7d

Experience·2 - 5 yrs

Comp band·US$110000 - US$150000

Interview time·180 min

Evaluation

What they measure.

  • Problem-solving approach
  • Algorithmic thinking
  • Code quality and efficiency
  • Understanding of data structures

Preparation

How to prepare.

Tips

  1. Brush up on fundamental data structures (arrays, linked lists, trees, graphs, hash maps) and algorithms (sorting, searching, dynamic programming, graph traversal).
  2. Practice coding problems, focusing on explaining your thought process aloud.
  3. Review system design concepts, including databases, caching, load balancing, and message queues.
  4. Prepare examples for behavioral questions using the STAR method.
  5. Research Notion's products, mission, and values to understand how your skills and experience align.
  6. Prepare thoughtful questions to ask the interviewer about the role, team, and company culture.

Study plan

Fig · Study plan — 04 phases

01 / 04
01

Phase 01 of 04

Data Structures and Algorithms

Weeks 1-2: Data Structures & Algorithms fundamentals. Practice 2-3 problems daily.

Weeks 1-2: Focus on core data structures and algorithms. Cover arrays, linked lists, stacks, queues, trees (binary trees, BSTs, heaps), hash tables, and graphs. Practice common algorithms like sorting (quicksort, mergesort), searching (binary search), recursion, dynamic programming, and graph traversal (BFS, DFS). Aim to solve 2-3 problems per day.

Questions

Commonly asked.

  • Tell me about yourself.
  • Why are you interested in Notion?
  • Describe a challenging project you worked on.
  • How do you approach debugging a complex issue?
  • Design a system for [specific problem, e.g., a real-time notification service].
  • What are your strengths and weaknesses?
  • How do you stay updated with new technologies?
  • Tell me about a time you failed and what you learned from it.
  • What are your career goals?

Locations

Regional differences.

Fig · Regions — 03 locations

01 / 03

Location

San Francisco

Interview focus

System DesignScalabilityDistributed Systems

Common questions

  • How would you design a URL shortener service?
  • Explain the CAP theorem and its implications for distributed systems.
  • Describe a challenging technical problem you solved and how you approached it.

Tips

  • Be prepared to discuss trade-offs in system design choices.
  • Understand common distributed system patterns.
  • Practice explaining complex technical concepts clearly.

Rounds

Round-by-round.

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

DSA

Coding questions at Notion.

Frequently reported on Notion loops

View all at Notion

Other guides

More at Notion.