This interview process is for a Software Engineer (L4) position at Twitch. It is designed to assess a candidate's technical skills, problem-solving abilities, and cultural fit within the company.
Rounds·3
Timeline·~14d
Experience·3 - 7 yrs
Comp band·US$130000 - US$180000
Interview time·150 min
Evaluation
Preparation
Tips
Study plan
Fig · Study plan — 04 phases
01 / 04Phase 01 of 04
Weeks 1-2: Data Structures & Algorithms fundamentals. Practice coding.
Weeks 1-2: Focus on core data structures (arrays, linked lists, trees, graphs, hash maps) and algorithms (sorting, searching, dynamic programming, graph traversal). Practice implementing these in your preferred language and analyze their time and space complexity.
Phase 02 of 04
Weeks 3-4: System Design principles and practice.
Weeks 3-4: Dive into system design concepts. Study topics like scalability, availability, reliability, load balancing, caching, databases (SQL vs. NoSQL), message queues, and microservices. Practice designing common systems like a URL shortener, a Twitter feed, or a chat application.
Phase 03 of 04
Week 5: Behavioral questions preparation (STAR method).
Week 5: Prepare for behavioral questions. Reflect on your past experiences and identify examples that demonstrate leadership, teamwork, problem-solving, and handling challenges. Use the STAR method to structure your answers.
Phase 04 of 04
Week 6: Technology review and question preparation.
Week 6: Review specific technologies relevant to Twitch, such as cloud computing (AWS), containerization (Docker, Kubernetes), and potentially front-end or back-end frameworks depending on the specific team. Also, prepare insightful questions to ask the interviewers.
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.
Technical Interview - Coding · 45 min · Software Engineer
This round focuses on your fundamental programming skills. You will be asked to solve coding problems that test your knowledge of data structures and algorithms. The interviewer will assess your ability to write clean, efficient, and correct code, as well as your problem-solving approach and communication skills.
What they look for
Evaluation
Sample questions
Given a binary tree, invert the tree.
Find the first non-repeating character in a string.
Implement a Least Recently Used (LRU) cache.
Prep for this round
Common rejection reasons
Technical Interview - System Design · 60 min · Senior Software Engineer / Architect
This round evaluates your ability to design complex, scalable, and reliable systems. You will be presented with a high-level problem and asked to design a system to solve it. The focus is on your architectural thinking, understanding of distributed systems, and ability to make informed trade-offs.
What they look for
Evaluation
Sample questions
Design a system to handle real-time chat for millions of users.
Design a URL shortening service like bit.ly.
Design a news feed system for a social media platform.
Prep for this round
Common rejection reasons
Behavioral Interview / Hiring Manager Interview · 45 min · Hiring Manager
This round is conducted by the hiring manager to assess your overall fit with the team and company culture. They will delve into your past experiences, motivations, and career goals. You'll also have the opportunity to ask questions about the team, projects, and work environment.
What they look for
Evaluation
Sample questions
Tell me about a challenging project you worked on and how you overcame obstacles.
Why are you interested in working at Twitch?
How do you handle constructive criticism?
Describe a time you had to work with a difficult team member.
Prep for this round
Common rejection reasons
DSA
Frequently reported on Twitch loops
Other guides
