Scale Engineer

Software Engineer

Software EngineerEmployeeMedium

This interview process is for a Software Engineer role at UBS at the Employee level. It is designed to assess a candidate's technical skills, problem-solving abilities, and cultural fit within the organization.

Rounds·3

Timeline·~14d

Experience·1 - 5 yrs

Comp band·US$80000 - US$120000

Interview time·150 min

Evaluation

What they measure.

  • Technical proficiency in relevant programming languages and frameworks.
  • Problem-solving approach and analytical skills.
  • Ability to design and implement scalable and efficient solutions.
  • Understanding of software development lifecycle and best practices.

Preparation

How to prepare.

Tips

  1. Thoroughly review your resume and be prepared to discuss every project in detail.
  2. Practice coding problems focusing on data structures, algorithms, and object-oriented design.
  3. Understand UBS's business, values, and recent news.
  4. Prepare STAR method answers for common behavioral questions.
  5. Research the specific technologies and tools mentioned in the job description.
  6. Prepare thoughtful questions to ask the interviewer.

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 implementation and complexity analysis.

Weeks 1-2: Focus on core data structures (arrays, linked lists, trees, graphs, hash maps) and algorithms (sorting, searching, dynamic programming, recursion). Practice implementing these in your preferred language. Review Big O notation for time and space complexity analysis.

Questions

Commonly asked.

  • Tell me about yourself.
  • Why are you interested in this role at UBS?
  • Describe a challenging technical problem you faced and how you solved it.
  • How do you stay updated with new technologies?
  • What are your strengths and weaknesses?
  • Describe a time you worked in a team and faced a conflict. How did you resolve it?
  • How would you design a system for [specific problem, e.g., a URL shortener]?
  • Write a function to [specific coding problem, e.g., reverse a linked list].

Locations

Regional differences.

Fig · Regions — 03 locations

01 / 03

Location

London

Interview focus

Adaptability to local market conditions and client expectations.Understanding of regional regulatory requirements.Communication skills in the local language and business context.

Common questions

  • Tell me about a time you had to deal with a difficult stakeholder.
  • How do you handle tight deadlines?
  • Describe a project you are particularly proud of and your role in it.

Tips

  • Research UBS's presence and recent news in this specific region.
  • Be prepared to discuss how your skills align with local industry trends.
  • Highlight any experience working with international teams or diverse client bases.

Rounds

Round-by-round.

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

Med

Technical Interview (Coding) · 45 min · Software Engineer / Senior Software Engineer

This round focuses on assessing your core technical abilities. You will be asked to solve coding problems, typically involving data structures and algorithms. The interviewer will evaluate your approach to problem-solving, the efficiency and correctness of your code, and your ability to explain your thought process.

What they look for

Clean, efficient, and correct code.Logical and structured approach to problem-solving.Understanding of time and space complexity.Ability to communicate technical ideas effectively.

Evaluation

  • Problem-solving skills.
  • Coding proficiency.
  • Understanding of data structures and algorithms.
  • Ability to explain code and logic.

Sample questions

  • Given an array of integers, find the contiguous subarray with the largest sum.

    AlgorithmsDynamic Programming

  • Implement a function to check if a binary tree is a valid Binary Search Tree.

    Data StructuresTreesRecursion

  • Find the kth smallest element in an unsorted array.

    AlgorithmsSortingQuickselect

Prep for this round

  1. 01Practice coding on a whiteboard or a shared editor.
  2. 02Focus on explaining your logic step-by-step.
  3. 03Consider edge cases and test your code thoroughly.
  4. 04Be prepared to discuss the time and space complexity of your solutions.

Common rejection reasons

  • ×Inability to articulate thought process clearly.
  • ×Lack of fundamental programming knowledge.
  • ×Poor problem-solving approach.

DSA

Coding questions at UBS.

Frequently reported on UBS loops

View all at UBS

Other guides

More at UBS.