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Meta Software Engineer Phone Screen and Onsite Technical Interview Questions 2025

Interview Preparation

Landing a Software Engineer (SWE) role at Meta is no easy feat. Known for its rigorous and highly structured interview process, Meta assesses candidates on their technical expertise, problem-solving abilities, and alignment with its values. This guide offers a detailed walkthrough of Meta’s technical interviews, complete with real questions, preparation tips, and strategic advice to help you succeed.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Meta Coding Interview Questions
  3. Meta System Design Interview Questions
  4. Meta Behavioral Interview Questions
  5. Tips for Acing Meta SWE Interviews
  6. Conclusion

Introduction

Meta Software Engineers solve some of the world’s most complex technical challenges, whether it’s scaling systems for billions of users, optimizing machine learning models, or designing innovative products like Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. The interview process is structured to test your ability to think logically, solve problems efficiently, and collaborate effectively.



Meta Compensation

Meta Coding Interview Questions

Meta’s coding interview focuses on evaluating your problem-solving skills and ability to write efficient, bug-free code. The questions often revolve around common algorithmic challenges with an emphasis on arrays, strings, graphs, and dynamic programming.

Common Topics Breakdown

The frequency of coding question topics is as follows:

  1. Arrays / Strings (38%)

    • Meta often tests your ability to manipulate strings, handle edge cases, and optimize algorithms. Arrays are equally important, with questions often involving subarrays, prefix sums, and sorting.
    • Example Problems:
      • "Given an array nums, return an output array such that each output[i] equals the product of all elements except nums[i]."
      • "Given a string s, determine if it can become a palindrome by removing at most one character."

  2. Graphs / Trees (29%)

    • Meta’s graph and tree problems test your understanding of traversal algorithms, depth-first search (DFS), breadth-first search (BFS), and binary search trees (BST).
    • Example Problems:
      • "Serialize and deserialize a binary tree."
      • "Given the root of a BST, return the sum of values between two given bounds, L and R."

  3. Dynamic Programming (18%)

    • These problems often involve identifying optimal solutions to problems with overlapping subproblems.
    • Example Problems:
      • "Given a stock price array, find the maximum profit with at most one transaction."
      • "Find the number of ways to assign + and - signs to integers to meet a target sum."

  4. Search / Sort (9%)

    • Focus on problems involving sorting algorithms and optimized search techniques.
    • Example Problems:
      • "Find the k closest points to the origin on a 2D plane."
      • "Determine the minimum number of meeting rooms required given a schedule of meeting intervals."

  5. Linked Lists (4%)

    • Problems may involve manipulating pointers or handling additional data structures.
    • Example Problem:
      • "Deep copy a linked list with random pointers."

  6. Stacks / Queues (2%)

    • These less frequent topics involve implementing stack-based algorithms or queue operations.
    • Example Problem:
      • "Implement a queue using stacks."



PRO TIP: Browse phone screen and onsite interview experiences from Meta on Onsites.fyi. Efficiently prepare by reading past interview experiences, understanding the interview process, and applying the right strategies.

Preparation Tips

  1. Practice High-Frequency Topics: Spend more time on arrays, strings, and graphs, as they dominate Meta’s coding questions.
  2. Focus on Optimization: Be prepared to discuss time and space complexity, and suggest improvements to your solution.
  3. Simulate Interviews: Practice problems under timed conditions on platforms like LeetCode and HackerRank.

Meta System Design Interview Questions

System design interviews at Meta evaluate your ability to architect scalable, efficient systems for billions of users. These open-ended discussions are particularly relevant for mid-level to senior roles.

Key Areas of Focus

  1. Scalability:

    • Discuss how your design will handle increasing traffic or data volume.
    • Consider strategies like horizontal scaling, sharding, and load balancing.

  2. Availability:

    • Design for fault tolerance and system reliability.
    • Incorporate features like failovers, data replication, and retries.

  3. Data Modeling:

    • Choose appropriate database types (e.g., relational vs. NoSQL) based on use cases.
    • Design schemas that balance query efficiency with storage needs.

  4. API Design:

    • Define clear, modular APIs for client-server interaction.
    • Discuss versioning, rate limiting, and security measures.

Example System Design Questions

  1. How would you design Instagram Stories?

    • Key Components:
      • Media storage and retrieval for photos and videos.
      • A feed generation system for displaying relevant stories to users.
      • A CDN (Content Delivery Network) for reducing latency.

  2. How would you design a typeahead feature (e.g., Google search autocomplete)?

    • Considerations:
      • Efficient data structures for prefix matching (e.g., Tries).
      • Real-time updates for frequently searched terms.
      • Ranking algorithms based on popularity or user preferences.

  3. How would you design a messaging app like WhatsApp?

    • Key Features:
      • Real-time message delivery using WebSockets.
      • End-to-end encryption for secure communication.
      • Persistent storage for message history.

  4. How would you design a live commenting feature on Facebook posts?

    • Challenges:
      • Managing high-throughput data streams for real-time updates.
      • Handling eventual consistency across distributed servers.

  5. How would you design an online collaborative editor like Google Docs?

    • Components:
      • A synchronization mechanism to handle simultaneous edits.
      • Conflict resolution strategies for overlapping changes.
      • A real-time notification system for collaborators.

Preparation Tips

  1. Break Down the Problem: Start with a high-level architecture and then dive into individual components.
  2. Focus on Trade-offs: Discuss the pros and cons of design decisions, such as choosing consistency over availability.
  3. Practice Mock Discussions: Simulate design interviews with peers to refine your ability to articulate ideas clearly.
  4. Study Real-World Systems: Analyze architectures like DynamoDB, Kafka, and Google’s Spanner for inspiration.

These expanded sections provide greater depth and actionable insights for preparing for Meta's coding and system design interviews. Let me know if you'd like further details or refinements!

Meta Behavioral Interview Questions

Behavioral interviews at Meta are often referred to as "Getting to Know You" interviews. These assess your ability to collaborate, resolve conflicts, and align with Meta's bottom-up culture.

Example Questions

  • "Tell me about a time you had to resolve a conflict in a team."
  • "Describe a project where you worked with cross-functional teams."
  • "How do you handle ambiguous situations with unclear requirements?"
  • "Tell me about a time you had to deliver results under tight deadlines."

PRO TIP: For more in-depth guide for the Behavioral interview, check here.

Tips for Acing Meta SWE Interviews

1. Master the STAR Method

For behavioral interviews, structure your responses with Situation, Task, Action, and Result to ensure clarity and impact.

2. Practice Coding Regularly

Focus on high-priority topics like arrays, strings, and dynamic programming. Platforms like LeetCode and HackerRank are ideal.

3. Ask Clarifying Questions

Don’t rush into coding. Take time to understand the problem’s constraints and ask about edge cases.

4. Communicate Clearly

Walk your interviewer through your thought process, whether you’re designing a system or solving a coding problem.

5. Align with Meta’s Values

Familiarize yourself with Meta’s core values, like “Move Fast” and “Focus on Impact,” and reflect these in your answers.

Conclusion

Preparing for a Meta Software Engineer interview requires a mix of technical skill, strategic thinking, and cultural alignment. By practicing the right problems, refining your system design approach, and mastering the STAR framework, you can set yourself apart from other candidates.

Ready to take the next step? Explore Onsites.fyi for tailored resources, mock interviews, and expert guidance to ace your Meta SWE interview.

Additional Resources

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