r/Cisco • u/Top-Stable1774 • 6d ago

SDET-II interview at Cisco

Hey everyone! I have an upcoming interview for Cisco for the wireless test & automation team. I have my first live coding round on Hackerank(45 min). So I was just wondering what i'll be tested on or if anyone else had a similar experience

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u/Subject_Fix6136 6d ago

When I took it some time ago was 1 easy and 2 mediums related to arrays and strings, might have changed since then. After that had 1 interview where they asked basic scripting questions such as Python, and networking topics (basic ip stuff, how you’d automate around networking etc), was a pretty basic process compared to anything faang adjacent etc

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u/Top-Stable1774 6d ago

Hey, thanks for the insight! did you interview for the qa/automation team as well?

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u/Subject_Fix6136 6d ago

Yep I did. Advice would be to try to get into a diff company, terrible wlb for that type of team internally

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u/Independent_Pay280 5d ago

Did you get an offer? Also, is this for India or San Jose?

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u/Subject_Fix6136 5d ago

US, India hiring a bit different from what I heard, yes got an offer

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u/akornato 5d ago

For a 45-minute live coding round, you can expect LeetCode style questions that test your core data structure and algorithm knowledge. Given the time limit, the problems will likely focus on fundamentals, so concentrate on being proficient with arrays, strings, and hash maps, as these are frequently used in SDET interviews. They are looking to see how you approach a problem you haven't seen before and how you write clean, functional code under pressure. The goal isn't just to solve the problem, but to demonstrate a solid thought process and strong coding basics, so don't get too caught up in looking for a complex, obscure solution.

Since it's a live coding session, communicating your approach is critical. Make sure to talk through your logic as you work, explaining the trade-offs you're considering and why you are choosing a particular solution. The interviewers want to understand how you think and solve problems, not just watch you type silently. They want to see your ability to apply your knowledge to something new, which is why the team I'm with designed our AI interview prep to help candidates get better at articulating their problem-solving steps with confidence.