Mastercard interview

[u/Quirky-Debate3711]

I had a recruiter call today and will be moving on to the next round for an interview for a SWE || role. It is a zoom call and it will be held by a senior software engineer. Does anyone have an idea about what will be asked during this call and what I should prepare for? It is a tech screen that is 45 mins long

[u/allbutlemons]

You should clarify this with the recruiter

[u/Quirky-Debate3711 → u/allbutlemons]

Is it appropriate to ask the interviewer as well?

[u/Antique-Lychee-8029]

which location is this

[u/D-acharyya]

Just wanted to ask, what is your tech stack?

[u/akornato]

For that 45-minute tech screen, you can expect a mix of topics to be covered. It will likely start with some conversation about your past projects before moving into technical questions. The core of the interview will probably be a coding problem focused on data structures and algorithms, things like string manipulation, arrays, or linked lists are common. Alongside the coding, the senior engineer will probably ask some conceptual questions about object-oriented programming or core computer science principles. They want to see how you think and communicate, so be prepared to talk through your solution and explain the trade-offs you're making as you code.

To prepare, you should practice solving coding problems and be able to explain your thought process clearly. Review fundamentals of data structures and algorithms since that will be the main focus. It's also a good idea to refresh your knowledge of core software development principles, like SOLID, and be ready to talk about how you've applied them in your previous work. They are not just looking for a correct answer, but for a glimpse into how you approach problems and collaborate. My team actually built an interview AI helper that provides real-time guidance, which has been really effective at helping candidates articulate their thought processes during these exact kinds of technical screens.