Software Engineer Interview Questions 2025: Complete FAANG Guide for US & UK
Master software engineering interviews at Google, Amazon, Meta, Apple, and Microsoft. 150+ questions, system design patterns, and insider tips from engineers who got offers at $200K+ TC.
Table of Contents
FAANG Interview Process 2025
Landing a software engineering role at FAANG companies (Facebook/Meta, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Google) requires strategic preparation. The 2025 interview landscape has evolved with increased focus on system design, behavioral assessments, and real-world problem-solving.
$185K - $350K
Average TC for SWE at FAANG (US)
£75K - £150K
Average TC for SWE at FAANG (UK)
2025 Interview Trends
- • AI/ML Integration: 40% more questions on ML system design
- • Remote Assessment: Virtual whiteboarding and online coding platforms
- • Behavioral Focus: Leadership principles and cultural fit weighted 35%+
- • Live Coding: Real-time collaborative coding replacing take-home tests
Top 50 Coding Interview Questions
Array & String Manipulation (High Frequency)
1. Two Sum (LeetCode Easy)
Asked at: Google, Amazon, Meta • Difficulty: Easy • Success Rate: 89%
Given an array of integers, return indices of two numbers that add up to target.
2. Longest Substring Without Repeating Characters
Asked at: Amazon, Microsoft • Difficulty: Medium • Success Rate: 72%
3. Container With Most Water
Asked at: Google, Meta • Difficulty: Medium • Success Rate: 68%
Linked Lists & Trees (FAANG Favorites)
4. Reverse Linked List
Asked at: All FAANG • Difficulty: Easy • Must-Know
5. Binary Tree Maximum Path Sum
Asked at: Google, Amazon • Difficulty: Hard • Success Rate: 45%
6. Validate Binary Search Tree
Asked at: Meta, Microsoft • Difficulty: Medium • Success Rate: 65%
Dynamic Programming (High Value)
7. Climbing Stairs (Entry DP)
Asked at: Google, Amazon • Difficulty: Easy • DP Foundation
8. Coin Change
Asked at: Meta, Amazon • Difficulty: Medium • Success Rate: 58%
9. Longest Increasing Subsequence
Asked at: Google, Microsoft • Difficulty: Medium • Success Rate: 52%
System Design Interview Guide
System design interviews are critical for senior roles (L4+ at Google, SDE2+ at Amazon). Expected for candidates with 2+ years experience in US/UK markets.
🏗️ Most Asked System Design Questions 2025
1. Design YouTube / Video Streaming Platform
Focus: CDN, video encoding, recommendation systems
2. Design URL Shortener (like Bit.ly)
Focus: Hash functions, database sharding, rate limiting
3. Design Instagram / Social Media Feed
Focus: News feed algorithm, caching, scalability
4. Design Uber / Ride-Sharing App
Focus: Geolocation, matching algorithm, real-time updates
System Design Framework (RESHADED)
- R - Requirements (Functional & Non-functional)
- E - Estimation (Traffic, Storage, Bandwidth)
- S - System Interface (API Design)
- H - High-level Design (Architecture diagram)
- A - API & Database Schema
- D - Deep Dive (Specific components)
- E - Edge Cases & Trade-offs
- D - Discussion (Scale, Reliability, Security)
Behavioral Interview Questions
Amazon Leadership Principles (Most Common)
1. Tell me about a time you failed
Framework: STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) • Show growth mindset
2. Describe a time you disagreed with a team member
Focus: Have Backbone; Disagree and Commit principle
3. Tell me about your most challenging project
Highlight: Ownership, Dive Deep, Deliver Results
Google's Googleyness & Leadership
- • How do you handle ambiguity in project requirements?
- • Describe a time you helped a struggling teammate
- • Tell me about an innovative solution you created
- • How do you prioritize when everything is urgent?
Salary Negotiation Tips US/UK
🇺🇸 US Market (2025)
Junior SWE (0-2 yrs)
$95K - $140K TC
Mid-Level SWE (3-5 yrs)
$150K - $220K TC
Senior SWE (5+ yrs)
$200K - $400K TC
🇬🇧 UK Market (2025)
Junior SWE (0-2 yrs)
£35K - £55K
Mid-Level SWE (3-5 yrs)
£60K - £95K
Senior SWE (5+ yrs)
£90K - £160K
Negotiation Scripts That Work
"I'm excited about this opportunity. Based on my research and experience with [specific skills], I was expecting a total compensation in the range of $X to $Y. Can we explore options to get closer to that range?"
"I have another offer at $X. Your company is my top choice because [specific reasons]. Is there flexibility in the compensation package?"
3-Month Preparation Roadmap
Month 1: Foundations
- • Week 1-2: Data structures (Arrays, LinkedLists, Trees, Graphs)
- • Week 3-4: Algorithms (Sorting, Searching, DFS, BFS)
- • Daily: Solve 2-3 easy LeetCode problems
- • Resources: NeetCode 150, Blind 75
Month 2: Advanced Topics
- • Week 1-2: Dynamic Programming, Greedy Algorithms
- • Week 3-4: System Design basics (Grokking System Design)
- • Daily: 2 medium + 1 hard problem
- • Mock interviews: 2 per week
Month 3: Interview Simulation
- • Week 1-2: Company-specific questions (Google, Amazon, etc.)
- • Week 3-4: Full mock interviews, behavioral prep
- • Daily: Review mistakes, optimize solutions
- • Apply to companies, schedule interviews
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Written by engineers from Google, Meta, and Amazon with 50+ combined years of interviewing experience. We've helped 5,000+ candidates land FAANG offers.