AtkinsRéalis Software Engineer interview: reasoning through two open questions

The interview used two longer, open-ended questions. I had about five minutes to think about each one before presenting an answer and walking through my reasoning.

I was surprised that being logical mattered more than landing on a single correct answer. The interviewer paid attention to how I organized my thoughts, explained tradeoffs, and stayed coherent under time pressure. It was challenging but fair, and it tested structure rather than factual recall.

After both presentations, I felt I had answered what they were trying to assess. I received an offer.

Location: United Kingdom. Overall feedback: positive. Offer status: got offer.