Karat Software Engineer interview: one-hour live coding and system design session

The process started with a short, multiple-choice qualifying test. I could choose topics such as backend, general coding logic, or algorithms and data structures. After I passed, I was invited almost immediately to schedule the actual interview.

The main technical interview was a live online video session that lasted about an hour. It combined discussion and analysis questions with a system design focus, along with live data structures and algorithms coding. Scheduling was flexible enough for me to work around my availability. I also had the option to redo the interview if I didn’t think it had gone well. I completed the first attempt and seriously considered the redo because the pacing and expectations for the questions mattered so much.

I felt the time pressure during the coding portion. In my first attempt, I needed time to fully understand the problem. I solved it, but as the interview continued, there wasn’t much room to go further. I wasn’t selected and received no meaningful feedback beyond a general result.

What stayed with me was how much the outcome depended on managing the time in that live hour, especially with system design style thinking and DS&A coding combined in one interview.

Location: India. Overall feedback: Positive. Offer status: No offer.