Mastercard Software Engineer interview: inflexible schedule and Hangman OOD task

The process began with scheduling friction and a rigid structure. I received about 10 days' notice and could not change the interview date. There was also a preparation session that suggested the process would be more organized than it eventually felt.

In the interview, I had to implement object-oriented design for a Hangman game. The interviewer was rigid and seemed to expect particular answers, with little guidance during the conversation. I kept wanting clarification about what counted as right, but the tone remained strict.

I did not receive an offer. My main takeaway was that the prep session had promised direction, while the interview felt less like a dialogue and more like testing whether I matched an unseen answer pattern.

Location: Vancouver, BC. Overall feedback: Neutral. Offer status: No offer.