Uber Software Engineer Interview Experience: SDE-2/L5

Two Uber reports can look like two different interview processes because they cover different levels and stages. This page keeps an SDE-2 assessment separate from an L5-A Bangalore hiring drive rather than blending them into a single supposed loop.

SDE-2 online assessment

One candidate reported four questions in 70 minutes and remembered three. The prompts were:

1. Given arrival times and the current time, return the wait until the next train, or zero if none remains. (source)
2. In a matrix traversed in spiral order, sum elements whose index is divisible by three. (source)
3. Process add and remove queries on a list, returning after each query the number of pairs whose absolute difference equals a given limit. (source)

These are the remembered questions in the Uber SDE-2 India OA report (2025). The candidate did not remember the fourth prompt, so it is left out.

L5-A Bangalore hiring drive

The L5-A report describes five stages. The candidate was asked to:

1. Print a valid execution order for tasks represented by a dependency graph. (source)
2. Solve a modified Number of Islands problem. (source)
3. Design a task scheduler whose tasks have executable behavior. (source)
4. Design a nearest-restaurants service, with attention to database schema, APIs, hotspots, and the case where no nearby restaurant exists. (source)

The fifth stage was a hiring-manager discussion, but the post does not provide a named prompt. The four technical prompts and round order are in the Uber L5-A Bangalore report (2025).

How to prepare for the Uber SDE-2 and L5-A reports

The assessment report rewards careful handling of input rules and query updates. The experienced loop adds implementation and design: model dependencies, define task execution, and ask what the nearest-place feature should do when its data is skewed or empty. Those are observations from these accounts, not a claim that every Uber candidate receives them.

For coding preparation, practice explaining complexity before optimizing. For the design stages, clarify the data model and API behavior first. Our system design guide and the company experience hub provide more context.

More Uber software-engineer reports

The additional LeetCode accounts cover separate SDE-2, Uber Freight SWE III, and other engineering interviews. Their prompts are grouped by report to keep the role differences visible.

Uber SDE-2 backend, June 2026

The candidate listed four behavioral questions:

1. Tell me about a time there was conflict and how you resolved it. (LeetCode Uber SDE-2 report)
2. Tell me about your most challenging project. (same report)
3. Tell me about a time you received critical feedback. (same report)
4. Tell me about a time you wrote suboptimal code because of time constraints. (same report)

Uber Freight SWE III

One report asked how mkdir creates a directory and how ls retrieves directory contents. (LeetCode Uber Freight SWE III report) A separate Freight report names a URL-shortening API design prompt. (LeetCode Uber Freight SWE III report)

Additional SDE-2 coding and design prompts

A six-round SDE-2 account mentions a graph problem that could be solved efficiently with disjoint-set union, a string-operations problem, and a question about handling feedback from senior colleagues. The source does not publish the full coding statements. (LeetCode Uber SDE-2 report)

Another SDE-2 report names a graph problem similar to Number of Islands II, where nodes are added dynamically and connected components must be maintained. It also labels a separate round as API and data-structure design without giving a full prompt. (LeetCode Uber SDE-2 report)

A separate six-round account names these prompts:

1. Find a minimum-edge-reversal route in a graph. (LeetCode Uber SDE II report)
2. Design a file system. (same report)
3. Design a real-time monitoring system. (same report)

An Uber Shuttle screening account asked the candidate to design a class that simulates riders choosing seats and leaving them, then implement an UberShuttle class. (LeetCode Uber Shuttle report)

Uber L4 system-design topic

An L4 account mentions an API gateway and a location-tracking/ingestion service. The collected notes preserve the system components but not the complete interviewer wording, so this is recorded as a design topic. (LeetCode Uber L4 report)

Frequently asked questions

How many Uber SDE-2 assessment questions were remembered?

The candidate reported four questions in 70 minutes and remembered three. The fourth is not included because its prompt was not recalled. The 2025 report has the three remembered tasks.

Run it on Parlel

Once you know the role and location you are targeting, use them to focus your search. Parlel's company directory is a starting point for identifying hiring teams.