Overview
Most of an Uber loop comes down to two things: coding and, if you're mid-level or above, system design. Most of your prep should go there too.
The coding rounds are mainly algorithm problems, with a lot of graphs. Dynamic programming and sliding windows come up a lot too, and interviewers push hard on time and space complexity.
Plenty of the system design questions come from Uber's own world, like driver locations or nearby restaurants. But the one candidates report most is a stock price alert system, and chat apps show up a lot as well. You'll also have a hiring manager round.
Below is what people get asked in each one and what to study. Each has its own guide with more detail and a practice interview.
System design interviews
A lot of the questions sound like Uber's actual product, so you'll spend time on location data, huge numbers of writes, and what has to be live versus what can wait. Not all of them, though. The one candidates mention most is about stock prices.
What people get asked
- Stock price alerts
- Build a driver heatmap dashboard
- Nearby restaurants for Uber Eats
- Track driver locations
Coding interviews
You'll code in the screen and again in the onsite. Graph problems come up a lot, which makes sense for a company that lives on maps and routes. Dynamic programming shows up often too. You'll get pushed on complexity, so don't skip that part.
What people get asked
- Routes through graphs and grids
- Optimization over choices
- Top items and scheduling
- Small working systems in a machine coding round
How it changes by level
From mid-level to senior the loop looks about the same. What changes is how much they expect from you.
| Level | Coding | Design |
|---|---|---|
| New grad (L3) | An algorithms round, plus a small design-in-code round like an employee hierarchy or a file system | No system design round in the reports we found |
| Mid-level (L4) | An algorithms round and a machine coding round | One system design round, often the bar raiser |
| Senior (L5A) | Same shape as mid-level | The same kinds of prompts, like stock alerts or nearby restaurants. The bar is higher, the problems aren't bigger |
| Staff | One report had two coding rounds in a seven-round loop | A standard design like a chat app, plus a second round on one of your own past projects, then a director round |
The rest of the process
Your recruiter will walk you through this, but here's the quick version.
| Stage | Length | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Recruiter screen | About 30 min | Your background, why you're looking, and how the process works |
| Online assessment | Varies | 2–4 algorithm problems. Referrals and people a recruiter reached out to often skip it |
| Phone screen | 45–60 min | Candidates call it the BPS. Usually one coding problem you need to get working, sometimes after 15 minutes on design or past projects. It can end your loop |
| Virtual onsite | 4–5 rounds | Algorithms and Data Structures, Depth in Specialization (often machine coding), Design and Architecture, and a hiring manager round |
| Debrief | 2–4 days | The hiring manager and bar raiser talk it over, then your recruiter calls |
| Team matching | 1–3 weeks | If it's a yes, you get matched with a team, which can take a while |
In India hiring drives, people often get the onsite rounds one at a time, and each one can end the loop.
Sources
We pulled this together from candidates' own write-ups of their interviews, plus Uber's own guide for the round names. They don't always agree, and things change over time.
- Uber's backend engineering interview guide
- LeetCode Discuss: Uber SDE II backend (2026)
- LeetCode Discuss: Uber L5A India, rejected (2026)
- LeetCode Discuss: Uber L4 US offer (Sept 2025)
- LeetCode Discuss: Uber Staff SE offer (2023)
- LeetCode Discuss: Uber L3 Bangalore (2025)
- LeetCode Discuss: Uber SDE II, 6 rounds (2026)
Practice Loop is an independent practice tool and isn't affiliated with or endorsed by Uber.