Top 10 most popular shows by number of viewers
Out loud, in order: clarify, build it, check it, explain it.
Practise SQLLoadingone moment…
Data engineering interview · Big Tech & Enterprise Software
Senior-heavy bar: heavy SQL, Python/Scala, petabyte-scale streaming design, and a real culture screen.
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And what its data engineers work with.
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Stages in the order candidates meet them.
5 stages. 4 rounds have reported questions, described below.
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The topics it covers and the questions candidates reported.
3 reported questions. See them below
2 reported questions. See them below
L5+
Medium confidence3 reported questions. See them below
2 reported questions. See them below
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By round. Questions marked Expected are written from the company's standards.
SQLMedium confidence
Python / Scala codingMedium confidence
Data Modeling / System DesignMedium confidence
CultureMedium confidence
Nobody reported these exact questions at Netflix. They are the questions a loop for each of its top topics is known to ask, so prepare for them as likely, not as confirmed.
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Ranked by how much of the evidence points at each topic.
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Do the first group before the second.
Heavy SQL (window functions, analytics)
Do first (3)Scalable design (Kafka/Spark/Flink/feature stores/caching, petabytes)
Clean Python/Scala; data quality + testing
Data modeling from APIs
ThenNetflix-culture STAR stories
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Why candidates were turned down, as reported.
Weak SQL at scale
SQL is named in 37 of 50 company accounts.Cannot design petabyte streaming
Design is named in 27 of 50 company accounts.Thin data-quality/testing
Culture-fit mismatch (bar is high)
Behavioral is named in 7 of 50 company accounts.08
3 reported, 2 composite. Each opens and closes. Composites are labelled.
The onsite had heavy SQL (top 10 shows, genre by region, signups), Python or Scala coding, data modeling and system design with tools like Kafka, Spark and Flink at petabyte scale, and a culture round.
What to take from it Expect SQL on viewing data, and a strong focus on culture.
The technical round is live coding in a shared editor. You write SQL against a schema the interviewer describes, such as viewing data, subscriber events or A/B test results.
What to take from it Practise SQL on event and experiment tables.
One candidate who was turned down was told their signals about handling ambiguity were not strong enough. Another round, with the hiring manager, asks real technical questions and checks how you think about ownership.
What to take from it Show how you decide when the problem is unclear, and what you own.
Composite walkthroughs. Built from the company's documented loop, not from one person's account.
This is a composite, not one person's account. It is built from the loop we have on record for Netflix. Questions reported for this round: Top 10 most popular shows by number of viewers; Which genres are most popular in a region; How many new users signed up over a period.
What to take from it Practise these questions before you reach this round.
This is a composite, not one person's account. It is built from the loop we have on record for Netflix. Questions reported for this round: Implement simple data-processing logic; Clean, efficient code + CS fundamentals.
What to take from it Practise these questions before you reach this round.
Senior-heavy. SQL + scalable streaming design + culture fit decide outcomes.
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Their reported questions, one at a time, against a stopwatch.
Top 10 most popular shows by number of viewers
Out loud, in order: clarify, build it, check it, explain it.
Practise SQL10
Pick your level and the weeks you have.
Built from what Netflix asks, strongest first. For the wider basics at your level, follow the Mid level plan alongside it.
Pipeline and system design
Read: Data pipeline chaptersDrill: Pipeline practiceSay it aloud: Data pipeline questionsFull plan: Ace the pipeline round
Behavioral and communication
Read: Behavioral storytellingSay it aloud: Behavioral questions
Python and coding
Read: Python chaptersDrill: Python practiceSay it aloud: Python questionsFull plan: Ace the Python round
Cloud and tools
Rehearse the Netflix loop
Run the question deckThen repeat your weakest topic once more.