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APPLE · SDE 1

Apple SDE 1 interview

The SDE 1 (entry-level software engineer) level at Apple is ICT2 Software Engineer, for new grads and engineers with up to about 2 years of experience. The rounds at this level, how each one is scored, and the questions to practise first.

From public candidate reports and Apple's careers pages, checked November 2026. Processes vary by team. AlgoRung is not affiliated with Apple.

Track my Apple prep
Apple titleICT2 Software Engineer
ExperienceNew grads and engineers with up to about 2 years of experience
Interviews after screeningAbout 7
System design roundYes

The SDE 1 rounds, in order

  1. Hiring manager · 30 min

    After a short recruiter call, the hiring manager often does a technical deep dive on your past projects and asks 'Why Apple?'; some teams start with this call.

    At SDE 1: Motivation, learning, a project walk-through and sometimes CS fundamentals.

  2. Phone / recruiter screen · 45 min

    One or two live coding screens, usually medium or a domain task such as a thread-safe cache; some teams use a take-home instead or as well.

    At SDE 1: Usually one medium problem. Explain your idea before coding and test by hand at the end.

  3. Coding (DSA) × 3 · 50 min

    Coding rounds focus on edge cases, defensive code and often concurrency, in the language the team uses (Swift, C++, Python, Java, Go).

    At SDE 1: The largest part of the loop: often three coding rounds. Medium problems, sometimes one hard. Correct, clean code and clear reasoning matter more than speed.

  4. Low-level design / machine coding · 60 min

    Object-oriented or component design such as a contact search system or a memory-efficient image decoder, mostly for junior and mid-level roles.

    At SDE 1: Object-oriented design with clear classes and responsibilities. Working code matters more than patterns.

  5. Team-specific round · 60 min

    A team-specific round: finding planted bugs in a large unfamiliar file, tracing a failing service, a project presentation, or SQL for data-heavy roles.

    At SDE 1: Mostly language and CS fundamentals deep dives (Java internals, databases, OS).

  6. Behavioral · 45 min

    Conflict, failure, decisions with limited information and caring about the user; 'Why Apple?' can come up in any round.

    At SDE 1: Stories from internships, projects or your first job are fine. Show learning, ownership and teamwork.

  7. Team match

    You interview for a specific team, so a calibration step can add weeks, and an offer still depends on headcount.

    At SDE 1: Mostly about whether the packet clears the bar; team match can take a few weeks.

What Apple interviewers look for

Coding questions to practise for Apple SDE 1

The largest part of the loop: often three coding rounds. Medium problems, sometimes one hard. Correct, clean code and clear reasoning matter more than speed.

Difficulty
Topic
7 questions
  1. LRU Cache Medium Design Data Structures also Amazon, Microsoft, Netflix +4
  2. Time Based Key-Value Store Medium Binary Search also Netflix
  3. Odd Even Linked List Medium Linked List also Adobe
  4. Valid Palindrome II Easy Arrays & Hashing also Meta
  5. Best Time to Buy and Sell Stock Easy Dynamic Programming also Amazon, Netflix, Walmart Global Tech
  6. Top K Frequent Elements Medium Heaps
  7. Valid Parentheses Easy Stack also Netflix

How the coding round is scored · The online assessment

System design at SDE 1

Junior and mid-level loops lean toward LLD and object-oriented design; system design starts around ICT3/ICT4 and goes deeper at ICT5+. Prompts often tie to Apple services (photo sync, messaging, push notifications) or the team's own infrastructure.

All Apple system design questions

Questions people ask

How many rounds are in the Apple SDE 1 interview?

About 7 interviews after the screening: hiring manager, phone / recruiter screen, coding (dsa), low-level design / machine coding, team-specific round, behavioral, team match.

Is there a system design round for Apple SDE 1?

Yes. Junior and mid-level loops lean toward LLD and object-oriented design; system design starts around ICT3/ICT4 and goes deeper at ICT5+. Prompts often tie to Apple services (photo sync, messaging, push notifications) or the team's own infrastructure.

What coding questions does Apple ask at SDE 1?

The same question pool is used across levels; the bar rises with level. Most reported: LRU Cache, Time Based Key-Value Store, Odd Even Linked List, Valid Palindrome II, Best Time to Buy and Sell Stock.

What does Apple expect in coding rounds at SDE 1?

The largest part of the loop: often three coding rounds. Medium problems, sometimes one hard. Correct, clean code and clear reasoning matter more than speed.

SDE 1 interviews at other companies

SDE 1 interview questions across all companies · Behavioral questions