INTERVIEW PREP · INDIA AND US
Salesforce software engineer interview
The rounds at each level, what interviewers score, the Core values, and the questions candidates report, linked to problems you can solve here with the editor, walkthrough video and solutions in four languages.
Levels
| AlgoRung level | Salesforce title | Experience | Interviews after screening | Design rounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SDE 1 | AMTS, then MTS | New grad to about 2 years | about 3 | Usually not |
| SDE 2 | MTS to SMTS | About 2 to 5 years | about 5 | Yes |
| SDE 3 | LMTS (Lead Member of Technical Staff) | Senior, about 5 to 10 years | about 5 | Yes |
| SDE 4 | PMTS (Principal), Architect | Staff, principal and above | about 5 | Yes |
The rounds, in order
Pick your level above to see only your rounds. Each step links to a guide on how that round is scored.
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Phone / recruiter screen · 30 min
A recruiter screen on experience, notice period and expected pay.
All levels
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Online assessment · 75 min
A proctored online test with two or three medium-to-hard problems.
All levels
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Coding (DSA) × 2 · 60 min
Live coding where interviewers often require the optimal complexity before you start coding.
All levels
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Low-level design / machine coding · 60 min
Object and concurrency design, such as a connection pool, often starting with database and sharding questions.
SDE 2, SDE 3, SDE 4
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System design (HLD) · 60 min
A deep-dive design round on failure handling, distributed transactions and rollout strategy.
SDE 2, SDE 3, SDE 4
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Hiring manager · 60 min
An architecture walkthrough of your current system plus behavioral questions; for AMTS it includes a coding problem.
All levels
ScreeningCodingDesignBehavioralDecision
What interviewers look for
- Optimal time and space complexity, defended correctly
- Fully working code with your own test cases
- Naming trade-offs and a clear path to scale
- Database, sharding and distributed-systems depth for SMTS and above
- Leadership and mentoring examples at LMTS
Topics to focus on
Weighted by what candidates say comes up and by the reported questions below.
Behavioral: Core values
Usually no separate values round: the manager round tests culture fit with STAR-style questions. Tie stories to trust and customer success.
TrustIntegrity and trust
Show you were honest when it was uncomfortable, and how you earned trust back.
- Describe a mistake you made that reached production. How did you handle it?
- Tell me about a time you had to tell someone something they did not want to hear.
- Describe how you built trust with a new team or stakeholder.
Customer SuccessCustomer focus
Start from a real user problem and show how your decision changed something for them.
- Describe a time you changed a plan because of what you learned about the user.
- Tell me about a time you had to balance a customer need against a technical constraint.
InnovationInvention and simplification
Show a simpler or new way of doing something and the measurable result.
- Tell me about a time you simplified a complex process or system.
- Describe an idea of yours that the team adopted.
- Tell me about the most ambitious project you have proposed.
EqualityCollaboration and inclusion
Show how you helped others succeed and made people feel they belonged.
- Describe a decision you argued against but then had to carry out.
- Tell me about a time you helped a teammate succeed.
- Describe a project that needed several teams. How did you get them aligned?
SustainabilityBig impact and long-term thinking
Show you thought beyond the next sprint and made a bet with a long payoff.
- Tell me about a time you made a decision that hurt in the short term but helped in the long term.
- Describe an idea of yours that the team adopted.
- Describe a project that needed several teams. How did you get them aligned?
All behavioral questions · Write your STAR stories in the story bank
Coding questions candidates report
Each links to the AlgoRung problem: write-up, animated walkthrough, solutions in Java, Python, C++ and JavaScript, and an editor with hidden tests. Shared questions show the other companies that ask them.
- Trapping Rain Water Hard Arrays & Hashing also Amazon, Microsoft, Goldman Sachs +1
- Max Stack Hard Design Data Structures also LinkedIn
- Maximum Frequency Stack Hard Design Data Structures
- Min Stack Medium Design Data Structures
- Coin Change Medium Dynamic Programming also Google, Airbnb, Goldman Sachs
No questions match.
Salesforce coding questions by topic · Salesforce SDE 1 interview · Salesforce SDE 2 interview · Salesforce senior interview · Salesforce staff interview
Also reported, not on AlgoRung yet (2)
Remove Stones to Minimize the Total · Simplify Path
Design questions
AMTS and MTS loops are mostly coding plus CS fundamentals. SMTS adds a mixed HLD round. LMTS and above get separate LLD and HLD rounds with deep dives into distributed transactions and self-healing systems.
- Reported: Celebrity fan-out in a social feed News Feed · walkthrough Practise on the board
- Reported: Ticket booking Movie booking · walkthrough
- Reported: Rate limiter Rate limiter · walkthrough Practise on the board
Also reported: Connection pool (LLD) · Marketing campaign system · Parking lot
Salesforce system design questions in detail · How to answer any design question: the LADDER method
Worth knowing
- 2025 Hyderabad and Bengaluru loops: online test, then one day with two coding rounds, a design round and a manager round.
- Titles use the AMTS / MTS / SMTS / LMTS / PMTS ladder.
- Recruiters sometimes move a strong candidate to a different opening after a no-hire.
- Complexity analysis is scored: a wrong claim about heap complexity has cost candidates offers.
Interviewing at Salesforce?
Add the date and your level. AlgoRung builds a plan back from the interview day, schedules revisions before it, and counts problems you have already solved for every company that asks them.
Sources
Written in our own words from these public pages and candidate reports, checked November 2026. Company names are trademarks of their owners.