The interview started with a recruiter-style conversation that included behavioral questions and some quick trivia about my CV, along with why I was interested in the company. Then the session moved into Python: I was asked to analyze an existing piece of code, explain what it did, and then verify it by testing.
After walking through the code behavior, I actually ran the tests and talked through what I found. The tone felt fairly direct—less about coming up with something from scratch and more about showing I could understand a program end to end, from reading to execution.
2 months ago
Difficult Neutral United Kingdom
I started with a short call that was supposed to set expectations, but it felt vague from the beginning—more like a quick check than a real senior-level conversation. I talked through my experience and got one very basic Python question about list versus tuple, and while I answered clearly, there wasn’t much follow-up on what the role actually required or what they expected from someone coming in at that level.
The next day I was invited to an on-site interview at their Farnborough office. The meeting felt chaotic: the lead took phone calls multiple times and even spoke in another language while I was reviewing my answers, without stepping out. The technical assessment itself was essentially a sheet of fundamental programming questions—inheritance, polymorphism, encapsulation, what init does, mutable versus immutable types, plus a simple missing-number puzzle. I finished everything, but the content didn’t connect to software validation or test engineering responsibilities the way the title implied.
4 months ago
Average Positive Canada
I had a short phone screen and then moved into a longer technical interview. The phone call was about 20–30 minutes, and after that I joined a 1–1.5 h…
6 months ago
Easy Negative Farnborough, Hampshire, South East England, England
I went through MDA’s process for a Senior Software Validation Engineer role, and it felt disappointing overall. It began with a short call where I was…
6 months ago
Difficult Neutral Montreal, QC
My interview process dragged on for weeks, and it felt unnecessarily intense. Every step was demanding in the way where they kept asking for extremely…
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What to expect
Distilled from the reports
Initial Screening & Recruiter Call
The interview process typically begins with a short eligibility call focused on basic experience and fit, often lacking depth regarding role expectations. Candidates should prepare for straightforward questions about their background and availability.
EligibilityBasic ExperienceFit
Technical Assessment
The technical interviews often consist of fundamental programming questions, including topics like inheritance, polymorphism, and basic coding challenges. Candidates should be ready for both theoretical questions and practical coding tasks, though the relevance to the specific role may vary.
Candidates have reported a lack of professionalism during interviews, including distractions like phone calls and language barriers. It's important to be prepared for potentially chaotic or unstructured interview settings.
ProfessionalismDistractionsLanguage Barriers
Behavioral Questions & Fit Assessment
Behavioral questions are a significant part of the interview, focusing on past experiences and how candidates align with the company's values. Candidates should be ready to discuss their motivations and how they handle responsibilities.
Behavioral QuestionsCultural FitMotivation
Overall Process & Communication
The interview process can be lengthy and marked by poor communication, leading to frustration among candidates. Being patient and prepared for delays is advisable, as timelines may stretch unpredictably.
Process LengthCommunicationFrustration
Outcome & Feedback
Candidates often leave interviews without clear feedback or offers, which can lead to uncertainty about their performance. It's beneficial to seek clarity on next steps and express interest in feedback after the interview.