Top 20
Prep plan
Updated weekly · Last refresh Aug 30

O'Reilly Media Software Engineer Interview Questions

The questions to prepare for a O'Reilly Media Software Engineer interview. Questions from real interview reports rank first. Updated weekly.

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1
CodingStart here. 6 questions · ~64 min
Palindrome FunctionEasy
Practice

Use two pointers to determine whether a City National Bank reference label reads identically forward and backward.

RecursionStringsTwo PointersO'Reilly Media
Implement Binary Search AlgorithmEasy
Practice

Write a binary search function to find a target value in a sorted array.

SearchingO'Reilly Media
Longest Unique Substring in EnoMedium
Practice

Use a sliding window and hash map to find the longest substring without repeated characters in a string.

Hash TablesStringsTwo PointersO'Reilly Media
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2
Execution4 questions · ~43 min
Recover a Slipping ProjectMedium

Explain how you would diagnose and recover a project that is falling behind schedule without losing stakeholder trust.

Success CriteriaRoadmappingRisk AssessmentO'Reilly Media
REST vs GraphQL DifferencesMedium

Tests understanding of API paradigms and when to choose each approach.

Trade-offsRoadmappingScope ManagementO'Reilly Media
Improving Application PerformanceMedium

Tests your performance troubleshooting workflow and prioritization for improving production systems.

Trade-offsRisk AssessmentScope ManagementO'Reilly Media
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3
Behavioral & Leadership9 questions · ~96 min
Overcoming an Ambiguous Delivery CrisisEasy

Tests ownership under pressure, prioritization in ambiguity, and stakeholder management during a meaningful work challenge.

CommunicationOwnershipDealing With AmbiguityO'Reilly Media
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4
More topics1 question · ~11 min
Optimize a Slow SQL QueryHard

Tests deep SQL performance troubleshooting skills, including indexing, query plans, and execution bottlenecks.

Performance Tuningdatabase managementO'Reilly Media
Hands-on SQL practiceWrite and run real queries in the editor. 3 drills · ~30 min
The finish line: interview-readyComplete all 20 questions plus 3 hands-on drills to finish this plan.