The first round was a phone interview (didn't pass). I was asked about memoization and hashing. There was no coding at all.
The questions were not clear, and the interviewer seemed to refuse to clarify. The difficulty was in understanding what he was even asking rather than solving the problems themselves.
Then there was an immediate transition to a behavioral question.
This was a poorly structured interview, though I believe it is probably very dependent on who is chosen to interview you.
questions about memoization and hashing
The following metrics were computed from 8 interview experiences for the D. E. Shaw Software Engineer (Internship) role in United States.
D. E. Shaw's interview process for their Software Engineer (Internship) roles in the United States is extremely selective, failing the vast majority of engineers.
Candidates reported having very good feelings for D. E. Shaw's Software Engineer (Internship) interview process in United States.