Software Engineer Interview Experience - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Process
I applied online and received an email from a recruiter the following day.
There was a quick phone screen with the recruiter, followed by a take-home coding challenge relevant to the specific role I applied for.
After that, I had a coding interview over Skype with an engineer. It was a fairly standard interview.
The engineer doesn't care much if you come up with the best solution right away; it's more important to ask for hints and explain your thought process.
After that, I was invited for an on-site interview, which consisted of two whiteboard coding problems and a pair programming session.
Overall, the process was super smooth, and everyone was really friendly and easy-going. It seems like a great company!
Questions
The whiteboard coding problems required knowledge of data structures, recursion, and dynamic programming.
That being said, they would probably qualify as "medium" level difficulty problems – nothing too crazy.
The pair programming session involved editing an API endpoint in their code to do some simple data manipulation before returning it to the frontend.
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Interview Statistics
The following metrics were computed from 13 interview experiences for the Duolingo Software Engineer role in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Success Rate
Duolingo's interview process for their Software Engineer roles in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is extremely selective, failing the vast majority of engineers.
Experience Rating
Candidates reported having very good feelings for Duolingo's Software Engineer interview process in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Duolingo Work Experiences
- 5.0Fantastic place to work and grow as an engineerSoftware Engineer • Former EmployeePittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United StatesDecember 28, 2022Pros: - Generally a joy to show up to work every day. - Excellent engineering culture. Everyone I worked with seemed to be genuinely excited to be there, solving problems and working on new things. - Management highly values employee satisfaction and career growth. I had lots of opportunities to learn new skills and take on new challenges.Cons: - Living in Pittsburgh isn't for everyone, and most positions are located there. - The company has grown a lot over the last few years, which has made for constant change in teams, people, processes, features, code/architecture – just about everything. This isn't really a con for the right type of person, and it may mellow out as the company transitions out of the late-stage startup phase, but be prepared for a very dynamic environment.
- 3.0Good Perks, Bad CitySoftware Engineer • Current EmployeePittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United StatesFebruary 23, 2025Pros: Lunch Atmosphere Growth Perks EnvironmentCons: Pittsburgh The city Relocating No other offices Not international
- 5.0As good as it can beSoftware Engineer • Current EmployeePittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United StatesNovember 26, 2020Pros: The recruiting team and hiring managers continue to hire talented and wonderful people. The Pittsburgh office has an onsite gym, foosball, ping pong tables, and a gaming room. Feedback and conversations are always constructive. You rarely see teams blaming each other. Elise, the people team, and management put in a lot of effort to build a family-like atmosphere. Good compensation and flexible work hours.Cons: Political discussions tend to be divisive at times, and you see selective outrage on issues. Startup vibe has been waning as the company scales, and coworkers do not know each other anymore. Pittsburgh winters can be dull and frustrating if you don't keep yourself motivated.
Duolingo Interview Questions
