Meta's interview process for software engineers has two rounds: a 45-minute technical screen with an engineer, then a full loop of 4 to 6 interviews of 45 minutes each, covering coding, design and behavioural questions. Your recruiter is your guide throughout and gives you a timeline for the decision.
The details below come from Meta's two Software Engineer interview guides, linked from its tech screen and full loop prep pages, and from its careers site. Meta publishes these guides for software engineers; for other roles, ask your recruiter what to expect.
The Meta hiring process at a glance
| Stage | What happens | What Meta says about timing |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Application and recruiter | You apply on Meta Careers. A recruiter guides you through the process and answers questions. | Not published |
| 2. Initial tech screen | A conversation with an engineer: introductions, two coding problems, then your questions. | 45 minutes |
| 3. Full loop | Coding, design and behavioural interviews with peers, cross-functional partners and leaders. | 4 to 6 interviews of 45 minutes each |
| 4. Decision | Your recruiter tells you the next steps as soon as they're available. | Follow up if you haven't heard within a week of your interviews |
What is the Meta hiring process?
You apply, a recruiter contacts you, you pass a technical screen, and then you complete the full loop. Meta says you'll meet "peers, cross-functional partners, and other leaders" during your interviews. You can track your progress, update your details and send thank-you notes through your Meta Careers profile.
Meta doesn't publish an end-to-end timeline in days, or what happens between the full loop and an offer. Your recruiter is the person to ask.
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Does Meta have an online assessment?
Meta's software engineer guides don't describe an automated online test. The first technical step they describe is a live 45-minute screen with an engineer, in a collaborative editor such as CoderPad if it's by phone or video, or on a whiteboard if it's in person. If your recruiter sends you a separate online test, ask which platform it uses and how long it is.
Meta's own study list for the screen starts with exercises on HackerRank, and it names LeetCode and HackerRank as other practice sites. Our guide to HackerRank tests explains how that platform works.
What happens in the Meta technical screen?
The initial screen is a 45-minute conversation with an engineer, split three ways:
| Part | Length | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Introductions | 5 minutes | Who you are, where you've trained and worked, your areas of expertise |
| Coding | 35 minutes | Two problems on CS fundamentals such as algorithms, data structures, recursion and binary trees |
| Your questions | 5 minutes | Ask the engineer about working at Meta |
Meta says to aim for solving one to two questions in about 35 minutes while thinking aloud. It says it won't ask "puzzle" questions, but problems may feel contrived because they need to be described and solved in 10 to 20 minutes. The interviewer may add constraints on running time or memory and ask you to solve the problem again.
What happens in the Meta full loop?
The full loop is 4 to 6 interviews of 45 minutes each, and each one leaves a few minutes at the end for your questions. You can expect three kinds:
- Coding. About two problems in about 40 minutes.
- Design. Systems design or product architecture, depending on the role.
- Behavioural. Your background, what you're passionate about in tech and the impact you want to make.
Meta says interviews may use Zoom screen sharing, and asks you to turn off video filters, including virtual or blurred backgrounds. Dress is casual; Meta's guide says "jeans are definitely ok!"
What happens in the Meta coding interview?
You solve problems while explaining your thinking. The interviewer won't compile your code, so minor mistakes aren't fatal, and Meta calls finding and catching your own bugs "a positive sign". You can code in any language; confirm your choice with your recruiter. Meta says it doesn't ask dynamic programming questions.
In both the screen and the full loop, Meta assesses four focus areas:
| Focus area | What Meta looks at |
|---|---|
| Communication | Do you ask for requirements and clarity, or dive straight into code? |
| Problem solving | Do you explain your reasoning, compare solutions, choose data structures and discuss time and space complexity? |
| Coding | Can you turn a solution into organised, working code? |
| Verification | Do you test your code with sensible cases and find your own bugs? |
What happens in the Meta design interview?
The design interview is 45 minutes on designing a complex system or product and the trade-offs within it. Meta says it may be one of two types, depending on the role; ask your recruiter which one to prepare for:
- Systems design focuses on distributed systems, scalability, performance and efficiency.
- Product architectural design focuses on API design, usability and utility.
Meta assesses problem navigation, solution design, technical excellence and technical communication. It says the question will be high-level and you'll be expected to drive the conversation, starting with requirements.
What happens in the Meta behavioural interview?
The behavioural interview is a 45-minute session about your background and the impact you want to make. Meta assesses five focus areas: resolving conflict, growing continuously, embracing ambiguity, driving results and communicating effectively. It may ask you to discuss past and current projects, give specific examples of what you did and the impact, and share what you learned. Meta recommends the STAR method; our STAR method guide walks through it.
Meta's guide is direct about honesty: not every project succeeds, and being open about that "won't be counted against you".
What does Meta look for?
Beyond the focus areas above, Meta asks candidates to review its mission and core values. Its careers site describes the mission as building "the future of human connection and the technology that makes it possible", and lists six values:
| Meta value | What to show |
|---|---|
| Move fast | You act with urgency and clear blockers on priority work |
| Build awesome things | You push work past good enough |
| Be direct and respect your colleagues | You give candid feedback and have hard conversations respectfully |
| Focus on long-term impact | You choose lasting impact over quick wins |
| Live in the future | You're an early adopter of new products and ways of working |
| Meta, Metamates, me | You take responsibility for the company and your teammates |
Meta also encourages candidates to use its products, such as Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp, before interviewing.
Common Meta interview questions and how to answer them
Meta publishes some example questions for its design interviews, and the focus areas it scores. The rest of the questions below are ones to prepare for, based on those focus areas and Meta's values.
1. Design a URL shortener.
This is one of Meta's own system design examples. Start with requirements (scale, read and write volume, link expiry), then sketch the components and talk through the trade-offs. Meta says it cares more about how you reason through trade-offs than about one optimal answer.
2. Build Facebook chat, or architect a worldwide video distribution system.
Both are Meta examples. Cover message or video delivery, storage, latency, failures and how the system grows. Meta lists testability, security, availability and scalability among the areas to discuss.
3. Design a service or product API, such as a chat service or a feed API.
These are Meta's product architecture examples. Focus on data models, client-server design, protocols and how the API copes with product changes.
4. Solve this coding problem.
Ask clarifying questions, say if you've seen the problem before, outline more than one approach, then code the one you choose while talking. Test it with a few cases before you call it done.
5. Tell me about a disagreement with a colleague or manager.
This is resolving conflict. Show how you understood their view, how you resolved it, and that you can work with people whose views differ sharply from yours. It also tests Meta's value of being direct and respectful.
6. Tell me about feedback that changed how you work.
This is growing continuously. Meta wants to see you treat criticism as a chance to improve. Name the feedback, what you changed and the result.
7. Tell me about a time priorities changed suddenly.
This is embracing ambiguity. Meta asks how you reacted when you had to pivot away from a project. Show you stayed productive and made decisions without full information.
8. Tell me about a goal you delivered despite roadblocks.
This is driving results. Quantify your impact, and show you pushed yourself and others towards the goal without waiting to be told.
9. How did you explain a technical decision to a non-technical partner?
This is communicating effectively. Show how you tailored the message to the audience and checked they understood.
10. Walk me through a project you're proud of.
Meta says interviewers will almost certainly ask about key events in your work history, and suggests outlining two or three major projects in advance. Be ready to go deep on your own contribution.
11. Tell me about a project that didn't go well.
Meta says being open about failures won't count against you and that sharing what you learned is valued. Own your part and say what you'd do differently.
12. Why Meta, and why this role?
Meta's guide tells you to be ready for this. Connect the role to a Meta product you use and to its mission of human connection.
13. What questions do you have for us?
Each interview leaves a few minutes for your questions. Ask about the team's current problems, how it measures impact and what a first project might look like.
Our list of behavioural interview questions gives you more to practise on.
What are common Facebook interview questions?
The same as Meta's. The Facebook company renamed itself Meta in October 2021, and Facebook is now one of Meta's apps, so "Facebook interview" and "Meta interview" refer to the same process. Meta's own examples still include "Build a Facebook chat".
How to prepare for the Meta interview
- Ask your recruiter which design interview type you'll get and which language to use.
- Practise coding without a compiler, in a plain text editor, since Meta's interviewers won't run your code.
- Prioritise breadth over depth. Meta recommends many problem types over mastering one. Revise arrays, stacks, queues, hash tables, trees, graphs and heaps.
- Time yourself. Meta suggests practising medium and hard problems in under 15 minutes each.
- Practise thinking aloud, because communication is one of the four coding focus areas.
- Practise design questions on paper, in about 30 minutes each, as Meta suggests.
- Prepare STAR stories for each of the five behavioural focus areas, and outline two or three major projects.
- Do a mock interview with someone who'll interrupt and add constraints, as Meta's interviewers may.
- Set up Zoom screen sharing in advance and switch off any background filters.
- Request accommodations early through Meta's accommodations request form if you need them.
Practising realistic work tasks
Meta's interviews test whether you can do the work, and that improves with practice on realistic tasks. Cohesyve, which publishes this guide, runs practice job simulations for your role, with a scored report on where you lost marks. It isn't affiliated with Meta and doesn't use Meta's interview questions or assessments.
FAQs
How many interviews does Meta have?
For software engineers, one 45-minute technical screen, then a full loop of 4 to 6 interviews of 45 minutes each.
How long does the Meta hiring process take?
Meta doesn't publish a total. Its guide says your recruiter will give you a specific timeline, and to follow up if you haven't heard within a week of your interviews.
Can I use ChatGPT in a Meta interview?
No. Meta asks you not to use any unauthorised outside assistance, which it says includes AI tools like ChatGPT, consulting external resources and getting help from others.
Does Meta ask LeetCode-style questions?
Meta's coding questions cover algorithms and data structures, and its guide names LeetCode as a practice site. It says it doesn't ask puzzle questions or dynamic programming questions.
What language can I use in the Meta coding interview?
Any language you're comfortable with. Meta suggests your strongest one and asks you to confirm it with your recruiter.
What should I wear to a Meta interview?
Something comfortable. Meta says formal dress isn't required and "we care about what you can do, not what you wear."
Sources
Meta's own pages, checked 27 October 2026:
- metacareers.com: Prepare for your initial tech screen, and the Software Engineer Initial Interview Guide (PDF) linked from it
- metacareers.com: Prepare for your full loop interview, and the Software Engineer Full Loop Interview Guide (PDF) linked from it
- metacareers.com: Life at Meta (mission and values)
- about.fb.com: The Facebook Company Is Now Meta (28 October 2021)