SpaceX Interview Questions

Application

I applied online. I interviewed at SpaceX (Hawthorne, CA) in January 2017.

Interview

An online coding challenge
A phone interview
Another phone interview
A 48 hour coding challenge
They fly you down to Hawthorne, CA to give a presentation on your final challenge/project. You get a chance to explain how and why you did it the way you did.

Interview Questions

Application

I applied online. I interviewed at SpaceX in June 2017.

Interview

Started with a phone interview, then a half day in person with a 20 minute presentation. I ended up talking to a few different groups that had openings that the original manager thought I could be a good fit for as well.

Interview Questions

Application

I applied online. The process took 3 weeks. I interviewed at SpaceX (Los Angeles, CA) in February 2018.

Interview

Phone screening. Once I passed a couple phone screenings I was invited for the onsite round where I gave a presentation to a room full of employees followed by 6 one-to-one interviews ranging from technical questions to leadership style

Application

I applied through a recruiter. The process took 3 weeks. I interviewed at SpaceX.

Interview

I went through multiple phone interviews, multiple choice coding quiz, plus a 6 hour coding project test. Passed them all very well. Was ready for on-site interview and they bailed because they couldn't pay my market value. This was a sad waste of time.

Interview Questions

Application

I applied online. The process took 3 days. I interviewed at SpaceX in April 2014.

Interview

I applied online on the company website. I received an email almost the next day with an invite to take 45-minute multiple choice C/C++ quiz. All questions were about finding the potential error in a short snippet of code. I finished the quiz quickly and got a reply 2 days later asking me to setup a time for a phone screen....

Then, poof ! Nothing !! No reply from HR! Silence! I checked back twice, asking what happened. And nothing!! As if I applied to a fake company! Very unprofessional and rude! Well, thankfully I am employed so I don't need to work for these clowns. My advice is not to take employment at this company too seriously.

Interview Questions

Application

I applied through an employee referral. The process took 2+ weeks. I interviewed at SpaceX (Hawthorne, CA) in August 2013.

Interview

Tech screen by HR, 2 technical phone interviews, 6-hour on-site interview with 5 one-on-one sessions (2 tech, 3 not) and provided lunch.

Phone interviews are to establish proficiency and basic coding approach.
In-person technical sessions were split: one more daily-problem oriented, the other about known algorithmic solutions.
Non-technical interviews were personality / philosophy / social.

Feedback time between each step was 1-2 days.

Interview Questions

Application

I applied online. The process took 3 weeks. I interviewed at SpaceX (Hawthorne, CA) in June 2013.

Interview

I applied via their website. One of their recruiters responded within a couple of days. Next was a 60-minute online multiple-choice quiz covering the basics of C++, C#, and SQL. It had 14 questions, and these could easily be answered in a small fraction of the total time given. I had plenty of time to double- and triple-check my work. Then was a phone interview with their recruiter, in which he asked about some things on my resume and asked me some more technical questions centering on data structures and algorithms. He wasn't a developer himself, but it seemed like their developers had provided these questions. Then were two more phone interviews, each with a different developer on their staff. These were done with a live collabedit.com session where they asked me to develop various algorithms live while on the phone with them.

Interview Questions

Application

I applied online. The process took 4+ weeks. I interviewed at SpaceX (Los Angeles, CA) in August 2013.

Interview

I submitted my resume and some work examples through their website. The position I applied to was focused on Python software development in support of the Avionics hardware team. A few days later I was contacted by a recruiter saying there was interest. The first step was take an online C/C++ programming test. Initially I was worried because my background is much more Python-oriented. I should not have worried. The test was stuff that any serious programmer should know.

The second step in the process was a technical interview with the software engineer who headed up this particular software team. It's been quite a while since I've done an interview (10+ years), and the "technical" part of this interview caught me a little by surprise. I have done more homework on this topic since then and I think the questions I was asked are probably typical. I fumbled around on a few, the rest I think I gave good answers. When I was uncertain, I made sure to talk through my thought process as I tried to find a solution.

Towards the end I got somewhat negative feedback that my work experience might be too "researchy" for the position in question.

The third step was a week-long programming challenge assignment. The topic was not at all technical or work related. I basically had to create a simple text console application in Python given a handful of requirements. I spent sooooo much time on this task! It was frankly a lot of fun. On the last day I misjudged my time and I was not able to meet all the requirements. I feel quite strongly that the work I put into that task very clearly shows my Python programming strengths. Given the earlier doubts I think they had about, I think this (small?) error on my part gave them an easy way to tell me "thanks, but no thanks."

The recruiter told me that the only feedback he received from the engineer about my programming test was that it was incomplete, with no further details. My application was closed.

The entire process took about a month. Many days would go by when I thought I was waiting for them to make the next step happen. When I would get in touch with the recruiter, it would turn he was waiting for info from the engineer, who in turn thought her part was done.

Interview Questions

Application

I applied online. The process took 1 day. I interviewed at SpaceX (Colorado Springs, CO) in April 2012.

Interview

Applied on line for a software engineer position in their simulation group. Since I work on spacecraft simulation software for a living, I thought I'd be a good match. I received a quick response after applying and was asked to complete an online C/C++ programming quiz.

Quiz consisted of low level programming questions (pointers, memory management, etc.), and was fairly easy. After completing the quiz, I received another email from a SpaceX recruiter telling me that I did well and he'd like to set up a phone interview with me. We agreed on a date and time, and when the appointed time came... no phone call. I attempted to call the recruiter and got sent to voicemail. I also sent an email. No response. I made a few more attempts over the next several days to communicate with this person (and another recruiter at SpaceX) to no avail.

Fortunately I'm employed and have no shortage of prospects with the more established companies in the aerospace industry, so this is more annoying than anything else.

What a bunch of disorganized clowns this company is. Don't waste your time with SpaceX.

Interview Questions

Application

I applied in-person. The process took 4+ weeks. I interviewed at SpaceX.

Interview

The interview was definitely more advanced than for any other place I have applied for. Guidance was excellent throughout the process. My recruiter always communicated with me in a timely manner and clearly described the next steps. Here is an overview:

* Call with recruiter
Not technical, discussion on possible fit in the company.

* 30min quiz
Basic technical questions, really should not be a problem if you have the experience required for the job.

* 60min call with an engineer
Some advanced technical questions here (in my case, OS, networking, advanced C++), not extremely hard, as most of the answers should be known at a college level if you have taken the aforementioned classes.

* 6-hour coding test
This is where the real stuff begins. You have to provide a standalone program that solves a problem. You are in contact via email with an engineer who can review and run tests on your code.

The problem itself was not very hard, but it's the time pressure that makes it hard. As mentioned in another review here, I definitely recommend coming prepared, so that you can directly attack the problem. I also suggest refreshing your knowledge on data structures.

While the test focuses on the ability to efficiently design and implement a solution, it also tests your ability to make trade-offs given the tight deadline.

* Full day on-site interview
In my case, I was flown in the day before, fare and hotel paid for.

We started with a tour of the impressive facility (just this part is worth giving your best on the 6-hour test!), before moving to a 30-60min panel interview on the 6-hour test above. This panel was much more technical than I expected, with advanced questions about things that were not in the original problem (eg: how to rewrite your program given a new XYZ constraint).

After lunch I had three 1-on-1 technical interviews followed by a discussion with the director of engineering.

We ended the day with a dinner with some members of the team (different than the ones who interviewed me). It was a great opportunity to talk about non-work-related things like housing, etc.

In addition of being well prepared and being able to show that you love what you do, I would recommend to show that you are curious and professional. For example, if you fail to answer a question at any stage of the interview, you should be prepared to answer it (and more on that same subject) at the next stage.

Also, have a good night sleep before the 6-hour test and the on-site: you need to be in your best shape to put all the chances on your side.

Interview Questions