Software Development Engineer
- Experience
- 1 years
- Timeline
- 2 weeks (OA → offer)
- Compensation
- 18 LPA
Tips before you start
- Complete the HackerRank OA within the time limit, partial solutions still score points on visible test cases.
- Brush up on stack/queue patterns and string manipulation (common PhonePe OA topics).
- For the system design round, think in payment flows: idempotency, retries, and failure handling.
- Know PhonePe's products (UPI, insurance, merchants), HR expects specific motivation, not generic answers.
Interview rounds
4 rounds- 11
Online Assessment
90 minCleared3/5HackerRank OA: 2 DSA problems + CS fundamentals MCQs
MediumTypical OA DSA: valid parentheses / bracket matching
EasyTypical OA DSA: longest substring without repeating characters
Medium
Notes
HackerRank proctored; camera may be required. Calculator not needed.
- 22
DSA (Technical)
60 minCleared3/5Implement a queue using two stacks
MediumString manipulation: compress consecutive characters (run-length encoding)
MediumExplain time and space complexity of your solution aloud
Easy
Notes
Live coding on shared editor; explain approach before typing.
- 33
System Design (Light)
45 minCleared3/5Design payment retry logic when a UPI debit fails transiently
MediumHow do you ensure idempotency in payment APIs?
MediumWhat metrics and alerts would you add?
Easy
Notes
Whiteboard or Excalidraw; depth expected at SDE-1 is API + queue level, not full microservices.
- 44
HR / Culture
30 minCleared2/5Why PhonePe? Why fintech?
EasyTell me about a project where you handled ambiguity
EasyRelocation to Bangalore and notice period
Easy
Notes
Friendly panel; align expectations on role level (SDE-1 vs UI track).
Overall experience
PhonePe's SDE-1 loop is structured and fast-moving: an online assessment on HackerRank, a DSA round focused on stacks/queues and strings, a light system design discussion on payment retry logic, and HR. Role: Software Development Engineer (SDE-1) Location: Bangalore Compensation: ~18 LPA band (varies by college and negotiation) Timeline: ~2 weeks from OA to offer Verdict: Selected 4 interview rounds with reported questions, study answers, and references below.