Stripe Interview Guide (Intern & New Grad)¶
Interview Process Overview¶
| Stage | Intern | New Grad |
|---|---|---|
| Round 1 - Coding | ✅ | ✅ |
| Onsite Rounds | 2 Rounds | 3 Rounds |
| Final Round - Manager Chat | ✅ | ✅ |
1. First Round — Coding Interview¶
This is a technical interview with an engineer.
Format:¶
- ~45 minutes
- One coding question that builds over 4 parts
- Each part expands on the previous solution
- Style is similar to Stripe’s Online Assessment (OA)
Best Practices:¶
- Ask clarifying questions at the start
- Explain your approach out loud
- Write clean, correct code
- Talk while coding
- Discuss testing, debugging, and edge cases
2. Onsite Interview¶
Intern — 2 Rounds¶
New Grad — 3 Rounds¶
1. Programming Exercise¶
- Very similar to the first-round coding interview
- Graded on:
- Correctness
- Testing/debugging skills
- Communication and thought process
- Clean code style
2. Integration Exercise¶
- You download a provided repo
- Build a new feature inside an existing codebase
- Focus is on:
- Navigating unfamiliar code
- Understanding system design
- Implementing new functionality cleanly
- Communicating clearly
This is a very practical, real-world style interview — treat it like adding a feature at work.
3. Bug Bash (New Grad Only)¶
- Download a repo with existing code
- Your task is to:
- Find the bugs
- Diagnose the root cause
- Fix the bugs
- Test your fixes
Focus Areas:¶
- Troubleshooting & debugging skills
- Methodical problem-solving
- Clear explanations of how you identified and fixed issues
Note: They don’t want guesswork or random code changes — they care about your investigative process.
3. Final Round — Manager Chat¶
- Standard behavioral interview
- Expect resume deep dives
- STAR format answers are ideal
- Prepare stories around:
- Impact
- Ownership
- Teamwork
- Challenges & growth
Final Tips¶
- Be ready to explain your thought process clearly at every stage
- Testing, debugging, and clean code are critical at Stripe — not just getting the "right" answer
- Integration & Bug Bash rounds are unique — practice reading unfamiliar codebases if you can
- Study Stripe's company values, mission, and recent news
- Come prepared with thoughtful questions for the manager chat
Summary Table of Stripe Interview Process¶
| Round | Focus | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Coding Interview | 4-part Leetcode-style question | Explain clearly & write clean code |
| Programming Exercise | Coding + Testing + Debugging | Thought process matters |
| Integration | Add feature to existing repo | Read code carefully & build thoughtfully |
| Bug Bash | Diagnose & fix bugs in repo | Debugging skills & logical process |
| Manager Chat | Behavioral + Resume Deep Dive | STAR stories + Company Research |
Good luck!