I applied through university. I interviewed at Cisco in Aug 2023
Interview
1st round- Online test (60 mins, 40 MCQs and 1 coding question) consisted of MCQs on technical subjects like networking, dbms, oops, C/C++, input/output, 1 DSA question
2nd round- technical round
3rd round- managerial (felt more tech than managerial)
4th round - HR
Rejected after 3rd
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
2nd round- started with all the projects mentioned in the resume, a basic description of them, and then cross-questions on the same.
I had mentioned Java and Python in my resume, so was asked to differentiate b/w them.
Coding ques- Palindrome or not
2 standard puzzles- 3 bulbs and 3 switches, 8 balls problem
CS subjects- OOPs, DBMS, CN, sql query to find the second highest salary
3rd round- asked about my projects and the technologies I used, the problems I faced, my role in each
Standard process nothing crazy. The technical side of the interview was pretty basic around leetcode easy level. Starts with a standard pre screening, then a technical online screening, and 2 more rounds
1. HR phone screen
2. hiring manager
3. SQL test
4. Python test
5. behavioral question
6. experience question
3-6 round in same week
Python test like leetcode easy level
I applied online. I interviewed at Cisco (Raleigh, NC) in Feb 2026
Interview
The interview experience was extremely disappointing. The responses felt sarcastic, and the overall tone made it seem like the interviewer was more focused on making the candidate fail than evaluating fairly.