CrowdStrike Software Engineer Interview Questions + Guide in 2024

CrowdStrike is a global leader in cybersecurity, renowned for its cloud-native platform that offers top-tier protection against complex cyber threats. As a Software Engineer at CrowdStrike, you’ll work on critical security products, leveraging cutting-edge technologies like Golang, Python, Kubernetes, AWS, and more.

In this role, you’ll develop scalable, fault-tolerant systems and contribute to various engineering efforts to stop breaches and secure cloud environments. The interview process for this role involves multiple rounds, including technical and design discussions, coding challenges, and behavioral interviews.

Join CrowdStrike to be part of a dynamic team committed to innovation and excellence in cybersecurity. Utilize this guide to be able to prepare efficiently, especially for commonly asked CrowdStrike software engineer interview questions.

The interview process usually depends on the role and seniority; however, you can expect the following on a CrowdStrike software engineer interview:

Recruiter/Hiring Manager Call Screening

If your application is shortlisted, a recruiter from CrowdStrike’s Talent Acquisition Team will contact you to verify key details about your experience and skill level. Behavioral questions may also be part of this screening process.

In some cases, the hiring manager may participate in this call to answer any queries you have about the role and the company. They may also ask surface-level technical and behavioral questions. The recruiter call typically lasts about 30 minutes.

Initial Technical Screening

After successfully navigating the recruiter call, you will be invited for an initial technical screening. This stage can involve one or more interviews where coding questions, typically regular Leetcode-style questions, are asked. Expect 2-3 questions per round, focusing on areas like data structures, algorithms, and other fundamental technical skills.

Take-Home Assignment

If you pass the initial technical screenings, you may be given a take-home assignment. This could be a coding task, a system design project, or both. These assignments are designed to test your ability to solve complex problems and apply your skills in a real-world scenario. This assignment might take several hours to complete.

Review and Feedback Round

Following the take-home assignment, there will be one or more interviews where your solution will be reviewed. You may be asked questions regarding the architectural choices you made, the efficiency of your code, and how you would improve your solution. This step may also include questions about cloud-related topics and distributed systems.

Onsite Interview Rounds

The final step generally involves onsite interview rounds, though some of these may be virtual. These rounds typically include a mix of technical and behavioral questions. Expect questions on system design, performance optimization, and more in-depth technical problems. Some candidates may also go through additional rounds focusing on specific areas like Golang experience, systems programming, or platform scalability challenges.

Typically, interviews at CrowdStrike vary by role and team, but commonly, Software Engineer interviews follow a fairly standardized process across these question topics.

1. Create a function combinational_dice_rolls to dump all possible combinations of dice rolls.

Given n dice each with m faces, write a function combinational_dice_rolls to dump all possible combinations of dice rolls. Bonus: Can you do it recursively?

2. Develop a function is_subsequence to find out if one string is a subsequence of another.

Given two strings, string1 and string2, write a function is_subsequence to find out if string1 is a subsequence of string2.

3. Write a function to return a list of all prime numbers up to a given integer N.

Given an integer N, write a function that returns a list of all of the prime numbers up to N. Return an empty list if there are no prime numbers less than or equal to N.

4. Create a function to add the frequency of each character in a string after each character.

Given a string sentence, return the same string with an addendum after each character of the number of occurrences a character appeared in the sentence. Do not treat spaces as characters and do not return the addendum for characters in the discard_list.

5. Write a function sorting to sort a list of strings in ascending alphabetical order from scratch.

Given a list of strings, write a function sorting to sort the list in ascending alphabetical order without using the built-in sorted function. Return the new sorted list rather than modifying the list in-place. Bonus: Aim for a solution with (O(n \log n)) complexity.

6. How would you evaluate whether using a decision tree algorithm is the correct model for predicting loan repayment?

You are tasked with building a decision tree model to predict if a borrower will pay back a personal loan. How would you evaluate if a decision tree is the right choice, and how would you assess its performance before and after deployment?

7. What are the key differences between classification models and regression models?

Explain the primary distinctions between classification models and regression models in machine learning.

8. When would you use a bagging algorithm versus a boosting algorithm?

Compare two machine learning algorithms. Describe scenarios where you would prefer a bagging algorithm over a boosting algorithm and discuss the tradeoffs between them.

9. How would you determine if you have enough data to create an accurate ETA prediction model?

You have 1 million app rider journey trips in Seattle and want to build a model to predict ETA after a ride request. How would you assess if this data is sufficient for an accurate model?

10. How would you build a model to predict which merchants DoorDash should acquire in a new market?

As a data scientist at DoorDash, you need to build a model to predict which merchants the company should target for acquisition when entering a new market. How would you approach this task?

11. How would you explain what a p-value is to someone who is not technical?

Explain the concept of a p-value in simple terms to someone without a technical background.

12. What is the probability that a red marble was pulled from Bucket #1?

Given two buckets with different distributions of red and black marbles, calculate the probability that a red marble was pulled from Bucket #1.

13. What is the probability that Amy wins the game by rolling a “6” first?

Amy and Brad take turns rolling a fair six-sided die, with Amy starting first. Calculate the probability that Amy wins by rolling a “6” before Brad.

14. What factors could have biased Jetco’s fastest average boarding times result?

Jetco had the fastest average boarding times in a study. Identify potential biases in the study and what factors you would investigate to validate the result.

15. How would you ensure data quality across different ETL platforms for PayPal’s Southern African division?

PayPal uses multiple ETL pipelines to connect data marts with survey platform data warehouses, including translation modules for text data. Describe how you would ensure data quality across these platforms.

16. How would you build a model to predict which merchants DoorDash should acquire in a new market?

As a data scientist at DoorDash, outline the steps to create a model that predicts which merchants to target for acquisition when entering a new market.

17. How would you debug the marriage attribute marked ‘TRUE’ for all auto insurance clients?

You find that the marriage attribute is marked ‘TRUE’ for all auto insurance clients. Explain how you would debug this issue, what data you would examine, and how you would determine the actual marital status of the clients.

What is the average salary for a Software Engineer at CrowdStrike?

What is the company culture like at CrowdStrike?

CrowdStrike promotes a remote-first culture with an emphasis on inclusivity and flexibility. The company values innovation, integrity, and a team-oriented approach. Employees report positively on the collaborative environment and the strong support from team members.

What makes CrowdStrike a unique place to work as a Software Engineer?

CrowdStrike stands out for its mission-driven approach to cybersecurity, aiming to stop breaches on a global scale. The company deals with large-scale distributed systems and processes trillions of events daily, offering a challenging and dynamic work environment.

With CrowdStrike’s comprehensive and intriguing recruitment process, it’s clear that the company is committed to attracting top talent for its innovative cybersecurity solutions.

For more in-depth insights on what to expect, visit our dedicated CrowdStrike Interview Guide, where we cover a range of common questions and helpful tips for various roles, including software engineering.

At Interview Query, we’re here to equip you with the knowledge, confidence, and strategic guidance necessary to ace your CrowdStrike interview. Dive into our resources, prepare meticulously, and confidently step into your interview.

Good luck with your interview!