Supermicro Software Engineer Interview Questions + Guide in 2024

Supermicro is a leading provider of advanced server, storage, and networking solutions for various technology sectors, including Data Centers, Cloud Computing, and AI. Ranked as the 18th fastest-growing company among the US technology firms, Supermicro offers an expansive range of new opportunities for engineers and technologists.

As a Software Engineer at Supermicro, you’ll develop cutting-edge software features to support a variety of advanced solutions. The role demands proficiency in C++, experience in server management software, and a strong inclination toward teamwork and innovation.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the interview process for the role, provide common Supermicro software engineer interview questions, and offer valuable tips. Let’s get started!

Recruiter/Hiring Manager Call Screening

If your CV makes it to the shortlist, a recruiter from the Supermicro Talent Acquisition Team will reach out to verify key details about your experiences and skill level. Behavioral questions may also be part of this screening process.

In some cases, the hiring manager may also join the screening round to answer your queries about the role and the company. They might also touch on some surface-level technical and behavioral topics.

Typically, this recruiter call should last about 30 minutes.

Technical Virtual Interview

Once you clear the recruiter screening, you will be invited to a technical screening round. For the Software Engineer position at Supermicro, this technical interview usually takes place via video conference and involves a screen-sharing setup. Expect to be asked questions focused on Supermicro’s core technologies such as C/C++, server management software, and debugging sessions.

You may also receive take-home assignments related to algorithms, data structures, and software design patterns. Your proficiency in languages like C++ and Go, as well as your understanding of server technologies and firmware management, will be thoroughly assessed.

Onsite Interview Rounds

Following a secondary recruiter call outlining the next stages, you will be invited for an onsite interview loop. This may consist of multiple interview rounds with various technical leads, managers, and directors.

These interviews will focus on your hands-on experience, including programming, system design, and debugging skills. In-depth questions may involve topics like double linked lists, recursive functions, and algorithm optimizations. Furthermore, practical problem-solving tasks and coding challenges are likely to be a part of this stage.

If you have any take-home assignments or presentations, you will be expected to discuss and defend your solutions during the onsite interview.

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

1. What are the Z and t-tests, and when should you use each?

Explain the purpose and differences between Z and t-tests. Describe scenarios where one test is preferred over the other.

2. How would you reformat student test score data for better analysis?

Given two datasets of student test scores, identify drawbacks in their current organization. Suggest formatting changes and discuss common issues in “messy” datasets.

3. What metrics would you use to evaluate the value of marketing channels?

Given data on marketing channels and costs for a B2B analytics dashboard company, identify key metrics to determine each channel’s value.

4. How would you determine the next partner card for a company?

With access to customer spending data, outline a method to identify the best partner for a new credit card offering.

5. How would you investigate the impact of a redesigned email campaign on conversion rates?

Analyze whether an increase in new-user-to-customer conversion rates is due to a redesigned email campaign or other factors. Describe your investigative approach.

6. Write a function search_list to check if a target value is in a linked list.

Write a function, search_list, that returns a boolean indicating if the target value is in the linked_list or not. You receive the head of the linked list, which is a dictionary with keys value and next. If the linked list is empty, you’ll receive None.

7. Write a query to identify users who placed less than 3 orders or ordered less than $500 worth of product.

Write a query to identify the names of users who placed less than 3 orders or ordered less than $500 worth of product. Use the transactions, users, and products tables.

8. Create a function digit_accumulator to sum every digit in a string representing a floating-point number.

You are given a string that represents some floating-point number. Write a function, digit_accumulator, that returns the sum of every digit in the string.

9. Develop a function to parse the most frequent words used in poems.

You’re hired by a literary newspaper to parse the most frequent words used in poems. Poems are given as a list of strings called sentences. Return a dictionary of the frequency that words are used in the poem, processed as lowercase.

10. Write a function rectangle_overlap to determine if two rectangles overlap.

You are given two rectangles a and b each defined by four ordered pairs denoting their corners on the x, y plane. Write a function rectangle_overlap to determine whether or not they overlap. Return True if so, and False otherwise.

11. How would you design a function to detect anomalies in univariate and bivariate datasets?

How would you design a function to detect anomalies if given a univariate dataset? What if the data is bivariate?

12. What is the expected churn rate in March for customers who bought a subscription since January 1st?

You noticed that 10% of customers who bought subscriptions in January 2020 canceled before February 1st. Assuming uniform new customer acquisition and a 20% month-over-month decrease in churn, what is the expected churn rate in March for all customers since January 1st?

13. How would you explain a p-value to a non-technical person?

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

14. How does random forest generate the forest and why use it over logistic regression?

Explain how a random forest creates multiple decision trees and combines their results. Discuss the advantages of using random forest over logistic regression, such as handling non-linear data and reducing overfitting.

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

Compare two machine learning algorithms. Describe scenarios where bagging (e.g., Random Forest) is preferred for reducing variance and boosting (e.g., AdaBoost) is preferred for reducing bias. Provide examples of tradeoffs between the two.

16. How would you evaluate and compare two credit risk models for personal loans?

• Identify the type of model developed by the co-worker for loan approval.
• Describe how to measure the difference between two credit risk models over a timeframe, considering monthly installments.
• List metrics to track the success of the new model, such as accuracy, precision, recall, and AUC-ROC.

17. What’s the difference between Lasso and Ridge Regression?

Explain the differences between Lasso and Ridge Regression, focusing on their regularization techniques. Highlight how Lasso performs feature selection by shrinking coefficients to zero, while Ridge penalizes large coefficients without eliminating features.

18 What are the key differences between classification models and regression models?

Describe the main differences between classification and regression models. Classification models predict categorical outcomes, while regression models predict continuous outcomes. Discuss their use cases and evaluation metrics.

Here are some tips to prepare for your upcoming Supermicro software engineer interview:

• Brush Up On C/C++: Supermicro places a strong emphasis on C/C++ proficiency, given its importance in server management software. Make sure you are well-versed in both languages, including the latest standards (C++11/C++17).

• Understand System Design Patterns: Knowledge of software architecture and design patterns will be crucial. Prepare to discuss these in detail and show how you have applied them in your past projects.

• Prepare for Practical Problem-Solving: Interviews often include practical coding tasks like debugging sessions and algorithm implementations. Consider trying our AI interviewer to practice clearly explaining your thought process and solutions.

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

What kind of projects will I work on at Supermicro?

As a Software Engineer at Supermicro, you will develop advanced software features to support solutions across Board, Chassis, System, Rack, Switch, Service, Security, Firmware, and Software. Your work will involve enhancing user experience, automating server management services, and troubleshooting issues. The projects are cutting-edge and involve collaboration with both local and international teams, particularly a daily interaction with the Taiwan SW team.

What is the company culture like at Supermicro?

Supermicro values teamwork, innovation, and passion in its work environment. The company encourages a collaborative atmosphere where employees enjoy working with a positive mindset. Despite being a fast-paced environment, Supermicro maintains a supportive and engaging culture, fostering continuous learning and growth.

Pursuing a Software Engineer position at Supermicro presents a unique opportunity to join a leading company at the forefront of advanced server, storage, and networking solutions.

If you want more insights about the company, check out our main Supermicro Interview Guide, where we have covered other interview questions that could be asked.

Good luck with your interview!