Zomato SDE-1 Complete Interview Experience
Zomato isn’t just a food delivery company it’s a real-time technology powerhouse that operates at extreme scale. Every search, every order, every ETA prediction is powered by highly optimized engineering systems built to handle millions of concurrent users with near-zero latency.
Getting into Zomato as an SDE-1 means proving you can think fast, build scalable systems, and own problems end-to-end. It’s not just a coding interview it’s a product engineering evaluation.
At CodeKerdos, we’re proud to have mentors currently working at Zomato and learners who have converted SDE-1 roles through our structured interview preparation pipelines. Based on their real interview experience, industry trends, and feedback directly from interviewers, we’ve created the most accurate breakdown of the Zomato SDE-1 hiring process.
Each round is designed to filter not just skill but mindset.
Round 1- Online Assessment
Round 2- DSA + Leadership Principles
Round 3- Low-Level Design (LLD)
Round 4- Hiring Manager + Bar Raiser Round
Round 1: Online Assessment (OA)
Duration: 90 Minutes
Difficulty: Medium
Focus: DSA, Core CS Concepts, Logical Reasoning
This round serves as the entry filter. It consists of:
Two DSA Coding Questions (LeetCode Medium level; topics include Arrays, Hashing, Recursion, Sliding Window)
Core CS MCQs (DBMS, OS, Networks, and Aptitude)
Edge Case Handling: Zomato emphasizes clean, production-ready coding style.
What Zomato Looks For:
Logical approach over brute force
Clean, modular code with proper function usage
Awareness of real-time constraints (time and memory optimization)
Our Mentor’s Tip:
“The OA is not just about solving problems, it’s about how cleanly and efficiently you solve them. Candidates who write optimized, readable code automatically stand out.”
Round 2: Data Structures & Algorithms (DSA + Debugging)
Duration: 60 Minutes
Difficulty: Medium to Hard
Focus: Problem Solving + Code Quality
This technical round assesses if you can build scalable logic under time pressure.
Typical Breakdown:
Question 1: Graph or Tree (shortest path, traversal, or connected components)
Question 2: Dynamic Programming, Trie, or Greedy Problem
Bonus: Debugging code segments to identify logical errors
Evaluation Parameters:
Optimality of approach
Communication clarity (interviewers expect you to think out loud)
Edge case coverage
Understanding of time-space complexity trade-offs
From a CodeKerdos Mentor (Former Zomato Candidate):
“Even if you don’t get the final answer immediately, demonstrate structured thinking and continuous improvement in your approach. That alone can help you clear this round.”
Round 3: Low-Level Design (LLD)
Duration: 60–75 Minutes
Difficulty: Hard
Focus: Class Design, Object-Oriented Thinking, Scalability
Zomato places a heavy emphasis on architectural thinking at the SDE-1 level. You’re expected to build real-world systems—not just write code.
Sample Design Topics:
Design Food Ordering System
Design Real-Time Order Tracking
Design Notification/Alert System for Delivery Partners
What You Must Demonstrate:
Ability to break down a complex feature into modules
Use of classes, interfaces, and design patterns
Extendability: “What if Zomato launches grocery delivery or loyalty rewards?”
How your system scales under millions of users
Mentor Tip:
“Zomato loves when candidates proactively discuss scalability like caching, database sharding, message queues. This reflects a true product engineering mindset.”
Round 4: Hiring Manager + Bar Raiser Round
Duration: 45–60 Minutes
Difficulty: Moderate to High
Focus: Culture Fit, Ownership, Product Thinking, Deep Technical Understanding
This is the decisive round. The interviewer is often a senior engineer or engineering lead from a different team. Their goal is simple: Will you thrive in Zomato’s high-speed engineering culture?
What to Expect:
Deep dive into your past projects (performance optimizations, system reliability)
Real business scenarios:
“Zomato servers are crashing due to peak order load—how would you stabilize them?”
“If restaurant cancellations spike, what would you build to detect and fix the issue?”
Behavioral questions mapping to leadership qualities
What They’re Testing:
Bias for Action (Do you wait or act?)
Customer Obsession (Do you prioritize user experience?)
Data-Driven Mindset (Do you use metrics to measure outcomes?)
Ownership Mentality (Do you own problems beyond your code?)
Scalability & Reliability Thinking
Ability to Operate Under Ambiguity
Cross-Team Communication Skills
Adaptability to Fast-Changing Environments
Innovation Under Constraints
Long-Term Product Impact Thinking
Hiring Manager’s Tip:
“Zomato isn’t looking for just coders. We’re looking for builders engineers who can solve real problems, think beyond instructions, and take ownership of the product like it’s their own startup.”