The hiring process
| Round | Format | What's tested |
|---|---|---|
| Online Assessment | ~90-120 min | DSA filter |
| DSA Round | ~45-60 min | Live problem-solving (often the gate) |
| Machine Coding / LLD | ~60-90 min | Compilable working system |
| System Design / HLD (SDE-2+) | ~60-90 min | Payments-domain architecture |
| Hiring Manager / Cultural | ~45-60 min | Project depth and fit |
Process and cutoffs vary by drive/team and change over time — confirm on the official careers page.
Round-by-round: exactly what's asked & how to prepare
Online Assessment
~90-120 minA DSA test on HackerEarth/HackerRank or an internal platform, typically 2-3 problems in Python or Java. Common topics: arrays, strings, hash maps, stacks, queues, binary search, sorting, and basic graph traversal.
- Array/string with hash maps
- Binary search variants
- Stack/queue problems
- Basic graph traversal
- Sorting-based logic
- Drill arrays, strings, hash maps, binary search
- Do timed multi-problem sets
- Review complexity and edge cases
- Practice in Python or Java
- Poor time management
- Failing hidden edge tests
- Suboptimal complexity
- Correct, efficient solutions
- Good time use
- Clean code
DSA Round
~45-60 minA live DSA round; the hard variant is what eliminates most candidates. Expect LC-hard on graphs (word ladder, alien dictionary) and advanced DP (distinct subsequences, regex matching). Razorpay may weave in correctness-under-failure themes.
- Hard graph problem (topological/word-ladder style)
- Advanced DP (subsequences, pattern matching)
- Idempotency/dedup framed as a coding problem
- Heap or stack based problem
- Optimize a brute-force approach
- Practice LC-hard graphs and advanced DP
- Rehearse composure on hard problems
- Start with brute force, then optimize
- Do timed hard sessions
- Freezing on hard problems
- Weak advanced DP
- No brute-force fallback
- Handles hard problems methodically
- Strong graph/DP depth
- Composed reasoning
Machine Coding / LLD
~60-90 minA live build where, unlike many companies, Razorpay expects compilable, working code by the end, not pseudocode. Typically a payment or ledger system in OOP, graded on clean, extensible design.
- Design a payment/ledger system in OOP
- Model an idempotent transaction service
- Build a rules/settlement engine
- An extensible notification dispatcher
- Extend your design for a new requirement
- Build compilable OOP systems under a timer
- Master SOLID and design patterns
- Practice payment/ledger modeling
- Add tests and ensure it runs end-to-end
- Leaving non-compiling code
- Monolithic, non-extensible design
- Ignoring correctness/idempotency
- Compilable, working solution
- Extensible OOP design
- Correctness-aware modeling
System Design / HLD (SDE-2+)
~60-90 minFor SDE-2+, an HLD round on Razorpay's domain. Interviewers expect deep knowledge of distributed transactions (2-phase commit, Saga), idempotency keys, and consistent hashing; payment gateway, fraud detection, and settlements are recurring topics.
- Design a payment gateway with reliability guarantees
- Distributed transactions (Saga, 2PC)
- Idempotency keys and exactly-once
- Fraud detection pipeline
- Settlements / ledger reconciliation at scale
- Study distributed transactions, Saga, idempotency
- Learn consistent hashing and consistency models
- Practice payment-gateway/settlements designs
- Do 2 domain mock designs
- No idempotency/consistency plan
- Ignoring failure and reconciliation
- Vague technology choices
- Deep correctness-under-failure reasoning
- Domain-aware architecture
- Clear trade-offs
Hiring Manager / Cultural
~45-60 minA conversation going deep on your past projects, technology decisions, and how you handle conflict or failure, assessing whether you truly own your resume work.
- Deep dive on a project you led
- A hard technology decision and trade-offs
- Handling conflict or failure
- Ownership through ambiguity
- Why Razorpay
- Prepare a detailed project deep-dive you can defend
- Have 4-5 STAR stories
- Research Razorpay's products and scale
- Practice honest self-assessment
- Project answers that fold under questioning
- Vague conflict/failure stories
- No specific motivation
- Genuine ownership of your work
- Mature handling of conflict/failure
- Real interest in Razorpay
What to master
- Arrays, strings, hash maps, binary search
- Graphs and advanced DP (LC-hard)
- Stacks, queues, heaps
- OOP, SOLID, design patterns
- Machine coding: compilable payment/ledger systems
- Distributed transactions (Saga, 2PC), idempotency
- Consistent hashing and consistency models
- Project ownership and STAR stories
Eligibility
SDE-1 through SDE-2+. Machine coding applies broadly; HLD is added for SDE-2 and above. Process runs roughly 19-45 days.
Razorpay salary & compensation (2026)
High-growth fintech unicorn; ESOP-heavy with strong fixed, comparable to PhonePe at senior levels.
| Role / Level | Experience | India — total CTC | US — total comp | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SDE-1 | 0-2 yrs | ₹22-34 LPA | — | fixed + ESOP; premium campuses at top end |
| SDE-2 | 2-5 yrs | ₹38-60 LPA | — | ESOP grant becomes significant |
| SDE-3 | 5-8 yrs | ₹65-100 LPA | — | ESOP 25-35% of CTC; refreshers on performance |
| Staff Engineer | 8-12 yrs | ₹105-160 LPA | — | equity-dominant; architecture ownership |
| Principal | 12+ yrs | ₹170-240 LPA | — | large ESOP refreshers drive upside |
How the package is structured
- Fixed ~60-65% junior, dropping toward ~50% senior as ESOP scales.
- ESOPs vest 4 yrs; company has run buybacks for liquidity.
- Joining bonus ₹2-5L common.
- Lever: internal promotion and competing offers both trigger meaningful ESOP top-ups.
Indicative 2026 market ranges aggregated from public sources (levels.fyi, Glassdoor, AmbitionBox, candidate reports). Compensation varies widely by location, team, level calibration, and negotiation — use these as directional benchmarks, not guarantees.
Your prep plan
- Days 1-3: Arrays/strings/hash maps/binary search, timed
- Days 4-6: LC-hard graphs + advanced DP
- Days 7-9: Compilable machine coding (payment/ledger)
- Days 10-11: HLD (payments) + distributed transactions/idempotency
- Days 12-13: Project deep-dive + STAR stories
- Day 14: Full mock loop
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Get my personalized planFrequently asked questions
Does machine coding need to compile?
Yes. Unlike many companies, Razorpay expects compilable, working code by the end of the round, usually a payment or ledger system.
How hard is the DSA round?
The hard variant eliminates most candidates. Practice LC-hard graphs (word ladder, alien dictionary) and advanced DP (distinct subsequences, regex matching).
What system design concepts matter most?
Distributed transactions (Saga, 2PC), idempotency keys, exactly-once semantics, consistent hashing, and reconciliation, framed around payments and settlements.
Do correctness themes appear in coding rounds?
Yes. Razorpay values reasoning about correctness and consistency under failure, so idempotency and distributed-lock ideas can surface even in DSA.
When does HLD apply?
For SDE-2 and above; SDE-1 loops center on DSA and machine coding with lighter design.
How long is the process?
Roughly 19-45 days across 3-5 rounds.