The hiring process
| Round | Format | What's tested |
|---|---|---|
| Online Assessment | ~60-90 min | DSA filter |
| DSA / Live Coding Round(s) | ~45-60 min each | Pattern recognition and clean code |
| Machine Coding / LLD | ~75-120 min | Build a working system from a spec |
| System Design / HLD (SDE-2+) | ~60 min | Swiggy-scale architecture |
| Bar-Raiser / Managerial | ~45-60 min | Technical depth + product thinking |
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
~60-90 minA timed assessment with roughly 3 medium LeetCode-style problems. Clean, correct solutions with good complexity advance you.
- Array/string medium problems
- Graph traversal (heavily favored)
- Hash-map and sorting logic
- Two-pointer / sliding window
- Basic DP
- Drill graphs specifically plus arrays/strings
- Do timed 3-problem sets
- Review complexity and edge cases
- Practice fast, clean coding
- Weak on graphs
- Poor time allocation
- Failing hidden edge tests
- Correct, efficient solutions
- Strong graph fluency
- Clean submissions
DSA / Live Coding Round(s)
~45-60 min eachOne or two live rounds focused on quickly identifying the right algorithmic pattern and implementing it correctly, with edge cases and complexity. Problems are often framed in delivery/logistics contexts.
- Shortest-path / routing framed as delivery
- Heap-based scheduling or top-K
- Sliding window on a stream of orders
- Tree/graph problem with follow-up
- Interval or greedy scheduling
- Master graph algorithms (BFS/DFS, Dijkstra)
- Practice recognizing patterns fast
- Rehearse edge-case + complexity closing
- Do mock live-coding rounds
- Slow pattern recognition
- Skipping edge cases
- No complexity discussion
- Fast, correct pattern identification
- Clean implementation
- Good edge-case handling
Machine Coding / LLD
~75-120 minYou implement a working system from a product requirement, graded on SOLID principles, modularity, naming, and extensibility. Expect to justify design choices.
- Design a splitwise-style expense splitter
- Cab/ride booking system
- Snake and ladder or a board game engine
- An extensible order/notification service
- Add a feature cleanly to your design
- Build full OOP systems under a timer (splitwise, cab booking, snake & ladder)
- Master SOLID and key design patterns
- Structure into clear modules with interfaces
- Add basic tests and make it extensible
- Incomplete or non-working solution
- Monolithic, hard-to-extend code
- Ignoring SOLID and naming
- Working, modular solution
- Extensible OOP design
- Clear design justification
System Design / HLD (SDE-2+)
~60 minFor SDE-2 and above, an HLD round often anchored in Swiggy's systems: catalog, order dispatch, real-time tracking. You scope, architect, and reason about scale and consistency.
- Design order dispatch / delivery-partner assignment
- Real-time order tracking
- Restaurant catalog and search
- Surge/ETA estimation pipeline
- Notification and event pipeline
- Study system-design-primer (free)
- Practice dispatch/tracking designs
- Learn queues, streaming, geospatial indexing
- Do 2 mock designs with estimates
- No real-time/latency plan
- Skipping capacity estimation
- Ignoring consistency in orders
- Domain-aware, real-time design
- Sound trade-offs
- Structured, estimate-driven approach
Bar-Raiser / Managerial
~45-60 minA decisive round blending technical depth with product and behavioral judgment, often with a senior engineer or manager. Expect ownership, ambiguity, and product-sense questions alongside project deep-dives.
- A project you owned end-to-end
- Balancing product trade-offs with engineering
- Handling ambiguity or shifting priorities
- A production incident and your response
- Why Swiggy
- Prepare 4-5 STAR stories with product angle
- Ready a strong project deep-dive
- Practice product-sense reasoning
- Research Swiggy's business
- Pure-tech answers with no product thinking
- Vague stories
- No specific motivation
- Blend of technical and product judgment
- Clear ownership
- Genuine interest
What to master
- Graphs (BFS/DFS, shortest path)
- Arrays, strings, heaps, sliding window
- DP and greedy
- OOP, SOLID, design patterns
- Machine coding / LLD under time
- Real-time/dispatch system design
- Queues, streaming, geospatial indexing
- Product-sense + STAR stories
Eligibility
SDE-1 through SDE-3. LLD/machine coding applies broadly; HLD is added for SDE-2+. Bangalore-headquartered.
Swiggy salary & compensation (2026)
ESOP-heavy product unicorn; roughly 15-30% of senior CTC is RSUs/ESOPs that vest over 4 years.
| Role / Level | Experience | India — total CTC | US — total comp | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SDE-1 | 0-2 yrs | ₹22-32 LPA | — | fixed ₹18-24L + ESOPs + ~₹2-4L joining bonus; top-tier campuses at the high end |
| SDE-2 | 2-5 yrs | ₹35-55 LPA | — | meaningful ESOP grant kicks in; strongest lever for total comp growth |
| SDE-3 | 5-8 yrs | ₹55-85 LPA | — | ESOP can be 25-30% of package; refreshers on strong performance |
| Staff Engineer | 8-12 yrs | ₹90-140 LPA | — | large ESOP grants dominate upside; leadership scope expected |
| Senior Staff / Principal | 12+ yrs | ₹150-220 LPA | — | comp driven mostly by equity refreshers and org impact |
How the package is structured
- Fixed is ~60-70% at junior levels, dropping to ~50-55% at Staff+ as ESOP grows.
- ESOPs vest 4 yrs (typically 1-yr cliff); liquidity via periodic buybacks.
- Joining bonus ₹2-5L common to offset notice-period/clawback.
- Biggest lever: switch-in negotiation and internal promo to SDE-3, where ESOP steps up sharply.
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: Graph-heavy DSA + arrays/heaps, timed
- Days 4-5: Live-coding pattern speed
- Days 6-9: Machine coding: build 3 OOP systems under timer
- Days 10-11: HLD (dispatch/tracking) + SOLID review
- Days 12-13: STAR + product-sense stories
- Day 14: Full mock loop
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Get my personalized planFrequently asked questions
What DSA topic matters most at Swiggy?
Graphs are the most tested, often rebranded into delivery/logistics contexts. Build strong graph fundamentals.
What is the machine-coding round like?
A 75-120 minute build of a working system from a spec (splitwise, cab booking, snake & ladder), graded on SOLID, modularity, and extensibility.
When does HLD apply?
For SDE-2 and above, anchored in Swiggy's systems like catalog, dispatch, and real-time tracking.
What is the bar-raiser round?
A decisive managerial round mixing technical depth with product thinking and behavioral judgment. Bring product-aware STAR stories.
How many rounds?
Typically 4-6, over roughly three-plus weeks.
How should I practice LLD?
Repeatedly build complete OOP systems under a timer, focusing on clean abstractions, SOLID, and easy extensibility.