Cisco Embedded Software Engineer Interview Questions and Answers

Round: Test
Experience: They conducted a written objective type test which had 3 sections: Verbal (reading comprehensions), basic aptitude and the last one was a mix of C programming (find output/error) and basic electronics. The electronics section had mostly theoretical questions focused around circuits and basic electronics stuff. No networking and communication in particular.

Round: Technical Interview
Experience: The tech interview went on for a minimum 45 mins for each candidate purely focused around Embedded and programming. In Embedded I was asked about interrupts, pipelining, about the processors I have worked on, etc. I had done good projects in the same field so it benefited me. They hardly asked me any programming apart from some basic codes for strings. They rather appreciate your logic skills than how good are you at the actual syntax. But programming experience will be surely be an extra edge. I could not answer most of the stuff related to operating systems and core C++ but I did my embedded and C part well. C questions included storage classes, memory management, recursions, etc.
Tips: If you have done any project on networking/communication even that can be very beneficial for you in the interview.

Round: HR Interview
Experience: There was an HR interview for those who cleared the tech interview.

General Tips: Technical interview was a bit challenging and exhaustive (>45 mins!). But they were patient enough to listen to your answers and gave ample time in case somebody couldn't recall anything.
Skill Tips: Aptitude sections can be done without/or with the general preparation (from any source). Nothing specific to refer even for the electronics section. However Reading Frank Vahid for Embedded systems helped me in my technical interview.The profile was Embedded Systems and Networking so I was expecting the same to be asked about in the interview. I told my interest was in Embedded systems and they asked me only on that. Read a bit about some concepts of operating systems (Linux) and C++ like threading, process, etc. Have a good grip on embedded systems concepts like interrupts, processors, etc.They don't ask you to explicitly write a full C++ code though. In the tech interview I was asked about micro processors interrupts, pipelining, machine cycles, etc.
In micro processors learn machine cycles,interrupts, pipelining. In C++ learn threading and process
Skills: operating systems basics, C++ , Linux basics, embedded systems, micro processors ,
College Name: NIT SURATHKAL