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Cisco Software Developer Interview Questions, Process, and Tips

Updated 27 Dec 2024

Top Cisco Software Developer Interview Questions and Answers

  • Q1. Apple Pickup Problem Statement Alice has a garden represented as a ‘N’ * ‘N’ grid called ‘MATRIX’. She wants to collect apples following these rules: 1 -> Alice can pick ...read more
  • Q2. Snake and Ladder Problem Statement Given a 'Snake and Ladder' board with N rows and N columns, where positions are numbered from 1 to (N*N) starting from the bottom left ...read more
  • Q3. Intersection of Linked List Problem You are provided with two singly linked lists containing integers, where both lists converge at some node belonging to a third linked ...read more
View all 50 questions

Cisco Software Developer Interview Experiences

26 interviews found

Interview experience
3
Average
Difficulty level
Easy
Process Duration
-
Result
Not Selected

I applied via Campus Placement and was interviewed in Apr 2023. There were 3 interview rounds.

Round 1 - Resume Shortlist 
Pro Tip by AmbitionBox:
Keep your resume crisp and to the point. A recruiter looks at your resume for an average of 6 seconds, make sure to leave the best impression.
View all Resume tips
Round 2 - Coding Test 

Question based on Array and string medium level of leetcode

Round 3 - One-on-one 

(1 Question)

  • Q1. Based on computer fundamentals dsa inorder preorder postorder
Interview experience
5
Excellent
Difficulty level
Moderate
Process Duration
Less than 2 weeks
Result
Not Selected

I applied via LinkedIn and was interviewed before Sep 2023. There were 2 interview rounds.

Round 1 - Coding Test 

Linked list, maps based question

Round 2 - Technical 

(2 Questions)

  • Q1. Two sum - brute and optimal approach
  • Ans. 

    Two sum problem involves finding two numbers in an array that add up to a specific target.

    • Brute force approach involves nested loops to check all possible pairs of numbers.

    • Optimal approach uses a hashmap to store the difference between target and current number.

    • Example: nums = [2, 7, 11, 15], target = 9. Optimal solution: [0, 1] (2 + 7 = 9).

  • Answered by AI
  • Q2. Program to convert 24hr input into AM-PM formatted output
  • Ans. 

    Program to convert 24hr input into AM-PM formatted output

    • Create a function that takes a 24-hour time input as a string

    • Use the datetime module in Python to convert the input to a datetime object

    • Format the datetime object to display in AM-PM format

    • Return the formatted time as a string

  • Answered by AI

Interview Preparation Tips

Interview preparation tips for other job seekers - Friendly interviewers. Focus on basics like problem analysis, calculating efficiency, strings, linked list

Skills evaluated in this interview

Software Developer Interview Questions Asked at Other Companies

asked in Amazon
Q1. Maximum Subarray Sum Problem Statement Given an array of integers ... read more
asked in Amazon
Q2. Minimum Number of Platforms Needed Problem Statement You are give ... read more
asked in Rakuten
Q3. Merge Two Sorted Arrays Problem Statement Given two sorted intege ... read more
asked in Cognizant
Q4. Nth Fibonacci Number Problem Statement Calculate the Nth term in ... read more
Q5. Find Duplicate in Array Problem Statement You are provided with a ... read more
Interview experience
5
Excellent
Difficulty level
Moderate
Process Duration
2-4 weeks
Result
Selected Selected

I applied via Referral and was interviewed before May 2023. There were 3 interview rounds.

Round 1 - Coding Test 

It was Hacker rank test with 5 coding questions

Round 2 - Technical 

(1 Question)

  • Q1. 2 technical rounds back to back. which involves java, spring boot. 1 DS question
Round 3 - Technical 

(1 Question)

  • Q1. HM round around design knowledge check
Round 1 - Coding Test 

It was 90 mins test with 2 coding questions and aptitude questions most of them on networking

Round 2 - Technical 

(2 Questions)

  • Q1. Longest subarray with sum 0
  • Ans. 

    Find the longest subarray with sum 0 in an array of integers.

    • Use a hash table to store the sum and its index.

    • Iterate through the array and calculate the cumulative sum.

    • If the cumulative sum is already in the hash table, then the subarray between the current index and the index in the hash table has a sum of 0.

    • Keep track of the longest subarray with sum 0 seen so far.

    • Return the length of the longest subarray with sum 0.

  • Answered by AI
  • Q2. Is a given binary is a binary search tree

Interview Preparation Tips

Interview preparation tips for other job seekers - see networking more they will ask more on core cocepts

Skills evaluated in this interview

Cisco interview questions for designations

 Software Developer Intern

 (5)

 Software Developer Trainee

 (1)

 Senior Software Developer

 (1)

 Software Developer Apprentice

 (1)

 Software Engineer

 (59)

 Software Analyst

 (1)

 Engineering Software

 (1)

 Software Consultant

 (1)

Interview experience
5
Excellent
Difficulty level
Moderate
Process Duration
Less than 2 weeks
Result
Selected Selected

I applied via Walk-in and was interviewed before Jul 2023. There were 2 interview rounds.

Round 1 - Coding Test 

Mostly questions on Bit manipulation

Round 2 - Technical 

(2 Questions)

  • Q1. Basic c, linked list
  • Q2. Reverse link list

Get interview-ready with Top Cisco Interview Questions

Interview experience
5
Excellent
Difficulty level
Moderate
Process Duration
Less than 2 weeks
Result
Selected Selected

I applied via Walk-in and was interviewed before Jul 2023. There were 2 interview rounds.

Round 1 - Coding Test 

Rotate matrix on hacker rank

Round 2 - Technical 

(2 Questions)

  • Q1. Bitwise manipulation
  • Q2. Reverse link list

I was interviewed in Dec 2021.

Round 1 - Coding Test 

(2 Questions)

Round duration - 60 minutes
Round difficulty - Hard

There were 2 coding questions and 15 MCQs (related to OOPs, OS, DBMS, CN, DSA, and Aptitude).

  • Q1. 

    Apple Pickup Problem Statement

    Alice has a garden represented as a ‘N’ * ‘N’ grid called ‘MATRIX’. She wants to collect apples following these rules:

    • 1 -> Alice can pick an apple from this cell and ...
  • Ans. 

    The problem involves finding the maximum number of apples Alice can collect in a grid while following specific rules.

    • Create a recursive function to explore all possible paths from the starting point to the ending point while keeping track of the collected apples.

    • Consider the constraints and optimize the solution to avoid unnecessary computations.

    • Use dynamic programming to store and reuse the results of subproblems to i...

  • Answered by AI
  • Q2. 

    Implement Stack with Linked List

    Your task is to implement a Stack data structure using a Singly Linked List.

    Explanation:

    Create a class named Stack which supports the following operations, each in O(1...

  • Ans. 

    Implement a Stack data structure using a Singly Linked List with operations in O(1) time.

    • Create a class named Stack with getSize, isEmpty, push, pop, and getTop methods.

    • Use a Singly Linked List to store the elements of the stack.

    • Ensure each operation runs in constant time complexity.

    • Handle edge cases like empty stack appropriately.

    • Example: If input is '5 3 10 5 1 2 4', the output should be '10 1 false'.

  • Answered by AI
Round 2 - Video Call 

(2 Questions)

Round duration - 40 minutes
Round difficulty - Medium

It was a technical interview round where I was asked questions based on DSA.

  • Q1. 

    Cycle Detection in a Singly Linked List

    Determine if a given singly linked list of integers forms a cycle or not.

    A cycle in a linked list occurs when a node's next points back to a previous node in the ...

  • Ans. 

    Detect if a singly linked list forms a cycle by checking if a node's next points back to a previous node.

    • Use Floyd's Tortoise and Hare algorithm to detect a cycle in the linked list.

    • Initialize two pointers, slow and fast, and move them at different speeds to detect a cycle.

    • If there is a cycle, the fast pointer will eventually catch up to the slow pointer.

    • If the fast pointer reaches the end of the list (null), there is

  • Answered by AI
  • Q2. 

    Find the Lone Set Bit

    Your task is to identify the position of the only '1' bit in the binary representation of a given non-negative integer N. The representation contains exactly one '1' and the rest are...

  • Ans. 

    Find the position of the lone '1' bit in the binary representation of a given non-negative integer.

    • Iterate through the bits of the integer to find the position of the lone '1'.

    • Use bitwise operations to check if there is exactly one '1' bit in the binary representation.

    • Return the position of the lone '1' or -1 if there isn't exactly one '1'.

  • Answered by AI
Round 3 - Video Call 

(4 Questions)

Round duration - 30 minutes
Round difficulty - Medium

It was a technical interview round where I was asked questions based on DSA, OS, and Networking.

  • Q1. 

    Find All Pairs Adding Up to Target

    Given an array of integers ARR of length N and an integer Target, your task is to return all pairs of elements such that they add up to the Target.

    Input:

    The first line ...
  • Ans. 

    Given an array of integers and a target, find all pairs of elements that add up to the target.

    • Iterate through the array and for each element, check if the target minus the element exists in a hash set.

    • If it exists, add the pair to the result. If not, add the element to the hash set.

    • Handle cases where the same element is used twice to form a pair.

    • Return (-1, -1) if no pair is found.

  • Answered by AI
  • Q2. What is priority inversion?
  • Ans. 

    Priority inversion is a scenario in scheduling where a lower priority task holds a resource needed by a higher priority task, causing the higher priority task to wait.

    • Occurs when a low priority task locks a resource needed by a high priority task

    • Results in the high priority task being blocked and unable to proceed

    • Can lead to delays in critical tasks and impact system performance

    • Commonly addressed through priority inher

  • Answered by AI
  • Q3. What happens when you boot your system?
  • Ans. 

    During system boot, the BIOS performs Power-On Self Test (POST), loads the operating system, and initializes hardware components.

    • BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) performs Power-On Self Test (POST) to check hardware components

    • BIOS loads the bootloader from the boot device (e.g. hard drive, SSD)

    • Bootloader loads the operating system kernel into memory

    • Operating system initializes hardware components and starts system servi...

  • Answered by AI
  • Q4. What is an IP address and how many bits are required to represent it?
  • Ans. 

    An IP address is a unique numerical label assigned to each device connected to a computer network, typically represented by 32 bits.

    • An IP address is used to identify and locate devices on a network.

    • It consists of four sets of numbers separated by periods, such as 192.168.1.1.

    • IPv4 addresses are 32 bits long, while IPv6 addresses are 128 bits long.

  • Answered by AI
Round 4 - HR 

Round duration - 10 minutes
Round difficulty - Easy

This was an HR round. The interviewer asked me some questions.
Finally, she asked if I had any questions for her.

Interview Preparation Tips

Professional and academic backgroundI completed Chemical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology (BHU), Varanasi. I applied for the job as SDE - 1 in BengaluruEligibility criteriaAbove 7 CGPACisco interview preparation:Topics to prepare for the interview - Data Structures, Algorithms, OOPs, Operating Systems, DBMS, Computer NetworksTime required to prepare for the interview - 10 MonthsInterview preparation tips for other job seekers

Tip 1 : For DSA questions in interviews, start explaining from the brute force approach and then move to the optimal one. Convey your thought process to the interviewers, so that they can help you out if you get stuck. Communication skills matter a lot, and I think that is what makes the difference!
Tip 2 : Do some research about the company you are interviewing for and prepare the answers to the questions like Why should we hire you? (frame your answer in such a way that shows that your career goals align with the goals of the company), Why XYZ company?, Competitors of XYZ, etc. beforehand. Read about some latest news related to the company so that you can ask questions based upon that when the interviewer allows you to ask any question. This shows that you are genuinely interested to work for the company.
Tip 3 : Spend proper time making your resume and get it reviewed by seniors. Do not write anything that you are not confident of. Even if you write something that you don’t know, just be prepared that how you will defend it. The interviewers are much much experienced than you and they’ll catch you easily if you lie. So don’t take risks here.

Application resume tips for other job seekers

Tip 1 : Try to include at least 1 development project in your resume.
Tip 2 : Do not write anything that you are not confident of. Even if you write something that you don’t know, just be prepared that how you will defend it.

Final outcome of the interviewRejected

Skills evaluated in this interview

I applied via Company Website and was interviewed in Sep 2022. There were 2 interview rounds.

Round 1 - Resume Shortlist 
Pro Tip by AmbitionBox:
Keep your resume crisp and to the point. A recruiter looks at your resume for an average of 6 seconds, make sure to leave the best impression.
View all Resume tips
Round 2 - HR 

(3 Questions)

  • Q1. What is Python?how if state ments are used?
  • Ans. 

    Python is a high-level, interpreted programming language known for its simplicity and readability.

    • Python is used for web development, data analysis, artificial intelligence, and more.

    • It uses if statements for conditional execution of code.

    • Example: if x > 5: print('x is greater than 5')

    • Python also supports elif and else statements for more complex conditions.

  • Answered by AI
  • Q2. When the looping state ments are used? What are branching statements explain breafly?
  • Ans. 

    Looping statements are used to execute a block of code repeatedly. Branching statements alter the flow of control in a program.

    • Looping statements are used when we want to execute a block of code repeatedly until a certain condition is met.

    • Examples of looping statements include for, while, and do-while loops.

    • Branching statements are used to alter the normal flow of control in a program.

    • Examples of branching statements i...

  • Answered by AI
  • Q3. Self Introduction and Graduation details What about your skills and etc..

Interview Preparation Tips

Topics to prepare for Cisco Software Developer interview:
  • Python and Oracle
Interview preparation tips for other job seekers - Due to improve skills have passion on software.For circumstances and family issues...

Skills evaluated in this interview

I was interviewed in Aug 2021.

Round 1 - Coding Test 

(1 Question)

Round duration - 70 Minutes
Round difficulty - Medium

This was an Online Coding+MCQ round where we had a total of 50 MCQ questions and 1 coding problem. The coding problem was of easy to medium level but was a bit implementation heavy.

  • Q1. 

    Intersection of Linked List Problem

    You are provided with two singly linked lists containing integers, where both lists converge at some node belonging to a third linked list.

    Your task is to determine t...

  • Ans. 

    Find the node where two linked lists merge, return -1 if no merging occurs.

    • Traverse both lists to find their lengths and the difference in lengths

    • Move the pointer of the longer list by the difference in lengths

    • Traverse both lists simultaneously until they meet at the merging point

  • Answered by AI
Round 2 - Video Call 

(4 Questions)

Round duration - 60 Minutes
Round difficulty - Medium

The interviewer asked 1 coding problem related to Sliding Window in this round and then the rest of the questions were preety much revolving around Computer Networks and OOPS.

  • Q1. 

    Longest Substring Without Repeating Characters Problem Statement

    Given a string S of length L, determine the length of the longest substring that contains no repeating characters.

    Example:

    Input:
    "abac...
  • Ans. 

    Find the length of the longest substring without repeating characters in a given string.

    • Use a sliding window approach to keep track of the longest substring without repeating characters.

    • Use a hashmap to store the index of each character as it appears in the string.

    • Update the start index of the window when a repeating character is found.

    • Calculate the maximum length of the window as you iterate through the string.

    • Return

  • Answered by AI
  • Q2. Can you explain what DNS is?
  • Ans. 

    DNS stands for Domain Name System, which translates domain names to IP addresses.

    • DNS is like a phone book for the internet, translating human-readable domain names (like google.com) to IP addresses (like 172.217.3.206).

    • It helps users access websites by typing in easy-to-remember domain names instead of complex IP addresses.

    • DNS servers store records of domain names and their corresponding IP addresses, allowing for effi...

  • Answered by AI
  • Q3. Explain why MAC addresses are necessary even though we have IP addresses.
  • Ans. 

    MAC addresses are necessary for local network communication and are used to uniquely identify devices on a network.

    • MAC addresses are used at the data link layer of the OSI model to identify devices within the same local network.

    • IP addresses are used at the network layer to identify devices across different networks.

    • MAC addresses are hardcoded into network interface cards (NICs) and are used for communication within the...

  • Answered by AI
  • Q4. How does C++ support polymorphism?
  • Ans. 

    C++ supports polymorphism through virtual functions and inheritance.

    • C++ supports polymorphism through virtual functions and inheritance

    • Virtual functions allow a function to be overridden in a derived class

    • Base class pointers can point to derived class objects, enabling polymorphic behavior

    • Example: class Animal { virtual void makeSound() { cout << 'Animal sound'; } }; class Dog : public Animal { void makeSound() {...

  • Answered by AI
Round 3 - Video Call 

(3 Questions)

Round duration - 60 minutes
Round difficulty - Medium

This round had questions revolving around Computer Networks and Operating Systems.

Tip : Concepts related to Computer Networks is quite frequently asked in Cisco interviews . So its better to remain equipped with all the fundamental concepts. I prepared all the core subjects from my notes and for revision I would suggest the guided paths of Coding Ninjas , they are very useful for quick revision and also the questions over there are very frequently asked in interviews.

  • Q1. What is the ARP protocol?
  • Ans. 

    ARP stands for Address Resolution Protocol, used to map IP addresses to MAC addresses in a local network.

    • ARP is used to find the MAC address of a device based on its IP address

    • It operates at the data link layer of the OSI model

    • ARP requests are broadcasted to all devices on the local network

    • Example: When a device wants to communicate with another device on the same network, it uses ARP to find the MAC address of the des

  • Answered by AI
  • Q2. What are the different types of semaphores?
  • Ans. 

    Different types of semaphores include binary semaphores, counting semaphores, and mutex semaphores.

    • Binary semaphores: Can only have two states - 0 or 1. Used for mutual exclusion.

    • Counting semaphores: Can have multiple states. Used for synchronization among multiple processes.

    • Mutex semaphores: Similar to binary semaphores but with additional features like priority inheritance and deletion safety.

  • Answered by AI
  • Q3. What is thrashing in operating systems?
  • Ans. 

    Thrashing in operating systems is a situation where the system is spending more time swapping data between memory and disk than actually executing tasks.

    • Occurs when the system is overwhelmed with too many processes competing for limited resources

    • Results in a decrease in overall system performance

    • Can be alleviated by optimizing memory usage or adding more physical memory

    • Example: A system with insufficient RAM running mu

  • Answered by AI

Interview Preparation Tips

Eligibility criteriaAbove 7 CGPACisco interview preparation:Topics to prepare for the interview - Data Structures, Algorithms, System Design, Aptitude, OOPSTime required to prepare for the interview - 4 MonthsInterview preparation tips for other job seekers

Tip 1 : Must do Previously asked Interview as well as Online Test Questions.
Tip 2 : Go through all the previous interview experiences from Codestudio and Leetcode.
Tip 3 : Do at-least 2 good projects and you must know every bit of them.

Application resume tips for other job seekers

Tip 1 : Have at-least 2 good projects explained in short with all important points covered.
Tip 2 : Every skill must be mentioned.
Tip 3 : Focus on skills, projects and experiences more.

Final outcome of the interviewSelected

Skills evaluated in this interview

I was interviewed in Aug 2021.

Round 1 - Coding Test 

(1 Question)

Round duration - 90 minutes
Round difficulty - Medium

25 MCQS: Based on OS, CN, and aptitude.
1 Coding questions: Medium. I was able to solve it. The question was based on string and hashmap

  • Q1. 

    Word Break Problem Statement

    You are given a list of N strings called A. Your task is to determine whether you can form a given target string by combining one or more strings from A.

    The strings from A c...

  • Ans. 

    Given a list of strings, determine if a target string can be formed by combining one or more strings from the list.

    • Iterate through all possible combinations of strings from the list to check if they form the target string.

    • Use recursion to try different combinations of strings.

    • Optimize the solution by using memoization to store intermediate results.

    • Handle edge cases like empty input or target string.

  • Answered by AI

Interview Preparation Tips

Eligibility criteria7 CGPA , 70 percent in 10th and 12thCisco interview preparation:Topics to prepare for the interview - STACK, DP, PRIME NUMBERS (SIEVE) , BINARY SEARCH , CONTESTS ON CODECHEF, Django , React.JS , JavaScript, OS, NETWORKS (DNS , IP , OSI Model , Subnet) .Time required to prepare for the interview - 6 monthsInterview preparation tips for other job seekers

Tip 1 : Do Competitive programming on various Competitive Sites like codeforces and codechef.
Tip 2 : Do atleast 1 full stack project.
Tip 3 : Revise your core subjects concept especially the networking concepts.
Tip 4 : Try to participate in Hackathons and Technical Clubs

Application resume tips for other job seekers

Tip 1 : Mention atleast one full stack project
Tip 2 : Make your resume in one page and 2 collumn.
Tip 3 : add those skills only which you know fully.

Final outcome of the interviewSelected

Skills evaluated in this interview

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Cisco Interview FAQs

How many rounds are there in Cisco Software Developer interview?
Cisco interview process usually has 2-3 rounds. The most common rounds in the Cisco interview process are Coding Test, Technical and HR.
How to prepare for Cisco Software Developer interview?
Go through your CV in detail and study all the technologies mentioned in your CV. Prepare at least two technologies or languages in depth if you are appearing for a technical interview at Cisco. The most common topics and skills that interviewers at Cisco expect are Cisco, Computer Science, Data Structures and Algorithms, Ethernet and Linux Administration.
What are the top questions asked in Cisco Software Developer interview?

Some of the top questions asked at the Cisco Software Developer interview -

  1. When the looping state ments are used? What are branching statements explain br...read more
  2. What is Python?how if state ments are us...read more
  3. Program to convert 24hr input into AM-PM formatted out...read more
How long is the Cisco Software Developer interview process?

The duration of Cisco Software Developer interview process can vary, but typically it takes about less than 2 weeks to complete.

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Cisco Software Developer Interview Process

based on 19 interviews

4 Interview rounds

  • Coding Test Round
  • Technical Round
  • Video Call Round
  • HR Round
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Cisco Software Developer Salary
based on 346 salaries
₹9 L/yr - ₹40 L/yr
179% more than the average Software Developer Salary in India
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based on 39 reviews

4.0/5

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3.6

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4.3

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3.6

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3.8

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4.3

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3.3

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3.8

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