Cisco Software Engineer Onsite Coding Questions
45+ questions from real Cisco Software Engineer Onsite Coding rounds, reported by candidates who interviewed there.
What does the Cisco Onsite Coding round test?
The Cisco onsite coding round is the core technical evaluation. Software Engineer candidates typically see 2-3 algorithm and data structure problems. Problems range from medium to hard difficulty, and interviewers evaluate both correctness and code quality.
Top Topics in This Round
Cisco Software Engineer Onsite Coding Questions
FizzBuzz Problem
### Problem Overview - Given an integer N, print one line per i from 1 to N: Fizz, Buzz, FizzBuzz, or i based on divisibility by 3 and 5. - Input: integer inputNum (N); Output: line-separated values f
Given a string, find the longest palindromic substring. The input is a string consisting of uppercase letters, and the output is the longest palindromic substring. If there are multiple substrings of
CISCO on campus placement written test
There were 15 MCQs which included around 4 https code(2xx or 3xx or 4xx or 5xx) related questions, some aptitude type questions and some computer science basics. Test also included 2...
#20 Valid Parentheses
LeetCode #20: Valid Parentheses. Difficulty: Easy. Topics: String, Stack. Asked at Cisco in the last 6 months.
Flight Path Package Drop
A pilot needs to fly over a 2D terrain exactly once and cover as many drop points as possible. Each drop point is represented by a 2D coordinate. The flight path can only be horizontal or vertical. Wr
Collect Coins
A player has to collect coins from various locations. The city is represented as a tree with `n` vertices labelled from `0` to `n-1`. There is an array called `coins` of size `n` where `coins[i]` is e
Delete Nodes Greater Than X
Given a singly linked list and an integer, `x`, remove nodes greater than `x`. Example: List = 100 → 105 → 50 `x` = 100 List becomes 100 → 50 Return a reference to the root node of the list af
### Problem Overview - Count how many integers less than or equal to X have digits that add up to Y. - Input: X (first line) and Y (second line); Output: the count, or -1 if none. - Number theory cont
There is a set of N jars containing chocolates. Some of them may be empty. Determine the maximum number of chocolates Andrew can pick from the jars given that he cannot pick from jars next to each oth
Given a matrix, find the largest number in each row and the smallest number in each column that is not 1. The input consists of two space-separated lists of numbers, where the first list represents th
Given a list of integers, find the mean and mode of the numbers. The input consists of an integer N, representing the length of the list followed by N integers. The output should be the mean and mode,
Digit Sum Count
Given two integers a and b, output the count of numbers less than or equal to a whose digit sum equals b. For example, if a=20 and b=5, the numbers 5 and 14 satisfy the condition, so the output is 2.
House Robber Problem
House Robber Problem: You are given an array representing the amount of money of each house, determine the maximum amount of money you can rob without robbing two adjacent houses. ### Sample Input ``
Determine if the given latitude and longitude are valid. A valid longitude is between -180 and 180, and a valid latitude is between -90 and 90. The input consists of two floating-point numbers represe
Write a function to find an element in a matrix that is the largest in its row and smallest in its column. Input: The first line of input consists of two space-separated integers: matrix_row and matr
House Robber
You are a professional robber planning to rob houses along a street. Each house has a certain amount of cash stamped as a non-negative integer array `nums`, but you cannot rob two adjacent houses. Ca
Max Difference in Array
Given an integer array `arr`, find the two numbers such that the second number appears after the first one and their difference is as large as possible. Return the maximum difference. If no such pair
### Problem Overview - Find the largest sum of any contiguous subarray from a list of integers (positive and negative). - Input: first line N, second line N space-separated integers; Output: one integ
### Problem Overview - Determine the number of coordinates in a single flight path that covers the maximum drop points. - Input is an N×N terrain grid with drop points (1 < N = M ≤ 700); output a sing
Compact the List
### Problem Overview - Given a sorted, duplicate-free integer list, compact consecutive numbers into range strings; if no ranges, return each number as a string. - Input: N, then N space-separated in
What to Expect in the Cisco Onsite Coding Round
The Cisco Software Engineer Onsite Coding round has a specific calibration purpose distinct from other rounds in the loop. Across 45+ verified reports on LeakCode for this exact round type, the consistent expectations: clear scoping of the problem before diving into a solution, explicit reasoning about complexity, structured handling of edge cases, and the ability to discuss trade-offs between two reasonable approaches.
Reports tagged with the Onsite Coding round at Cisco show recurring patterns in difficulty and topic distribution. The Onsite Coding round is typically 45-60 minutes; the interviewer is calibrated against a specific rubric. The discriminator between candidates who advance and candidates who do not is rarely the final correctness of the answer. It is the path: did you clarify, did you verbalize your approach, did you handle edge cases, and did you communicate throughout.
How To Prepare for This Specific Round
Filter the questions below to the most recent reports (past 6-12 months). Questions tagged for this exact round type from this exact company at this exact role level are the highest-signal data available. Older reports may reference questions that have since rotated out of the company's pool.
Practice 4-6 representative problems from this set under timed conditions. The goal is not memorization (companies rotate questions); the goal is to internalize the patterns the interviewer typically reaches for and the depth of follow-up to expect. Reports on LeakCode also tag the typical follow-up depth at this round type, which is the discriminating signal between hire and no-hire calibration.
Onsite Coding Round Timing and Format
The Onsite Coding round at Cisco typically runs 45-60 minutes. Use the first 2-3 minutes to clarify requirements; you should never start coding or designing without verifying the input/output format, constraints, and edge cases out loud. Use the next 5-7 minutes to verbalize your approach before writing any code. The middle 20-30 minutes are implementation. Reserve the final 10 minutes for testing with concrete examples and discussing optimization or trade-offs.
Time budget discipline is one of the most reliable senior-vs-junior discriminators in this round. Strong candidates verbalize where they are in their budget out loud ("I've used about 20 minutes, I have 15 minutes left for testing and one optimization"). This signals engineering maturity to the interviewer and creates positive feedback they can capture in writing.
Common Failure Modes in This Round
Reports tagged "no hire" at Cisco Software Engineer Onsite Coding commonly cite: coding silently without verbalizing approach, jumping to implementation before clarifying requirements, missing edge cases (empty input, single element, very large input), producing working code that the candidate cannot refactor when asked, and failing to test their solution with concrete examples before declaring done.
The single most predictive failure mode in 2025-2026 reports: not asking clarifying questions. Interviewers at all FAANG companies are explicitly trained to weight this dimension. Strong candidates ask 3-5 clarifying questions even on problems that look obvious; weak candidates dive into code immediately. The clarifying-question check is often the first signal recorded in the interviewer's notes.
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