LeetCode Question · Feb 2025 · Hyderabad

Apple Interview Experience | L4 | SDE 2 | Hyderabad

Eng Manager Phone Screen Mid
19 upvotes 1,314 views 12 replies

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Apple Interview Experience - Java Backend Engineer I recently interviewed for a Java Backend Engineer role at Apple. Here\u2019s a detailed breakdown of my experience.

Round 1 Java, Spring Boot, and Coding Java...

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Apple Interview Experience - Java Backend Engineer

I recently interviewed for a Java Backend Engineer role at Apple. Here\u2019s a detailed breakdown of my experience.

**

Round 1 Java, Spring Boot, and Coding**

Java Fundamentals

  • Why is Java platform-independent?

  • Which languages are platform-dependent, and why?

  • Difference between ArrayList and Map

  • Why can\u2019t we use a Map for all purposes?

  • Difference between Map and Set

  • What is inheritance? Types of inheritance with examples.

  • What is the static keyword? Where do we use it? Provide an example from your project.

Spring Boot Questions

  • Why are Beans used in Spring?
  • What is the difference between Java and Spring?
  • Why do we use Spring?
  • Spring Boot Annotations: Explain a few commonly used @Annotations with examples.

Coding Questions
(For each, I provided two solutions and coded one when asked.)

  • Merge two sorted arrays
  • Find the Top K frequent elements
  • Find the Longest Common Prefix
  • Maximum number of trains that can be stopped at a stationProblem Statement:
    \t Given n platforms and two main railway tracks (for both directions).
    \t Each train has three values:

\t Arrival Time
\t Departure Time
\t Required Platform Number
\t
\tSome trains stop at the station (require platforms), while others pass through the main tracks.
\tObjective: Find the maximum number of trains that can be accommodated for stoppage.

**

Round 2 Spring Boot, Multithreading, and System Design**

Spring Boot Basics

  • Where does Spring Boot run? Where does Node.js run?

  • Which file is used to download dependencies?

  • Other than Maven, what dependency management tools are available?

  • Additional Spring Boot questions (not remembered in detail).

Multithreading Question

Countdown Timer Implementation

Given a file containing a time value in the format H:M:S, implement a countdown timer from that value to 00:00:00.
The file may contain:

Only H (Hours)
Only M (Minutes)
Only S (Seconds)

Ensure the timer displays in HH:MM:SS format and updates every second.

System Design Question

Scenario: You are the network lead for "Women Who Code" and need to circulate a form with a subscription fee.

The form is accessed by billions of people.
Design a robust system to handle wide-scale usage.

Final Thoughts

The interviewers were engaging and focused on real-world problem-solving.

Expect deep dives into Java fundamentals and Spring Boot.

System design is more about scalability and handling large-scale users effectively.

If you are preparing, focus on Java, Spring Boot, Multithreading, and System Design.

Hope this helps! Feel free to ask any questions. \uD83D\uDE0A

About This Question

This is a reported interview question from a apple interview for a eng manager role (mid level) during the phone screen round reported in 2025.

It covers the following topics: Arrays, System Design, Dynamic Programming, Heap .