theloop
CompaniesRoundsQuestionsSearchProgress
theloop

Interview questions from top companies, mapped to the exact round they show up in. Prep for what you will actually face.

View source

Browse

CompaniesSearchAll rounds

Rounds

Online AssessmentDSA / CodingMachine CodingLow-Level Design

Contribute

Share an interviewReport an issueStar on GitHub

The Loop aggregates publicly shared interview experiences and curated commonly-asked questions, each labeled with its source. Not affiliated with any company listed.

CC BY-NC 4.0 · © 2026

← Mercury

New Grad / Junior Backend at Mercury

BackendNew Grad / JuniorRejected◆ Commonly asked· 2024

A junior backend loop. Pragmatic questions — more real-world than pure puzzles.

The loop · 5 rounds

01

Round 01 · 1 question

Online Assessment

Timed online coding / aptitude screen, usually the first filter.

  • Simulate a simplified card game and score it.
    New Grad / JuniorMedium◆ Commonly asked
    #simulation
    PracticeGeeksforGeeks↗Search↗
02

Round 02 · 3 questions

DSA / Coding

Data structures & algorithms on a whiteboard or shared editor.

  • Merge k sorted lists.
    New Grad / JuniorHard◆ Commonly asked
    #heap#linked-list
    PracticeLeetCode↗GeeksforGeeks↗
  • Maximum subarray (Kadane).
    New Grad / JuniorMedium◆ Commonly asked
    #array#dp
    PracticeLeetCode↗GeeksforGeeks↗
  • Top K frequent elements.
    New Grad / JuniorMedium◆ Commonly asked
    #heap#hashmap
    PracticeLeetCode↗GeeksforGeeks↗
03

Round 03 · 2 questions

Machine Coding

Build a working component or service under time pressure.

  • Implement a leaderboard API backed by a sorted set.
    New Grad / JuniorMedium◆ Commonly asked
    #redis#ranking
    PracticeGeeksforGeeks↗Search↗
  • Implement a job queue with retries and backoff.
    New Grad / JuniorHard◆ Commonly asked
    #queue#reliability
    PracticeGeeksforGeeks↗Search↗
04

Round 04 · 3 questions

Tech Deep-Dive

Deep questions on your core stack and fundamentals.

  • Explain JWT structure and common pitfalls.
    New Grad / JuniorMedium◆ Commonly asked
    #auth#security
    PracticeGeeksforGeeks↗Search↗
  • ACID vs BASE and transaction isolation levels.
    New Grad / JuniorHard◆ Commonly asked
    #databases#transactions
    PracticeGeeksforGeeks↗Search↗
  • Explain connection pooling and why it matters.
    New Grad / JuniorMedium◆ Commonly asked
    #databases
    PracticeGeeksforGeeks↗Search↗
05

Round 05 · 2 questions

Behavioral / HR

Values, collaboration, and past-experience (STAR) questions.

  • Describe a conflict with your manager and the outcome.
    New Grad / Junior◆ Commonly asked
    #conflict#star
  • Tell me about the most impactful project of your career.
    New Grad / Junior◆ Commonly asked
    #impact#star

◆ This experience is composed from commonly reported questions for this role and level. Real, individually-shared interviews will be layered in over time.