Cisco interview questions

Showing 1–12 of 12 results

• Describe How You Drove an Improvement to a Team's QA WorkflowEasy

  A behavioral question for a software QA role asking how the candidate drives improvements to a team's testing and release workflow. It looks for a concrete, evidence-based example that shows root-cause diagnosis, a piloted change, stakeholder buy-in, and measured results.

  CiscoSoftware EngineerBehavioral & LeadershipOnsite
• Does a Successful Ping Mean Port 443 Is Reachable? Diagnosing Server ConnectivityEasy

  A networking fundamentals question asking whether a successful ping to a server proves that port 443 on it is accessible, and how to check the port directly. It tests the difference between ICMP and TCP, the role of firewalls and listening services, and practical connectivity troubleshooting with command-line tools.

  CiscoSoftware EngineerSoftware Engineering FundamentalsOnsite
• Explain BGP: Sessions, Route Exchange, and Best-Path SelectionEasy

  A networking fundamentals question asking the candidate to explain the Border Gateway Protocol: why it exists, how peers form sessions and exchange routes, how a router selects the best path, and how BGP differs from interior protocols such as OSPF. It also probes troubleshooting and testing.

  CiscoSoftware EngineerSoftware Engineering FundamentalsOnsite
• Formalize a Minimum-Trip Transport Puzzle with Horses and LaddersHard

  Model a horses-and-ladders transport puzzle by clarifying legal moves, tracking resource state, and proving a minimum-trip plan is optimal.

  CiscoSoftware EngineerStatistics & MathTechnical Screen
• Implement a Python To-Do Task Manager Class with CRUD and Status RulesEasy

  A Python coding question asking for a to-do task manager class with create, read, update, and delete operations, where every task has a status of new, pending, or resolved. It tests data modeling, input validation, status transition rules, error handling for missing tasks, and testable class design.

  CiscoSoftware EngineerSoftware Engineering FundamentalsOnsite
• Implement an LFU CacheHard

  This problem tests your ability to design a data structure that supports O(1) insertions and lookups while managing cache eviction based on access frequency and recency.

  CiscoSoftware EngineerCoding & AlgorithmsTechnical Screen
• Longest Substring Without Repeated CharactersEasy

  This problem tests string manipulation, hash map usage, and the sliding window technique to find a specific substring based on unique character constraints.

  CiscoSoftware EngineerCoding & AlgorithmsTechnical Screen
• Python Multiple Inheritance: Which Parent Method Runs When Names CollideEasy

  A Python fundamentals question about multiple inheritance in which two parent classes define a method with the same name and a child class inherits from both. It tests the method resolution order, C3 linearization, how super() follows that order, and when composition is the better design.

  CiscoSoftware EngineerSoftware Engineering FundamentalsOnsite
• Python and pytest Fundamentals: Fixtures, Decorators, and GeneratorsEasy

  A three-part Python and pytest fundamentals question covering how fixtures are injected, scoped, torn down, and shared; how decorators work and how to write one that preserves metadata; and how generators produce values lazily. It tests core language mechanics used in test automation.

  CiscoSoftware EngineerSoftware Engineering FundamentalsOnsite
• Reason About C Pointer and Array DeclarationsEasy

  This question tests the ability to parse complex C declarations and understand memory layout, pointer arithmetic, and the differences between pointers and arrays.

  CiscoSoftware EngineerSoftware Engineering FundamentalsTechnical Screen
• Solve max-subarray, min-unique, and grid-jumpMedium

  This question evaluates array algorithms and algorithmic problem-solving skills, specifically contiguous-sum optimization (greedy/DP reasoning), frequency counting and memory-constrained selection for unique minima, and grid traversal simulation with boundary and visit-state management.

  CiscoSoftware EngineerCoding & AlgorithmsOnline Assessment
• Testing a New Feature: Planning Test Cases and Handling Flaky TestsEasy

  A two-part QA question on how to test a new feature and plan its test cases, and how to find, diagnose, and prevent flaky automated tests. It evaluates requirement analysis, test design techniques, risk-based prioritization, test levels, release exit criteria, and keeping a test suite trustworthy.

  CiscoSoftware EngineerSoftware Engineering FundamentalsOnsite