Databricks Interview Questions & Process (2026)
672 real interview questions across 5 Databricks roles, with the round-by-round process and how to prepare. Databricks is notorious for one of the hardest pure-coding bars in the industry: phone screens and onsite coding rounds regularly use LeetCode-hard problems demanding fully working, tested code, followed by deep distributed-systems design given its Spark heritage. The Bengaluru R&D office holds the same bar as San Francisco, and many strong candidates fail on speed-to-correct-code.
Roles covered
5
pick yours below
Questions
672
across all roles
Rounds
6
typical loop
Prep
Free
with AI mocks
Choose your role at Databricks
Databricks's interview process
- 1Recruiter Screen30 min
Role calibration and an honest preview of the coding difficulty; sets expectations for the loop.
- 2Coding Phone Screen60 min
One LeetCode hard-leaning problem to complete, working code with edge cases handled - interviewer runs the code mentally or literally.
- 3Onsite Coding I & II60 min
Two more hard implementation rounds; problems often disguise systems concepts (LRU variants, schedulers, query planners) requiring airtight code.
- 4Distributed System Design60 min
Design a data-infrastructure system (distributed query engine, job scheduler, storage layer) with deep follow-ups on failure modes and data layout.
- 5SQL & Data Engineering Round60 min
For data/field roles: Spark/SQL optimization, partitioning strategy and pipeline debugging on realistic lakehouse scenarios.
- 6Hiring Manager Round45 min
Project deep-dive doubling as the behavioral round - motivation, ownership, and technical judgment interrogated through your past work.
Frequently asked questions
What is the interview process at Databricks?
Databricks typically runs about 6 rounds: Recruiter Screen → Coding Phone Screen → Onsite Coding I & II → Distributed System Design → SQL & Data Engineering Round → Hiring Manager Round.
Which roles can I prepare for at Databricks?
We have dedicated interview-question sets for 5 Databricks roles: Qa Automation Engineer Sdet, Analytics Engineer, Big Data Engineer, Data Analyst, Data Engineer.
What is the interview process at Databricks?
The Databricks interview process typically runs: Recruiter screen -> technical screen -> onsite (coding, distributed-systems/data design, domain depth, behavioral). Prepare for each round in order rather than only the first — the later stages usually carry the most weight.
How hard is the Databricks interview?
Databricks interviews are rated very high difficulty. The bar is highest on data engineering & distributed systems — go deep there and practise explaining your reasoning out loud.
What does Databricks look for in candidates?
Databricks focuses on Data engineering & distributed systems, Spark/lakehouse depth, coding. Culturally, it values Customer obsession, raise the bar, truth-seeking, ownership. Line up your examples to hit both the technical bar and these values.
Compiled by PrepNPlaced from interview reports and question banks for Databricks. Updated 2026.