CrackingWalnuts
Checked 3 August 2026. Meta states the overall timeline and the broad stages. Round names, counts and durations are commonly reported by candidates, not published. Source: metacareers.com/hiring-process.
| Round | Duration | What it tests |
|---|---|---|
| Phone Screen (Ninja) | 45 min | Two medium problems in 35 min plus follow-up. Same format as onsite Ninja. |
| Ninja 1 (Coding) | 45 min | Two mediums in 35 min. Pace plus correctness. Edge cases pulled by the interviewer. |
| Ninja 2 (Coding) | 45 min | Different problem space from Ninja 1. Often graphs, trees, intervals, or DP. |
| Pirate (System Design) | 45 min | One open-ended product-scale design. Numbers, data model, API, deep dive. |
| Pirate Product (for product eng) or Ninja 3 (infra eng) | 45 min | Product Architecture for product engineers. Second design for infra. |
| Jedi (Behavioral) | 45 min | Five signals. Stories with specifics. Carries enough weight to down-level on its own. |
E5 is Meta's career level. Most senior engineers in big tech target this.
Targeted guidance per round in this loop. Each section links to the matching track on the site. There is no shortcut list, the bar moves loop to loop, so build the pattern recognition and the stories from real practice.
Work the pattern templates until the recognition is instant. Trace one mock problem per pattern. Practice stating time and space complexity out loud before you write code.
Meta E5 (Senior Software Engineer) has one design round: Pirate (System Design) (45 min): One open-ended product-scale design. Numbers, data model, API, deep dive.. Bar is owning a non-trivial design end to end, with capacity numbers, a clear data model, and one deep dive you can defend under push-back. Pick problems from the track at the scale this loop tests and rehearse the structure: requirements, numbers, high-level design, data model, API, deep dive on one part, trade-offs.
Senior bar. The rubric shifts from execution to ownership at scope, judgment, cross-functional impact, and being calibrated on what is hard. Every story needs alternatives considered and what you would do differently. Meta's framework (Move Fast, Build Awesome Things, Focus on Long-Term Impact, Live in the Future) is what stories should map to.