CrackingWalnuts
Checked 3 August 2026. NVIDIA does not publish its interview structure. Everything on this page is commonly reported by candidates, so treat it as a guide rather than a specification.
| Round | Duration | What it tests |
|---|---|---|
| Recruiter Screen | 30 min | Background, target team, basic logistics. |
| Technical Phone Screen | 60 min | One algorithm or data structure problem. Language flexible but C++ favored. |
| Coding Round 1 | 60 min | Medium algorithm or systems problem. Performance awareness probed. |
| Coding Round 2 | 60 min | Different problem space. |
| Domain or Technical Discussion | 60 min | Team-specific tech (CUDA basics, OS internals, ML if applicable). |
| Hiring Manager | 45 min | Team fit, motivation, project discussion. |
IC1 is the entry-level engineering role. Targeted at new grads and engineers with less than 2 years of experience.
The bar is "writes correct code, knows the basics of the team's tech stack, ramps up under guidance". NVIDIA is a systems and hardware company, not an AI lab, so even at entry level the loop leans toward correctness under performance constraints rather than research framing.
You are judged on whether you can write real, compiling code and reason about why it is slow or fast.
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.
NVIDIA IC1 (Software Engineer, Entry) has one design round: Domain or Technical Discussion (60 min): Team-specific tech (CUDA basics, OS internals, ML if applicable).. Bar is structure and clarity. Walk through requirements, a simple design, and at least one well-reasoned trade-off. 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.
Fresher / new-grad bar. Build 4-6 strong stories from internships, capstone projects, hackathons, or side work. Lead with a clean 90-second career story, one project you owned end to end, and one failure you can defend honestly.