CommonLit Interview Questions
& Process
Real candidates share what happened, how many rounds they had,
and how the experience turned out.
Based on 14 interview experiences · FREE TO READ
Which role are you interviewing for?
7 roles · 14 reportsCandidate interview experiences
First-hand accounts from people who interviewed at CommonLit.
CommonLit
Finance and Accounting Coordinator
Entry Easy Positive experience No offer 3 rounds
Interview process
Recruiter call Take home Onsite
Interview formats
Behavioral Technical
The interview process was pretty smooth and fast. It started with an HR chat, then there was a performance task where I had a week to finish it. The task's questions and scenarios felt like they were asking for free consulting on how to make their process better. The last interview was with the VP and HR.
Confirmed questions2 questions
- What makes you want to join CommonLit?
- Can you describe your past experience and background?
CommonLit
UX Designer
Mid Average Negative experience No offer 3 rounds
Interview process
Recruiter call Take home Onsite
Interview formats
Technical Coding Presentation
The interview process involved a 30 minute video call, a take-home design challenge, and a final cross-departmental interview. The initial video call was pretty standard, and the interviewer was nice. However, the take-home challenge prompt was based on a real problem they were facing, which felt like they were using candidates for free design work. They said the challenge should take 1-2 hours, but with all the constraints, there wasn't much room for creativity. Also, they weren't upfront about the salary range. They initially mentioned 75-100k in the first interview, but after I submitted the take-home challenge, they dropped it by 15k, claiming I lacked experience, even though I'd already discussed that. I was really excited about CommonLit's mission, so this whole process was disappointing. I hope they rethink their design hiring process.
Confirmed questions1 question
- How would you help students who forgot their login credentials get back into their accounts to join a new class?
CommonLit
Senior Software Engineer
Senior Easy Negative experience No offer 2 rounds
Interview process
Recruiter call Technical screen
Interview formats
Behavioral Technical Coding
After applying on LinkedIn, I had a 30-minute initial interview with a recruiter a couple of weeks later where they asked about my background and past projects. I passed that and moved to a second round of interviews. I thought I did really well and would pass for sure, but surprisingly I got rejected. I asked for feedback on why but never heard back, which felt pretty dismissive. I'd seen some bad reviews beforehand but decided to go anyway, and unfortunately, it was a bad experience for me too. I'm confused why I was rejected after what felt like a good interview and it's frustrating to feel like my time was wasted if they weren't planning to hire anyone.
Confirmed questions1 question
- Given an application name, how would you build it in Ruby on Rails from start to finish, detailing column structure and model relationships?
CommonLit
Curriculum Writer
Entry Average Negative experience No offer 2 rounds
Interview process
Technical screen Take home
Interview formats
Technical Other
The interview process didn't involve HR or a recruiter, only the direct supervisor, who seemed inexperienced with hiring. There were two interview rounds, followed by a lengthy performance task. After submitting the task, I heard nothing back. A follow-up email a week later was ignored, and attempts to contact the listed contact person for questions resulted in bounced emails because they no longer worked there. It was a very unprofessional experience, likely due to their rapid expansion.
Confirmed questions1 question
- Could you describe your experience with writing ELA curriculum materials?
CommonLit Interview Questions
Quoted word for word from CommonLit interview reports.
“How would you help students who forgot their login credentials get back into their accounts to join a new class?”
Read reports →“Given an application name, how would you build it in Ruby on Rails from start to finish, detailing column structure and model relationships?”
Read reports →“What brought you to CommonLit?”
Read reports →“How do you make sure you stay on schedule when working remotely?”
Read reports →“What makes you want to join CommonLit?”
Read report →“What are your methods for staying organized?”
Read report →“Could you describe your experience with writing ELA curriculum materials?”
Read report →“What would your former manager say about you?”
Read report →“Can you describe a unit you planned, your process for doing so, its outcome, and how you evaluated its success?”
Read report →Formats, difficulty and experience
Across all 14 CommonLit interview reports.