Cryptic Studios Software Engineer Interview Questions
& Process
Real candidates share what happened, how many rounds they had,
and how the experience turned out.
Based on 13 interview experiences · FREE TO READ
Candidate interview experiences
First-hand accounts from people who interviewed at Cryptic Studios.
Cryptic Studios
Software Engineer
Mid Average Negative experience No offer 6 rounds
Interview process
Recruiter call Technical screen Technical screen Onsite Onsite Onsite
Interview formats
Technical Technical Behavioral System Design
The interview process started with a 30-minute recruiter screen. After that, there was a 45-minute technical screen in C++. If successful, the next step involved two 45-minute technical interviews in C over Teams. Passing those led to a 45-minute team fit interview, followed by a 45-minute discussion on my processes, and finally a 45-minute systems design question. All interviews ran longer than scheduled. Except for the initial recruiter call, all other interviews were panel interviews. Some interviewers were quite intimidating, just staring without interaction, making it an uncomfortable experience, while others were very pleasant and patient. One interviewer was notably condescending.
Confirmed questions3 questions
- Could you tell me about your resume and past experience?
- Can you implement strtok such that the same string can be reused across calls?
- How would you implement malloc using a provided character array as the memory space?
Cryptic Studios
Programmer
Entry Average Positive experience Accept offer 4 rounds
Interview process
Take home Phone screen Onsite Offer
Interview formats
Coding Technical Behavioral
Cryptic had a pretty involved process. First, after some emails, there was a longish online coding test. It took me about 5.5 hours to do the two programming tasks where you actually had to submit working code, C or C++ preferred. A week later, I had a phone screening with typical programming and tech questions that needed quick answers. Then, they set up an on-site, covering travel and a nice hotel. The on-site itself was short, like 3 hours total, with 4-5 back-to-back sessions (25-30 mins each) in one room with different people. They covered whiteboard coding, game design thoughts, and some general expectation questions. I got the offer call the next day and accepted.
Confirmed questions7 questions
- The online programming questions have been available for years; is it okay to look them up?
- For an engine programmer role, how much focus is placed on performance aspects like cache optimization and CPU cycles?
- Can you explain the benefits of avoiding sqrt() in favor of multiplication?
Cryptic Studios
Software Engineer
Entry Average Positive experience No offer 4 rounds
Interview process
Take home Recruiter call Phone screen Technical screen
Interview formats
Coding Behavioral Technical
First, I had a coding test with 2 questions that needed to be done in C or C++, kind of like homework that took 3-5 hours. If you can't finish, you need more practice. A few days later, I got an email for a behavioral phone pre-screen. After that, there was a technical phone interview with 2 programmers and then 1 manager. I used C++ for the coding test, so I expected the interview to be in C++ too, or at least have a choice. But the phone interview was only in C, which I haven't used in ages. I messed up the very first question about char* strings, which was pretty awkward, but seriously, I haven't seen C syntax in a long time. They cut the interview short right there, saying I didn't have the skills.
Confirmed questions3 questions
- You can find the questions online.
- Only apply if you're really skilled in C.
- Is it true that this company exclusively uses C?
Cryptic Studios Software Engineer Interview Questions
Quoted word for word from Cryptic Studios interview reports.
“Implement the strchr() function.”
Read reports →“Can you implement strtok such that the same string can be reused across calls?”
Read reports →“Could you tell me how many bits are set to 1 in a 16-bit integer?”
Read reports →“How would you implement malloc using a provided character array as the memory space?”
Read reports →“What are the considerations for avoiding heap access unless absolutely necessary?”
Read report →“Can you explain the benefits of avoiding sqrt() in favor of multiplication?”
Read report →“Are there any C-specific tricks that are important for performance?”
Read report →“The online programming questions have been available for years; is it okay to look them up?”
Read report →“Is it true that this company exclusively uses C?”
Read report →Formats, difficulty and experience
Across all 13 Cryptic Studios interview reports.