MaxLinear Systems Engineer Interview Questions
& Process
Real candidates share what happened, how many rounds they had,
and how the experience turned out.
Based on 6 interview experiences · FREE TO READ
Candidate interview experiences
First-hand accounts from people who interviewed at MaxLinear.
MaxLinear
Senior Systems Engineer
Senior Average Neutral experience No offer 2 rounds
Interview process
Technical screen Technical screen
Interview formats
Technical Technical
There was a 1hr exam covering Transmission lines, s parameters, and analog/digital circuits. Then, a 45min interview with questions on Instrumentation and test equipments, PID controllers, project details, and op-amp specs (SNR, slew rate, noise, 3db bandwidth).
Confirmed questions3 questions
- Operating knowledge of CRO
- High speed signal conditioning circuits
- PID
MaxLinear
Power Systems Engineer
Entry Difficult Positive experience No offer 3 rounds
Interview process
Recruiter call Phone screen Onsite
Interview formats
Technical Behavioral
Started with a phone interview with the IC design group where they talked about system engineer roles and I decided that was for me. About two weeks later, I spoke with the manager of power systems engineering. I talked about my power IC design background and asked for a spot in his group. The onsite interviews were pretty much all technical, with hardly any behavioral questions. The company seems to have a solid business plan and folks didn't seem to be overloaded with work.
Confirmed questions8 questions
- Regarding a buck converter, what's a common phase margin setting for balancing response time and stability?
- If you need to set maximum offset to +/- 1mV and your measurement system has a max error of 100uV, what should the test limits (guard bands) be?
- For a buck converter, what's the recommended separation between the switching frequency and the loop crossover frequency?
MaxLinear
Wireless Systems Engineer
Mid Difficult Neutral experience No offer 4 rounds
Interview process
Recruiter call Phone screen
Interview formats
Technical Behavioral
I applied online on the company website, and then they sent me an email to set up phone calls. There were a few phone screening calls over a couple of weeks with the hiring manager and other department managers. The main goal was to see how I thought through problems, and they emphasized making sure I understood the questions before I answered them.
Confirmed questions3 questions
- Can you explain NF?
- What do you know about Compression?
- Describe IM3.
MaxLinear Systems Engineer Interview Questions
Quoted word for word from MaxLinear interview reports.
“What's the reason for phase node overshoot when the high-side switch in a buck converter activates?”
Read reports →“What is the NF and return loss?”
Read reports →“For a buck converter, what's the recommended separation between the switching frequency and the loop crossover frequency?”
Read reports →“When an I2C bus is functioning correctly, what could cause a NAK response?”
Read reports →“If you need to set maximum offset to +/- 1mV and your measurement system has a max error of 100uV, what should the test limits (guard bands) be?”
Read report →“As the switching frequency goes up, which circuit issues tend to improve and which ones tend to worsen?”
Read report →“Regarding a buck converter, what's a common phase margin setting for balancing response time and stability?”
Read report →“Could you explain the issues that arise when using ceramic capacitors in the output filter of a converter?”
Read report →“Describe IM3.”
Read report →Formats, difficulty and experience
Across all 6 MaxLinear interview reports.