2020–2027 Figma SWE Intern OA / Interviews: 25 Experiences

(Sadge that Figma seems to have just switched to CoderPad in August 2026, so there isn’t much info on the new process yet (..)

Coverage: Software Engineer Intern and SWE Intern roles, primarily in the United States; OA, final-round, and current interview-process reports published from 2020 through September 2026, covering recruiting cycles through Winter 2027.

1. Winter 2027 brought CoderPad. One applicant explicitly confirmed the switch from Byteboard to CoderPad, with another mentioning a 90-minute limit.
2. The old OA mixed design with implementation. Candidates consistently reported reading or commenting on a technical design document, then writing related code in a mock or existing codebase.
3. The new CoderPad format is still shifting. One candidate ran into an AI-assisted solution design task with zero standard coding questions. Another who moved on to next round described it as multiple-choice questions (MCQs) plus problem-solving.
4. Written reasoning counts. Both accepted and rejected candidates mentioned that comments, recommendations, baseline assumptions, notes on unfinished work, and the quality of their design-doc critique.

25 Candidate Reports (Newest to Oldest)

• 01. Sep 2026 | Winter 2027 | SWE Intern | Result: Advanced
  CoderPad had MCQs and problem-solving. Moved on to interviews, but didn't share specific topics, language, or AI rules.
• 02. Sep 2026 | Winter 2027 | SWE Intern | Result: In Process
  Skipped OA entirely. Got two back-to-back interviews: AI-assisted debugging in an existing TypeScript codebase, followed by DSA.
• 03. Sep 2026 | Winter 2027 | SWE Intern | Result: In Process
  Waiting over 10 business days after finishing CoderPad (Figma's stated turnaround). A re-applicant who failed the Summer 2026 OA.
• 04. Sep 2026 | Winter 2027 | SWE Intern
  Received a 90-minute CoderPad OA invite. No details shared on the questions.
• 05. Aug 2026 | Winter 2027 | SWE Intern | Result: Not Disclosed
  Confirmed Figma moved from Byteboard to CoderPad. Task: design a solution and use built-in AI to code it. Thought it was manageable and distinct from regular LeetCode.
• 06. May 2026 | Summer 2026 | SWE Intern | Result: Rejected
  Passed resume review, failed Byteboard. Recruiter encouraged them to reapply next cycle.
• 07. Nov 2025 | Summer 2026 | SWE Intern | Result: Advanced
  Finished all 3 steps. Waited ~10 days for the final round invite.
• 08. Nov 2025 | Summer 2026 | SWE Intern | Result: Rejected
  Finished 2/3 steps. Felt their comments were decent, but their design doc section was weak. Submitted Tuesday night, rejected Friday morning.
• 09. Nov 2025 | Summer 2026 | SWE Intern | Result: Not Disclosed
  Finished 2/3 steps, used the optional text box to explain the last step. Instructions noted candidates weren't expected to finish everything.
• 10. Sep–Oct 2025 | New York | SWE Intern | Result: No Offer
  Two close NY reports combined: a 90-minute Byteboard (30m design, 60m code) and a fake PM response task with a mock project.
• 11. 2025 Cycle | Summer 2026 | SWE Intern
  Completed a Byteboard OA for Summer 2026. Confirmed it wasn't standard LeetCode.
• 12. Sep 2024 | SWE Intern | Result: Advanced to Finals
  Functions were straightforward, but finishing the design doc section on time was brutal. Hinted at reviewing process scheduling.
• 13. Sep–Nov 2024 | 2025 Cycle | SWE Intern
  Byteboard felt like building actual product features. Reasonable scope, but time was tight.
• 14. Apr 2024 (2023 Cycle) | New York | SWE Intern | Result: Offer
  Applied early Sept, heard back in 1–2 weeks, got the offer in early October after Byteboard and 3 final rounds. Felt like real-world codebase work.
• 15. Oct 2023 | San Francisco | SWE Intern | Result: Offer
  2-hour Byteboard split into design doc comments/suggestions and feature coding. Onsite had 1 behavioral and 2 technical rounds.
• 16. Sep 2023 | SWE Intern | Result: No Offer
  Full loop took about 3 weeks: Byteboard -> recruiter check-in -> 2 technical and 1 behavioral interview.
• 17. Jul 2023 | Atlanta | SWE Intern | Result: No Offer
  Met recruiters at a campus event, got an OA. Described it as creative, testing data structures, iterative logic, and code efficiency.
• 18. Oct 2022 | SWE Intern | Result: No Offer
  Onsite report: 2 technical interviews (tree BFS, recursion) + 1 behavioral. Didn't finish either coding problem.
• 19. Aug–Sep 2022 | SWE Intern | Result: Advanced
  Applied cold, got Byteboard 10 days later, heard back in 8 days, finals scheduled 3 days after that. Wrote clean code, an O(\log n) binary search, and extensive comments.
• 20. Oct 2021 | SWE Intern | Result: No Offer
  Byteboard followed by 1 design round, 2 coding rounds, and a 30-minute values chat. Involves building a class structure and specific helper functions.
• 21. Jan 2021 | SWE Intern | Result: No Offer
  115-minute Byteboard mixing writing and coding. Given a fake scenario to design and partially implement.
• 22. Jan 2021 | San Francisco | SWE Intern | Result: No Offer
  Byteboard first, followed by finals (2 coding, 1 design). Mentioned tasks involving search-result highlighting and file organization.
• 23. Oct 2020 | SWE Intern | Result: No Offer
  Started with an OA, moved to a virtual onsite (2 technical, 1 system design).
• 24. Sep 2020 | SWE Intern | Result: No Offer
  Byteboard (design doc comments + coding functions) followed by a loop of 2 technical, 1 system design, and 1 behavioral interview.
• 25. Sep 2020 | SWE Intern | Result: No Offer
  Passed Byteboard, then faced an onsite with 2 technical and 1 system design rounds using standard data structures in a Figma-like style.

sources: from anywhere useful figma intern oa info could be found online~