Senior Data Engineer at Apple: Comprehensive Interview Preparation Guide
Data Engineer
Apple
Senior
8 rounds
Updated 11/22/2025
Apple's Data Engineer interview process for senior-level candidates is rigorous and multi-staged, consisting of 8 rounds designed to assess technical depth, system design expertise, and cultural alignment. The process begins with recruiter screening, progresses through manager and technical phone screens, and culminates in 5 onsite rounds covering database design, ETL architecture, distributed systems, advanced SQL, and behavioral competencies. The process emphasizes Apple's privacy-first philosophy, handling of exabyte-scale data workflows, and cross-functional collaboration in designing scalable data ecosystems.
Interview Rounds
1
Recruiter Screening
30 min4 focus topicsculture fit
2
Hiring Manager Interview
45 min5 focus topicsbehavioral
3
Technical Phone Screen
60 min4 focus topicstechnical
4
Onsite Interview 1: Database Design and Data Modeling
60 min4 focus topicssystem design
5
Onsite Interview 2: ETL Pipeline and Data Ingestion Design
60 min5 focus topicssystem design
6
Onsite Interview 3: Distributed Systems and Data Infrastructure Design
60 min5 focus topicssystem design
7
Onsite Interview 4: Advanced SQL and Data Quality Engineering
60 min4 focus topicstechnical
8
Onsite Interview 5: Behavioral and Leadership
60 min5 focus topicsbehavioral
Additional Information