Apple Data Engineer (Staff Level) Interview Preparation Guide 2025
Data Engineer
Apple
Staff
7 rounds
Updated 11/22/2025
Apple's Staff Data Engineer interview consists of a recruiter screening call, followed by a technical phone screen, and then 4-5 onsite interview rounds conducted over multiple days. The process evaluates both technical depth in distributed data systems, advanced SQL, and data architecture design, as well as leadership capabilities, mentoring potential, and cultural alignment with Apple's values. For Staff level, expect emphasis on complex system design decisions, technical strategy, and cross-functional influence.
Interview Rounds
1
Recruiter Screening
20 min3 focus topicsculture fit
2
Technical Phone Screen
60 min5 focus topicstechnical
3
Onsite Round 1: Data Pipeline Architecture and ETL Design
90 min6 focus topicstechnical
4
Onsite Round 2: System Design for Distributed Data Architectures
90 min6 focus topicssystem design
5
Onsite Round 3: Advanced SQL and Database Performance Optimization
60 min6 focus topicstechnical
6
Onsite Round 4: Technical Leadership and Mentorship
60 min6 focus topicsbehavioral
7
Onsite Round 5: Behavioral Interview and Cultural Fit
50 min6 focus topicsbehavioral
Additional Information