Software Engineer applicants have rated the interview process at Toptal with 3.5 out of 5 (where 5 is the highest level of difficulty) and assessed their interview experience as 41% positive. To compare, the company-average is 38.1% positive. This is according to Glassdoor user ratings.
Candidates applying for Software Engineer roles take an average of 22 days to get hired, when considering 82 user submitted interviews for this role. To compare, the hiring process at Toptal overall takes an average of 23 days.
Common stages of the interview process at Toptal as a Software Engineer according to 82 Glassdoor interviews include:
Phone interview: 31%
Presentation: 20%
One on one interview: 15%
Skills test: 13%
Other: 6%
Background check: 5%
IQ intelligence test: 4%
Personality test: 4%
Drug test: 2%
Group panel interview: 1%
Here are the most commonly searched roles for interview reports -
I applied online. I interviewed at Toptal (Remote, OR) in Sep 2017
Interview
Phone interview -> Quick coding challenges through screenshare -> Project -> Project Review.
The big issue is the project. They give you two weeks and expect an entire application with all the bells and whistles. The assignment may mention a minimal UI, they expect a fully fleshed out UX anyways.
The project is not difficult, but it is time consuming. I spent minimal time on it as I had to take time away from paid work to do it, so every hour I spent on this cost me 50USD in lost opportunity. So I wasn't willing to spend the time they were looking for and this interview essentially cost me over a thousand dollars for a rejection.
So, if you're currently unemployed and there's no opportunity cost and you really want it, go for it. But if you have other opportunities you'd be as happy with, don't do what I did, don't waste your time here unless you can commit 40 hours or have non-NDA'd work you can copy paste and adjust for the test.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Build a whole CRUD application with auth and roles with all the bells and whistles and a rest API.
I applied online. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at Toptal (Cape Town) in Jun 2026
Interview
The interview process has been structured and professional so far. It started with the initial application and screening, followed by an online coding assessment with algorithm-style questions focused on correctness, edge cases, and problem solving under time pressure. After completing that stage, I was invited to schedule a live technical interview. Communication has been clear, with detailed instructions about the interview format, environment requirements, screen sharing, and expectations around working without external assistance. The process feels rigorous and time-sensitive,.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Write a function to return the maximum number of words in a sentence from a given string containing letters, spaces, and sentence-ending punctuation.
Tech screening and then tech interview, leetcode style questions. Then there was a take home project.. not in-person. all done remotely and online. Good interviewers, helpful, easy process and good communication
I applied to Toptal and I'm having an interview days later. What can I prepare for now? I wanna get some details or tips from you. Please help me with your toptal screening interview experience.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
What was the last project you have worked on and what did you do in that project?