Palo Alto Networks runs a fairly conventional big-tech engineering loop for its India campus and off-campus hires: an online assessment gates candidates with DSA plus aptitude/MCQs, followed by two or three live technical interviews mixing coding (trees, arrays, hash tables), a bit of high-level design and DBMS/SQL, and often a final conversation with a director or hiring manager about past projects and PANW's problem space. Candidates without a formal CS background report being probed hard on core CS fundamentals (networking, operating systems) alongside code, which is a notable failure mode. For non-engineering roles (Unit 42 red-team, sales engineering), applicants describe long, sometimes stalled recruiter-led screens before any technical evaluation.
These 3 writeups cover software engineering, security research, sales engineering roles, India campus + APAC security roles. All of them were posted under a pseudonym (Reddit, GeeksforGeeks or forum handles), so we could not verify the authors’ identities.
Typical rounds
31-4 range
Outcomes shared
1/1offer / not
Most common round
Technical
Sources span
2023 - 2024
Most frequently reported · API design(2), Arrays & strings(2), Behavioral(2), Data structures & algorithms(2), DBMS(2)
Palo Alto Networks’s official process
The PAN careers FAQ says timeline varies by role and team schedules and asks candidates to tailor prep to the specific role, pointing at the careers site for culture/vision context. Assessments and background checks are mentioned as optional steps the recruiter will call out for the specific role; there is no published, standardized loop.
Data structures & algorithms·Arrays & strings·Trees·Hash tables·System design·DBMS·SQL·Networking·Operating systems·Past projects·Behavioral
Interview experiences at Palo Alto Networks
Software engineer (off-campus, non-CS candidate)
New grad
Not selected4 rounds
1
Online AssessmentOnline assessment
MCQs on DSA topics plus two basic DSA coding questions on the OA platform.
Covered · Data structures & algorithms, MCQ
2
Technical Interview 1Technical
Two live coding problems: find the median of two sorted arrays, and compute the bottom view of a binary tree. Standard mid-tier DSA on shared editor.
Covered · Arrays & strings, Trees
3
Technical Interview 2Technical
Implement a hash table from scratch without inbuilt maps, plus discussion of DBMS/backend concepts including JWT-based authentication flow and REST semantics.
Covered · Hash tables, DBMS, SQL, API design
4
Core CS + fitTechnical
Deep-dive on core computer science subjects; candidate (non-CS background) was probed on computer networks and OS and was told at the verdict that a gap here drove the rejection.
Two easy/medium coding questions plus about thirty aptitude MCQs on the OA platform.
Covered · Data structures & algorithms, Aptitude
2
Technical 1 (HLD + coding + backend)Technical
Opened with a high-level design of a social media site, then a straightforward string-manipulation coding question, and finally a discussion of DBMS and REST-heavy backend concepts.
Covered · System design, Arrays & strings, DBMS, API design
3
Technical 2 (coding + SQL + resume)Technical
One medium coding problem built around a hashmap, several SQL queries, and questions about the candidate's prior internships.
Covered · Hash tables, SQL, Past projects
4
Director of EngineeringHiring manager
Two open-ended discussions about ongoing PANW engineering problems and how the candidate would approach them, mixed with more depth on past internship work.
Applicant for a Sydney-based Unit 42 red team role was contacted by an India-based PAN recruiter roughly a month after applying. The recruiter proposed a time-alignment call to check that role interests matched, but scheduling collapsed over the AU-vs-IST time gap and the recruiter went silent. No technical rounds occurred.
What is the interview process like at Palo Alto Networks?
Palo Alto Networks runs a fairly conventional big-tech engineering loop for its India campus and off-campus hires: an online assessment gates candidates with DSA plus aptitude/MCQs, followed by two or three live technical interviews mixing coding (trees, arrays, hash tables), a bit of high-level design and DBMS/SQL, and often a final conversation with a director or hiring manager about past projects and PANW's problem space. Candidates without a formal CS background report being probed hard on core CS fundamentals (networking, operating systems) alongside code, which is a notable failure mode. For non-engineering roles (Unit 42 red-team, sales engineering), applicants describe long, sometimes stalled recruiter-led screens before any technical evaluation.
What topics does Palo Alto Networks test in interviews?
Commonly reported topics include Data structures & algorithms, Arrays & strings, Trees, Hash tables, System design, DBMS.
These guides summarize public, first-hand interview experiences shared by candidates. They describe the shape of each loop and the topics that came up, not a leaked question bank, and every experience links back to its original source. Processes change often. Treat this as directional prep, not a script.