Technical Assessment
Welcome, Neelesh
This is the technical evaluation for the Senior Backend Engineer role at Method Pay. It is designed to assess how you reason about backend systems, payment-related engineering challenges, architecture trade-offs, and practical implementation in a South African fintech context.
What the assessment contains
- Part 1 — Written scenarios (10 questions): You will explain your approach to backend problems such as API design, data modelling, concurrency, reliability, security, and scaling. One question includes a short code snippet for you to review.
- Part 2 — Multiple choice (10 questions): You will select the single best answer for each question covering backend concepts relevant to the role.
Knowledge and skills covered
- Backend API design and REST/HTTP fundamentals.
- Database design, transactions, and data integrity.
- Concurrency, idempotency, retries, and failure handling.
- Security basics such as authentication, authorisation, and input validation.
- System reliability, observability, and scaling considerations.
- General software engineering judgement and clear written explanation.
How to prepare
- Find a quiet place where you can work uninterrupted for 30 minutes.
- Use a laptop or desktop with a stable internet connection.
- Close unnecessary browser tabs and applications before starting.
- Have a notepad nearby if you prefer to sketch ideas, but do not paste content into the assessment.
- Answer in your own words; the review team is interested in your reasoning.
Time and structure
- Total time: 30 minutes from the moment you click “Begin assessment”. The timer runs continuously across Part 1, the transition screen, and Part 2 and cannot be paused or stopped.
- You may continue past the 30-minute mark if needed. Any overtime will be recorded and shared with the review team.
- You can move back and forth between questions within each part before submitting.
- Your answers autosave as you type or select options, so a refresh will restore your progress.
Rules
- A single 30-minute timer starts when you begin and cannot be paused or stopped.
- You may continue past the 30-minute mark if needed. Any extra time will be recorded and shown to the review team.
- Answer Part 1 in your own words.
- Copying, pasting and screen capture are disabled; tab-switching is logged.
- Please complete the assessment in one sitting.
- If you use any external resources while answering, please disclose this to the assessment team (Shailendra and Nishaat). It helps us understand how efficiently you gather solutions and the approach you take.