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Embedded Systems Engineer

Practice Embedded Systems Engineer questions on embedded C, microcontrollers, interrupts, RTOS, memory, UART, SPI, I2C and low-power design.

Questions: 100
Interview Qs: 30
Judged problems: 44
Skills: 9

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About the role

An Embedded Systems Engineer writes the software that runs inside devices: washing machines, car controllers, medical monitors, smart meters, drones and IoT sensors. The code usually runs on a microcontroller such as an ARM Cortex-M, ESP32 or RISC-V chip, with limited memory, no full operating system, and strict timing and power requirements.

A typical day includes writing C or C++ drivers for sensors and peripherals over I2C, SPI or UART, handling interrupts, building features on top of an RTOS like FreeRTOS or Zephyr, and debugging with a JTAG/SWD debugger, logic analyser or oscilloscope. You read datasheets and schematics closely and often work next to hardware engineers to bring up new boards.

Reliability is critical because devices may run for years without anyone touching them. You think about watchdogs, safe firmware updates, memory limits, power consumption, and sometimes safety standards like ISO 26262 or IEC 62304. As you grow, you design firmware architecture, choose hardware and own whole product platforms.

Practise by level

easy

Easy challenges

34 questions

medium

Medium challenges

34 questions

hard

Hard challenges

32 questions

Open the full question bank (100 questions) →

Mock interview

easy

Screening round

4 questions · 4 min each · pass 50%

medium

Technical round

5 questions · 4 min each · pass 60%

hard

Final round

6 questions · 3 min each · pass 70%

Coding problems for embedded systems engineers

All 44 problems →

Skills in this track

Learning roadmap

1
C programming and digital basics
Master C: pointers, bitwise operations, structs, volatile, const and memory layout. Learn binary, hex, logic gates and basic electronics like voltage, current and pull-up resistors.
2
Microcontroller fundamentals
Start with an STM32, ESP32 or Raspberry Pi Pico. Learn GPIO, clocks, timers, ADC, PWM and interrupts by programming registers and then with vendor HALs.
3
Communication protocols
Write drivers for UART, I2C and SPI sensors, and learn CAN for automotive. Use a logic analyser to see real signals and debug timing.
4
RTOS and firmware architecture
Learn FreeRTOS or Zephyr: tasks, priorities, queues, mutexes, semaphores and timing. Design layered firmware with drivers, middleware and application logic.
5
Debugging, testing and reliability
Use GDB with SWD/JTAG, unit test with Unity or Ceedling, and add watchdogs, fault handlers and logging. Learn static analysis and MISRA C guidelines.
6
Connectivity, power and updates
Build BLE, Wi-Fi or cellular IoT devices, measure and reduce power use, and implement secure boot and safe over-the-air firmware updates.