Interview prep · Cisco
Cisco Interview Questions 2026: Technical & Coding Guide
Cisco fresher interview questions for 2026 — coding round, technical topics, networking basics, and preparation strategy for software engineer roles in India.
Cisco interviews blend coding, networking fundamentals, and OS concepts. They are lighter on hard DSA than Amazon but heavier on networking and systems knowledge. Here is what to prepare.
Cisco interview rounds
Typically: online coding test → technical interview (1–2 rounds) → managerial/HR. The coding test is moderate — 1–2 problems at easy-medium level. Technical interviews cover coding + CS fundamentals + networking basics.
Technical topics to prepare
Cisco is a networking company — expect questions on protocols, OSI model, and basic network architecture even for software roles. Combine this with standard DSA and OS topics.
- Networking: OSI layers, TCP vs UDP, HTTP, DNS, IP addressing
- OS: processes vs threads, scheduling, deadlock
- DSA: arrays, linked lists, trees, basic graph traversal
- Programming: C/C++ or Python/Java — know one well
- Project: explain architecture and tradeoffs clearly
Coding round difficulty
Cisco coding problems are usually LeetCode easy-medium. Expect: string manipulation, array traversal, basic DP, and sometimes a networking-related coding problem (parse a packet header, simulate a protocol).
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