Meta's AI-enabled coding interview: format, phases and how to prepare

Published 30 October 2026 · 3 min read

Meta now runs a coding round where you get a small, unfamiliar codebase and an AI assistant instead of a blank editor. Here's what has been reported about it, what's still unclear, and how to prepare.

Is the AI-enabled round real?

Yes. In July 2025, 404 Media reported internal Meta messages saying the company would let some coding candidates use an AI assistant during interviews. One message called it "more representative of the developer environment that our future employees will work in". Meta also asked employees to volunteer for mock "AI-enabled" interviews. Business Insider reported that Meta confirmed the change.

Prep sites and candidates describe the round rolling out from October 2025. It replaces one of the two coding rounds in the onsite loop. The other coding round stays the classic, no-AI algorithm interview.

The format

Candidate reports and prep guides describe the same setup. Meta hasn't published an official spec, so treat the details as reported, not guaranteed:

• 60 minutes in CoderPad, with a file explorer, an editor and an AI chat panel.
• A multi-file project, not a single function: a few source files, tests and sometimes data files.
• An AI that reads but doesn't write. The assistant can see the project files, but it only answers in the chat. You type or paste every change yourself (Hello Interview).
• A choice of models. Reported options include GPT-5, Claude Sonnet and Opus models, Gemini 2.5 Pro and Llama 4 Maverick, and you can switch during the round.
• Common languages: Java, C++, C#, Python, Kotlin and TypeScript are reported as supported.

The three phases

Most reports describe one extended problem worked through in three steps:

1. Fix the bug. The code ships with a defect, and tests point at it. You find the cause and fix it. You may also be asked to explain the tests or the complexity of the existing code. Some interviewers ask you not to use the AI for this part.
2. Build the feature. You extend the existing code to meet a new requirement. AI use is allowed and expected here.
3. Make it fast. Larger, tiered test inputs expose a slow solution, sometimes forcing a different algorithm.

What the interviewer is looking for

Meta hasn't published a rubric. The guidance candidates relay is consistent, though: the round tests judgment, not whether the model can produce code. One candidate noted on Reddit that the instructions tell you not to ask the AI for a complete solution. Prep guides converge on the same signals:

• You understand an unfamiliar codebase quickly before changing it.
• You break the problem down and give the AI small, well-scoped questions.
• You check what it gives you, using tests, edge cases and complexity, instead of pasting it in.
• You can explain every line you ship.

How to prepare

• Practice reading code you didn't write. Open an unfamiliar repository, find the entry points and the tests, and explain the data flow out loud in five minutes.
• Rehearse the three phases against a clock. A rough budget is 15 minutes for the bug, 25 for the feature and 15 for performance, with 5 to spare.
• Use an assistant that can't edit files when you practice, so you build the habit of asking, checking and typing yourself.
• Keep the algorithm fundamentals. Phase 3 is still an algorithms question, and the other coding round is unchanged.
• Ask your recruiter for the practice environment. Meta reportedly gives scheduled candidates a sample problem in the real tool.

For tactics inside the round, see how to use the AI without hurting your score.

What's still unclear

• Whether every team and level gets this round, or only some.
• The exact scoring rubric and how much AI use helps or hurts.
• Whether the model list and language list change over time.

Sources

• 404 Media: Meta is going to let job candidates use AI during coding tests (29 July 2025)
• Business Insider: Meta will let some job candidates use AI in their coding interviews
• Hello Interview: Meta's AI-enabled coding interview (format, models, languages)
• interviewing.io: How to use AI in Meta's AI-assisted coding interview
• r/leetcode: Stripe and Meta new AI interview experience (candidate reports)