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  • Nethermind 15-Minute Technical Interview: What Ethereum Intern Candidates Should Actually Expect

    MakerInProgress

    MakerInProgress

    @MakerInProgress
    Updated: Dec 10, 2025
    Views: 1.4K

    I just got a 15-minute technical interview invite from Nethermind for a blockchain internship, and I’m excited—but honestly a bit scared. This is my first real Ethereum-focused interview, and because the round is so short, I’m not sure what they’ll actually test.

    I’m a CS student who has built a few basic smart contracts, but Nethermind is on another level—deep research, core client work, formal verification, EVM internals. So now I’m confused about what to revise:

    • In a 15-minute screen, do they test pure fundamentals (blocks, state, gas, consensus)?

    • Or do they jump directly into EVM-level reasoning, storage layout, call stack, etc.?

    • Do they expect live coding, debugging, or simple logic checks?

    • Should I brush up on DSA, or do they focus more on Ethereum-specific concepts?

    • How deep should I go into topics like rollups, MEV, forks, calldata vs memory, etc.?

    If anyone here has interviewed with Nethermind (or similar L1/L2 teams), what were the actual questions, the level of depth, and the biggest mistakes candidates make? Any guidance on how to prepare in the next 24–48 hours would really help.

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  • Merrythetechie

    @Merrythetechie • 1yr

    I had a Nethermind interview last year for a similar internship. The first tech screen was very straightforward. No coding, no puzzles — mostly checking whether you understand Ethereum basics clearly.

    They asked me things like:

    • “What happens when you call a contract function?”

    • “Explain storage vs memory in simple terms.”

    • “Why does SSTORE cost more gas than SLOAD?”

    Nothing about zero-knowledge, nothing too deep. They just wanted to see if I really knew what I claimed.

    What helped me was being able to explain one smart contract I had written — what it does, where state changes happen, and why. They actually care more about whether you've built something real than whether you’ve memorized definitions.

    So my advice: revise the fundamentals, don’t overthink it, and keep your answers short and clear. That’s all they’re checking in the first 15 minutes.

  • Emma T

    @5INFFa4 • 2w

    I’ve interviewed a few interns for Ethereum-focused teams (not Nethermind specifically, but similar style). The 15-minute round is usually meant to check whether you actually understand the basics you claim on your CV.

    Most of the questions are short and direct. Examples I’ve seen:

    “What’s the difference between a full node and a validator?”

    “If a transaction fails, what usually causes it?”

    “What is stored in contract storage vs memory?”

    “What happens when a function modifies state?”

    They’re not looking for textbook definitions — they just want to see if you can explain things without mixing concepts.

    Big mistakes I’ve noticed from candidates:

    Talking about ZK or rollups when the question was about simple L1 execution

    Giving long answers that never get to the point

    Mixing up calldata/memory/storage

    Using terms like MEV or gas refunds incorrectly

    If you keep your explanations short and accurate, you’ll be fine. You don’t need deep research knowledge for this round; you just need a clean mental model of how Ethereum works at a basic level.

  • Shubhada Pande

    @ShubhadaJP • 2w

    Really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences here. From what we see across the AOB community, early-stage interviews at teams like Nethermind often come down to how clearly a candidate understands Ethereum fundamentals, not how many advanced topics they’ve memorized.

    Even in short rounds, hiring teams look for clean explanations of execution flow, storage behaviour, and transaction failures — exactly the kind of points members have highlighted above.

    If you're preparing for similar roles, a few resources inside AOB can help:

    • Our Smart Contract Interview Prep Hub covers common patterns interviewers test and how juniors should structure answers:

    https://artofblockchain.club/discussion/smart-contract-interview-prep-hub

    • The discussion on Hardhat or Foundry first is useful for beginners who want to understand practical tooling expectations:

    https://artofblockchain.club/discussion/hardhat-or-foundry-first-what-actually-helps-in-your-first-smart-contract

    • And if you're exploring broader career direction, this thread on Guidance for Web3 development careers gives a realistic roadmap many interns found helpful:

    https://artofblockchain.club/discussion/guidance-on-next-steps-for-web3-development-career

    Keep sharing your interview stories — they genuinely help the next batch of students prepare with more confidence and fewer unknowns.

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