CalibrdReady. Confident. Hired.← All guides

Capital One interview, and the Power Day round where you code with an AI.

Updated · Sources at the end

Capital One's engineering interview has a name candidates search for: Power Day, the final round of three or four interviews in one day. In September 2026 it changed. New grads and interns now sit an agentic technical interview instead of a live coding round: in a CodeSignal workspace with Claude Code, you fix a bug in a large codebase you have never seen, then build a feature, and the interviewer watches how you use the AI and how you think. Experienced engineers get the same round alongside a full stack interview. The rest is Capital One's own design: a code-based case that starts as a business discussion and ends in debugging code you cannot run, and behavioral questions that now ask how you use AI. Before any of it comes a 70-minute CodeSignal test.

Free · 2 minutes · no account

The questions for your exact Capital One role and level.

See the questions Capital One asks ↓Run a free mock interview →

Interviewing at Capital One? Below are the questions candidates report. For the ones your exact role and level will get, paste the posting. Your first mock is free.

01

Who Capital One hires

Capital One is a US bank and card issuer that builds most of its own technology, and it hires engineers into full stack, back end, front end, data, machine learning and AI roles, mostly in McLean, Richmond, Plano, New York, Chicago and Cambridge. Early-career engineers come in through the Technology Internship Program and the Technology Development Program for new graduates, which Capital One recruits for by graduation cohort. Experienced hires apply to numbered levels: the October 2026 postings use Full Stack Engineer 3, 4 and 5, with manager and senior manager versions of the same individual contributor roles.

Not sure your resume shows the level Capital One hires at? Check it with a free resume review.

Every engineering loop ends in a Power Day, but what it holds depends on the level. These are the versions candidates described in the autumn 2026 cycle.

  • Track · TDP and TIP

    New grads and interns

    The Technology Development Program (TDP) for new graduates and the Technology Internship Program (TIP) both require an online assessment, Capital One says. In September and October 2026 their Power Days were three interviews: an agentic technical interview, a behavioral interview and a tech code-based case. One TDP candidate wrote that the agentic round replaced the coding interview.

  • Track · Full Stack Engineer 3 to 5

    Experienced engineers

    Capital One's postings now use titles such as Full Stack Engineer 4 and 5; one candidate notes that level 4 used to be called Lead Software Engineer. A Full Stack Engineer 4 candidate in October 2026 listed four 60-minute rounds, all in CodeSignal: the code-based case, behavioral, the agentic technical round and a full stack technical round.

  • Track · AI and ML engineers

    AI and machine learning engineers

    Capital One's own description: a recruiter screen, the 70-minute CodeSignal assessment, a 30-minute hiring manager interview, then four hour-long Power Day interviews: technical coding (30 minutes of live coding in CodeSignal, then 30 on your AI and ML depth), system design, behavioral and a case study. Its recruiters advise asking which team you will meet, because the content shifts with it.

  • Track · Business analyst

    Business analysts

    Capital One says business analyst interviews typically start with a mini case, followed by a virtual Power Day with two to three more case interviews and a product strategy conversation, and to be prepared for a good deal of math.

02

What is the Capital One interview process?

Capital One describes the stages on its careers site. The stages below quote it where it says something, and dated 2026 candidate reports where it does not; those are marked as reported.

01
Application
Online, by role or graduate cohort

TDP and TIP applications open by cohort; one TDP February 2027 Power Day was held on 7 October 2026. Experienced roles post by level and location, with the base pay range in the posting.

02
Recruiter screen
Phone

Capital One: an initial conversation about the position, your resume and the company. For experienced roles it can come before the assessment; for the student programs the assessment comes first.

03
CodeSignal assessment
70 minutes, four questions

Capital One's AI and ML engineering page: an algorithmic assessment of four questions on data structures and algorithms, with 10 days to complete it, so start only when you feel ready. Candidates for front end, full stack and lead back end roles in 2026 report the same 70-minute format, proctored.

04
Hiring manager pre-screen
30 minutes, phone or video

Capital One lists a 30-minute hiring manager interview before Power Day for some roles, including AI and ML engineering. New grad programs often go straight to Power Day.

05
Power Day
Three or four interviews, about an hour each, on video

Capital One: job fit, behavioral and case interviews depending on the role, all on video. Reported in autumn 2026: TDP and TIP get the agentic technical interview, behavioral and the tech code-based case; Full Stack Engineer 4 adds a full stack technical round, four 60-minute rounds in CodeSignal.

06
Decision
Most often within two weeks

Capital One's wording for its programs. Candidates report anything from the next day to two weeks, sometimes a short recruiter call before the offer, and team matching after passing. A senior candidate who did two Power Days in 2026 writes that one weak round can sink you.

03

Capital One CodeSignal assessment: format and reported questions

Capital One's description and 2026 candidate reports

Capital One describes an algorithmic coding assessment on CodeSignal: 70 minutes, four questions, all on data structures and algorithms, and 10 days to complete it after you receive it. Its own advice is to start only when you feel ready. Candidates in 2026 for front end, full stack and lead back end roles report the same format, proctored, with the questions rising from easy to hard and hidden test cases that fail slow solutions. Here is what they report.

  • Two warm-ups: The first questions are reported as easy: counting array values that meet two conditions, or simulating a card game round by round. Finish them fast and bank the time.
  • String and sorting rules: One 2026 problem sorted words by a computed count, then alphabetically on ties. Write the comparator carefully and test the tie-break.
  • Grids over time: A rotting-oranges style spread over a number of days appears in a senior full stack report. Breadth-first search by layers handles it.
  • Ranges and hidden tests: The hardest reported problems count lamps covering points or obstacles within a window. One candidate solved all four in 30 minutes and still timed out on hidden tests: think about sorting, prefix sums or a sweep before you code.
  • When to start: You get 10 days. Take it when you have 70 quiet minutes, in a language you write fast.

Reported questions rotate; treat them as patterns. Your recruiter can tell you whether your role uses this assessment and what comes next.

The rest of the loop depends on your role. Pick it, or paste the posting, and Calibrd predicts the rounds and questions you are likely to get at Capital One.

Predict my Capital One questions →
04

Capital One agentic coding interview: what candidates report

Reported, September and October 2026

Capital One has published nothing about this round. Candidates in the autumn 2026 cycle describe it in some detail: it is part of Power Day for TDP, TIP and Full Stack Engineer 4 candidates, and for new grads it replaced the coding interview. You work in a CodeSignal web IDE on a large full stack application, with Claude Code available. Here is how the reports describe it.

  • Two tasks, a reset between: About 20 minutes to fix a bug and 5 to discuss it, then about 20 minutes to implement a feature and 5 to discuss, with the code reset between the two. Read the task card and the README before you prompt anything.
  • A codebase too big to read: Candidates describe a large application with several README files; one Python version was Django, mostly back end business logic. Practise finding the code path for one behaviour quickly.
  • Use the agent, don't hand it the wheel: Candidates say interviewers cared about how they used the AI and their thought process more than finishing. Give it scoped tasks, read every change, and say out loud what you accept and why.
  • Prove it works: Reproduce the bug first, then show the fix: a test, a run, or a trace through the code. An interviewer watching you accept unreviewed code is the outcome to avoid.
  • How people practised: One candidate had Claude generate a codebase too large to read with a planted bug and a feature spec, then worked each in 20 minutes with the state reset between. That matches the reported format closely.

This round is new, and formats change between cycles. Ask your recruiter which rounds your Power Day includes and whether you choose the language.

05

What Capital One screens for

Capital One says what each Power Day interview assesses, and candidates add what the new round looks for:

  • Fit with the role, the team and the culture. Capital One's description of the job fit interview, which every candidate sits
  • Problem solving, influence and a focus on results. What its behavioral interviewers assess, in its words
  • Strategic, analytical and quantitative thinking. What the case interview gauges, and why the case comes with math
  • Taking feedback in the room. Capital One's AI and ML recruiters say they watch how well you incorporate feedback in real time
  • Judgement with an AI. Agentic round candidates say interviewers cared how they used Claude Code and explained their thinking, more than whether they finished
06

Capital One interview questions

Candidate-reported themes

Behavioral questions follow the familiar "Tell me about a time when…" format Capital One describes. The behavioral rows are questions candidates reported in 2026; the technical rows follow the round formats they describe, with practice questions written in that style.

Behavioural & motivation

  • Why Capital One, and why this team?Listening for: Specificity · Connection · Research
  • Tell me about a time you challenged the status quo.Listening for: What was assumed · How they moved people · The result
  • How do you use AI in your day-to-day work, and where do you not trust it?Listening for: Concrete use · How they check it · Where they stop
  • Tell me about a time you had to learn something new quickly to deliver.Listening for: The gap · How they learned · What shipped
  • Tell me about yourself.Listening for: Frame · Evidence · Length

Technical

  • Practice: you have 20 minutes in a codebase you have never seen, with an AI agent, and a report that refunds sometimes post twice. Talk through your first five minutes.The agentic technical round: Reported in autumn 2026: a large full stack application in CodeSignal with Claude Code, a bug to fix in about 20 minutes and a feature to build in about 20, each followed by a short discussion. A practice question in that styleListening for: Gets oriented · Directs the agent · Verifies the fix
  • Practice: a rule says a virtual card number is declined if it has expired or has been used at a different merchant. Walk through how you would check a function that applies it, and what cases you would test.The tech code-based case: Reported in 2026: a business discussion, then tracing a rule by hand, debugging code that implements it and writing a similar method, without running code. Virtual card numbers and AI chatbots are the products candidates name most. A practice question in that styleListening for: States the rule · Traces the code · Picks test cases
  • Practice: given lamps as segments on a number line and a list of points, return how many lamps cover each point. Explain an approach that passes large hidden tests.CodeSignal coding: Reported 2026 assessment problems include counting codes divisible by three with at least two sevens, a card game simulated round by round, sorting words by a computed difference, a rotting-oranges grid over days, counting lamps that cover points on a line, and checking obstacles in a window on a number line. A practice questionListening for: Names the naive cost · A faster approach · Edge cases
  • Practice: design an API that lets a cardholder freeze and unfreeze a card instantly across web, mobile and point of sale.Full stack technical: Reported for experienced levels as a separate Power Day hour, which candidates describe as coding, system design or both. A practice questionListening for: The flow · Consistency · Safety and audit

These are the reported themes, and your loop is role-specific. Paste the actual posting and Calibrd predicts the questions for that exact role and level. How the questions are predicted →

Predict my Capital One questions →
07

Pay

Engineer level 3 (AI and ML engineer postings)$147,100 to $201,400 base a year, posted (Plano and Richmond to New York)
Full Stack Engineer 4$179,400 to $245,600 base a year, posted (Richmond, Plano and Chicago to New York)
Full Stack Engineer 5$209,000 to $286,200 base a year, posted (Richmond to New York)

Base pay ranges from Capital One's live US postings, read on 27 October 2026; each posting states a range per location, highest in New York and Cambridge, then McLean, then Richmond, Plano and Chicago. No live Full Stack Engineer 3 posting was found, so level 3 is shown from AI and ML Engineer 3 postings at the same level. New grad program pay was not on a live posting; ask your recruiter, and ask for bonus and equity terms alongside the base.

08

How to prepare for a Capital One interview

  1. Read the posting for the level, the location's base range and the stack, and ask your recruiter which Power Day rounds you will sit.
  2. Take the CodeSignal assessment only when you have 70 quiet minutes: you have 10 days.
  3. Practise four-problem sets against the clock, and check the hardest one for a solution that survives large hidden tests.
  4. Practise in a codebase too big to read: give an AI agent a bug and then a feature, 20 minutes each, and review every change it makes.
  5. Talk while you work with the agent: what you are checking, what you accept and why. That is what the round watches.
  6. For the case, practise reading a business rule, tracing code against it by hand and writing a similar method without running anything.
  7. Prepare stories for challenging the status quo, learning fast and influencing without authority, each with a result.
  8. Prepare an honest answer on how you use AI day to day, including where you check it and where you don't trust it.
  9. After Power Day, expect a decision within about two weeks; ask about team matching, bonus and equity before you accept.

This guide covers Capital One's engineering hiring: the Technology Internship and Development Programs, experienced full stack engineers, and AI and ML engineers, with business analysts briefly. The stages, the assessment format and pay come from Capital One and its postings; the agentic round, the case contents and the round lineups come from 2026 candidate reports, marked so. Your recruiter's description of your Power Day is the final word. For management and leadership roles the loop is similar but the bar shifts to people, delivery and strategy, so pair it with the leadership interview prep hub. The bar for your exact role comes from the role-by-role guides, and the prep that actually transfers is spoken, so run a mock interview before the real one.

Also interviewing at Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs or JPMorgan Chase? Their guides follow the same format, from the first screen to the offer.

Knowing the questions isn’t the same as answering them out loud. Run a Capital One mock: spoken answers, coached on the spot. Your first mock is free.

Run a Capital One mock →
09

FAQ & sources

What is Capital One's interview process?

Capital One describes the stages on its careers site. The stages, in order: Application; Recruiter screen; CodeSignal assessment; Hiring manager pre-screen; Power Day; Decision.

What does Capital One look for in candidates?

Capital One says what each Power Day interview assesses, and candidates add what the new round looks for: Fit with the role, the team and the culture; Problem solving, influence and a focus on results; Strategic, analytical and quantitative thinking; Taking feedback in the room.

What questions does Capital One ask in interviews?

Behavioral questions follow the familiar "Tell me about a time when…" format Capital One describes. Technical themes: The agentic technical round; The tech code-based case; CodeSignal coding; Full stack technical.

What is on the Capital One CodeSignal assessment?

Capital One describes an algorithmic coding assessment on CodeSignal: 70 minutes, four questions, all on data structures and algorithms, and 10 days to complete it after you receive it. Its own advice is to start only when you feel ready. Covered on this page: Two warm-ups; String and sorting rules; Grids over time; Ranges and hidden tests; When to start.

What is the Capital One agentic technical interview?

Capital One has published nothing about this round. Candidates in the autumn 2026 cycle describe it in some detail: it is part of Power Day for TDP, TIP and Full Stack Engineer 4 candidates, and for new grads it replaced the coding interview. Covered on this page: Two tasks, a reset between; A codebase too big to read; Use the agent, don't hand it the wheel; Prove it works; How people practised.

What is a Capital One Power Day?

Capital One's final round: a series of interviews in one day, on video. It says the interviews depend on the position and may include job fit, behavioral and case interviews. In autumn 2026, new grad and intern engineering candidates report three: an agentic technical interview, a behavioral interview and a tech code-based case. Experienced engineers report four, adding a full stack technical round.

Can you use AI in a Capital One interview?

In the agentic technical round, yes: candidates report Claude Code inside the CodeSignal workspace, and the round assesses how you use it. Capital One has published no general policy on AI tools in its interviews or its assessment, so ask your recruiter before using any tool elsewhere.

How long does Capital One take to decide after Power Day?

Capital One says most candidates for its student and graduate programs hear within two weeks. Candidates report from the next day to two weeks, sometimes after a short recruiter call, with team matching after an experienced hire passes.

How do I prepare for a Capital One interview?

Read the posting for the level, the location's base range and the stack, and ask your recruiter which Power Day rounds you will sit. Take the CodeSignal assessment only when you have 70 quiet minutes: you have 10 days.

Interview processes change. This reflects widely-reported and sourced conditions as of 2026 — confirm specifics with your recruiter, and treat it as a map rather than a guarantee.

Prep for a real Capital One role

Practise your Capital One interview, out loud.

Paste a real Capital One posting and Calibrd predicts the questions for that role and level, benchmarks the pay, and flags the gaps an interviewer will probe in your resume — then listens to your spoken answers and coaches them. Your first mock is free.

Set up your workspace for free →Add to Chrome, it reads the posting for you →

Free to start · No card · Encrypted at rest, never used to train AI, remove anytime

Two weeks out?

Email me the Capital One prep checklist

The round that decides it, the questions they ask, and what to do before, in one email. Nothing else unless you sign up.

Capital One Interview 2026: Power Day, AI Round — Calibrd