Coinbase PM interview: the only post you'll need to read

PM interviews at Coinbase are extremely competitive. You’ll face in-depth and challenging questions over the course of at least seven different interview rounds.

Thankfully, the right preparation makes all the difference. So we’ve scoured the internet for interview reports from real Coinbase PM candidates, in order to put together this ultimate guide to Coinbase product manager interviews.

We’ll outline the company’s hiring process, interview questions, and key preparation resources to help you maximize your chances of success.

Here's what we’ll cover:

• Interview process and timeline
• Example questions
  • Product sense interview
  • Product execution interview
  • Leadership interview
  • Engineering interview
• Preparation tips

Click here to practice 1-on-1 with PM ex-interviewers

1. Interview process and timeline

The interview process for Coinbase PMs generally takes about three to six weeks to complete.

Here’s a quick overview of the steps you may face along the way:

• Resume, cover letter, and referrals
• Recruiter phone screen (30-45 min)
• First-round interviews (2 rounds, 45 min each)
• Onsite interviews (4 rounds, 30-45 min each)

Now we’ll cover each of the steps we listed above in more detail, so you can get a better idea of what to expect and how to prepare.

Note: if you are interviewing for a product leadership position (VP, Director, Group PM), learn more about the process and how to prepare here.

1.1 Resume, cover letter, referrals

First, recruiters will look at your resume and assess if your experience matches the open position. This is the most competitive step in the process, as millions of candidates do not make it past this stage.

You can use this free guide to help tailor your resume to the position you’re targeting. 

And if you’re looking for expert feedback, you can also get input from our team of ex-FAANG recruiters, who will cover what achievements to focus on (or ignore), how to fine tune your bullet points, and more.

1.2 Recruiter phone screen

Next, you'll usually start your interview process by talking to an HR recruiter on the phone. They are looking to confirm that you've got a chance of getting the job at all, so be prepared to explain your background and why you’re a good fit at Coinbase. 

Be ready to share your product experience and enthusiasm for cryptocurrency, as well as how all of that ties in with Coinbase’s vision. Interviewers will likely ask you questions like, "Why Coinbase?" or "Tell me about a product you launched from start to finish."

If you’re unsure about what steps are ahead in the interview process, take this opportunity to ask any clarifying questions about what you can expect.  The recruiter will be your point of contact for the rest of the interviews. 

1.3 First-round interviews

After talking to the recruiter, you’ll have two interviews with PMs at Coinbase. These will take place over video call and will last 45 minutes each.

You will have one interview that is focused entirely on product sense and another that is focused entirely on execution. These interviews will include one or two questions and/or a case study that will require you to dive deep into the problem, explain your thinking, and come out with a workable solution.

We’ll explore product sense and execution interview questions in section 2.

1.4 Onsite interviews

If you pass your first-round interviews, you’ll move on to the final, onsite interviews. These may take place in Coinbase’s offices but most frequently take place virtually, over video call.

The onsite interview portion includes four rounds that last 30 to 45 minutes each. Coinbase interviews focus on six specific qualities:

• Product sense
• Product execution
• Product vision & design
• Product strategy
• Leadership
• Technical knowledge, working with engineering
• Communication

They usually test these qualities onsite via two product sense rounds (product strategy and product vision & design), one product execution round, and one round with an engineering team (technical knowledge and leadership/communication).

As the rounds are shorter than the onsite interviews at other companies, practice giving your answers quickly and concisely. Try asking your interviewer which aspects they’d like you to spend more time describing, rather than launching into time-consuming tangents unprompted.

The round with the engineering team will not require you to code or work out a system design question. Instead, this round includes many behavioral questions on how you build cross-functional relationships, as well as questions around how you consider trade-offs (e.g. quality vs. speed), and a few simple technical explanation questions.

We’ll dive deep into the exact questions you can expect during these interviews in section 2 of this guide. If you’re well prepared for these questions, then you’ll be ready to tackle the onsite interviews.

If all goes well, then this is your last step in the Coinbase PM interview process, and all you have to do is wait to (hopefully) receive your offer!

2. Example questions

Now that you’ve seen the interview process for Coinbase PMs, let’s take a look at the types of questions you can expect along the way.

Coinbase’s PM question categories are similar to Facebook’s PM interview questions, divided into the following interview rounds:

We’ve analyzed real questions reported by former Coinbase PMs on Glassdoor, Prepfully, and Blind, and we’ve grouped them by each interview type below. Some of the questions have been edited for clarity or grammar.

Let’s dive in.

2.1 Product sense interview

Coinbase PMs must be able to identify the most important problems facing their team and help come up with solutions for them. To do this well, they must have strong product design and product strategy skills.

As we mentioned before, you will have one product sense round during the first-round interviews, and at least two product sense rounds during the onsite portion. During these interviews, show off your understanding of and enthusiasm for Coinbase’s product, your focus on its users, and your ability to tackle ambiguous problems.

Some of these questions will be presented in the form of case studies, where you will be playing the role of a PM making decisions for a team. You’ll need to consider who the user is and what their needs are, how you’ll create value, how to design the product, and what setbacks may come your way. 

Below, we’ve listed the real product sense questions that past candidates have reported on Glassdoor, Blind, and Prepfully. We’ve divided the questions into the subcategories product strategy and product vision & design, as the onsite rounds usually include two separate interviews devoted to each of these subcategories.

Right, let’s get to some questions.

To look at the product sense interview in a bit more detail, check out our comprehensive guide. This guide focuses on Facebook, but as Coinbase follows a similar interview process, it will be relevant for both companies. 

2.2 Product execution interview

Once the product strategy and design are set, PMs must decide how to measure the success of the product and troubleshoot any unforeseen issues. For this, interviewers test candidates’ execution skills.

You will have an execution interview round before the onsite portion, as well as one or more execution rounds onsite, so take these opportunities to display your analytical and prioritization skills. 

Coinbase will want to see how you pinpoint the most relevant goals for a product and pick the right metrics to measure them. They’re looking for how you debug metric changes and set up a plan to address them. Highlight your use of data to solve these problems in a targeted and systematic way.

The first three questions below come from Coinbase PM interview reports on Glassdoor and Prepfully. To round out your preparation, we’ve added the rest from Facebook PM interview reports. 

You’ll notice a fair amount of product metric questions in the mix. The article we’ve written on this topic can help you learn how to answer these questions in a measured, effective way.

To take a deeper dive into the execution interview, check out our comprehensive guide. This guide focuses on Facebook, but as Coinbase follows a similar interview process, it will be relevant for both companies. 

2.3 Leadership interview

In order to push projects through, PMs must work with many different collaborators, including teams of engineers, designers, data analysts, etc. To do this effectively, they must be able to motivate others, address conflicts, and build and maintain relationships.

The Coinbase PM interview process usually includes at least one leadership round, which may be combined with the engineering round, as well as some leadership questions sprinkled throughout the process. They are used to test your ability to collaborate cross-functionally and to assess your culture fit with Coinbase.

This is a good time to show that you've got drive and empathy. Be prepared to share concrete examples of your past experience that demonstrate how you learn and grow, overcome tough situations, and how you earn trust.

Give it a try using real Coinbase PM leadership interview questions from Glassdoor and Blind, which we’ve listed below. As Coinbase interviews focus on both leadership and communication skills, we’ve separated out the questions that pinpoint these two qualities.

For more information, take a look at our leadership/behavioral interview guide, which is targeted at Facebook but contains a method that is applicable at Coinbase as well.

2.4 Engineering interview

Finally, PMs must work with teams of engineers to achieve project goals. Coinbase will test your ability to do this during the engineering interview, where you’ll be asked a mix of behavioral questions (see above) and technical questions.

The engineering interview is the only time when interviewers may ask questions to test your technical knowledge. These questions typically involve explaining a technical concept or solving a simple technical problem.

The goal of this interview is to show that you have the technical knowledge and interpersonal skills to build relationships with teams of engineers.

The first two questions below come from real Coinbase PM interview reports on Glassdoor, and, to fill out your preparation, the rest are from Amazon, Google, and Microsoft PM interviews. 

You can learn a step-by-step process for solving this type of question, and find additional practice questions, by reading our guide on how to answer technical questions in PM interviews.

3. Preparation tips

Now that you know what questions to expect, let's focus on preparation. 

Below, you’ll find links to free resources and four introductory steps to help you prepare for your Coinbase PM interviews.

3.1 Deep dive into the product / organization

To get an offer from Coinbase, you must come to the interviews with a clear understanding of the company and its products. Many of the questions you’ll be asked will stem from real-life issues that Coinbase faces.

So, before your interviews, study up on the company.

Here are some resources to get you started:

• Coinbase mission statement and values (by Coinbase)
• Coinbase's product principles (by Surojit Chatterjee, Chief Product Officer of Coinbase)
• Product Management Interview Prep (by Coinbase)
• What is cryptocurrency? (by Coinbase)
• What is decentralized finance? (by Coinbase)
• Coinbase strategy teardown (by CB Insights)

3.2 Learn a consistent method for answering PM interview questions

As mentioned previously, Coinbase will ask you questions that fall into certain categories like behavioral, design, strategy, estimation, and metric questions. Approaching each question with a predefined method will enable you to build strong interview habits.

Then, when it comes time for your interviews, these habits will reduce your stress and help you to make a great impression.

If you’re just looking for a jumping-off point, you can start learning about the different question types you’ll need to master in the following blog articles:

• Facebook product sense interview (can apply to any company)
  • Product design questions
  • Product improvement questions
  • Product strategy questions
• Facebook execution interview (can apply to any company)
  • Metric questions
  • Prioritization questions
• Facebook behavioral questions (can apply to any company)

Once you understand how to answer each question type, you also need to be able to communicate your answers clearly, under the pressure of interview conditions. That’s where practice comes into play.

3.3 Practice by yourself or with peers

In our experience, practicing by yourself is a great way to prepare for PM interviews. You can start practicing alone, asking and answering questions out loud, to help you get a feel for the different types of PM interview questions. It will help you perfect your step-by-step approach for each question type. And it also gives you time to correct your early mistakes.

If you have friends or peers who can do mock interviews with you, that's a great option too. This can be especially helpful if your friend has experience with PM interviews, or is at least familiar with the process.

3.4 Practice with experienced PM interviewers

Finally, you should also try to practice product manager mock interviews with expert ex-interviewers, as they’ll be able to give you much more accurate feedback than friends and peers. 

If you know a Product Manager who can help you, that's fantastic! But for most of us, it's tough to find the right connections to make this happen. And it might also be difficult to practice multiple hours with that person unless you know them really well.

That’s why we’ve created a coaching service, where you can practice one-on-one with ex-interviewers from top tech companies, including Coinbase. Learn more and start scheduling sessions today.