In this article
Before you start
This page reads "this" as the AI-enabled coding round at Meta, and E6 as the Staff-engineer level in the engineering ladder the prep guides use.
One caution applies to everything below. The two sources are interview-prep publishers, not Meta. Every level-specific claim is "as reported by those guides", and the format may have shifted since they were written.
Why interviewers ask this
Candidates usually raise this question at the recruiter screen, when the recruiter asks about the onsite format or how preparation for the coding rounds is going. The answer decides how preparation time is split. A recruiter who hears a candidate raise it learns whether that candidate prepared for one format or understood that formats vary.
A weak answer says "yes, everything is AI now" or "no, it is only for juniors", both stated flatly with no source. A strong answer says what the guides report for this level, names the part that is uncertain, and turns it into a preparation plan. A Staff-level answer adds what to confirm with the recruiter and how to prepare so that either mix is survivable.
The AI-enabled coding round from first principles
- AI-enabled coding round
- An AI-enabled coding round is a coding interview of about an hour in a shared editor, in which the candidate works in a real multi-file codebase with a built-in AI assistant and can run their own tests, instead of solving isolated algorithm problems alone, as the Hello Interview E6 guide describes it.
- Classic coding round
- At Meta, a classic coding round is the traditional coding interview of isolated algorithm problems that the candidate solves alone, which the Hello Interview E6 guide describes as having no code execution.
In plain words
Picture a driving test where a satnav is now allowed in the car. You still drive, and the examiner still watches how you decide. But the test route is longer and more realistic, so the skill being checked shifts a little.
The analogy breaks in one place. A satnav gives directions only. An AI assistant can write whole functions, so you must read and check what it gives you.
In one precise sentence, reports say Meta replaced one of its two onsite coding rounds with a round where an AI assistant is available, and the question is how far up the levels that change reaches.
Step 1: Both mixes are reported at E6, so prepare for both
The standard E6 mix is one classic round plus one AI-enabled round, according to the Hello Interview E6 guide. The interviewing.io Meta guide agrees that levels E6 and below get an AI-assisted round plus a regular coding round. Before the change there were two regular coding rounds, so one was swapped out.
That is not the whole picture. The E6 guide also says the mix is still settling and varies by team, which is why reports differ. It adds that some candidates in spring 2026 reported both coding rounds as AI-enabled, with no classic round, and advises preparing "so either mix is fine".
Reported practice differs, so "standard" means a common default, not a rule that every loop follows. Input: your recruiter's description. Output: a plan that covers both formats. You now know the answer's shape; the next step covers what the new round asks of you.
Text description of the diagram
- E6 and below usually get one classic round and one AI-enabled round.
- Some spring 2026 reports describe two AI-enabled rounds.
- E7+ and M1 candidates get one AI-assisted coding round.
Step 2: The AI-enabled round changes the task, not only the tools
The Hello Interview E6 guide describes the AI-enabled round as about 60 minutes in a CoderPad environment with a built-in AI assistant and a real multi-file codebase. The work is staged across a multi-file codebase. The same guide says candidates can chat with the assistant and run their own tests. CoderPad is the vendor's own name for the shared coding environment such interviews run in.
The interviewing.io guide adds that Meta began piloting the round in October 2025, that it randomly replaces one of the two traditional onsite coding rounds, and that Meta is rolling it out for all software engineer roles in 2026.
Input: a codebase you did not write. Output: working, tested changes. The sources give no grading rubric, so do not assume one; the page on how an AI-assisted coding interview is graded covers what is known.
Step 3: Higher levels are reported to get it too
The change is not limited to junior levels. The interviewing.io guide says candidates at E7+ and M1 have only one coding round at the onsite, and that it is AI-assisted. At those levels the question is not "one of each" but "is there any classic round at all".
For E6 the loop around the coding rounds is a phone screen followed by a full loop of 5 to 6 interviews covering coding, design, behavioural and project retrospective rounds, as the Hello Interview E6 guide summarises it. The guides do not say whether the phone screen itself uses an AI assistant. Manager-track loops are a separate topic, covered on the Meta engineering manager interview page.
Boundary: no Meta statement was found, and the guides' dates are unclear. As of October 2026, treat "standard for all levels" as directionally true and confirm your own loop with the recruiter.
Step-by-step description
- E6 usually gets one classic and one AI-enabled round.
- The AI-enabled round is staged work in a real codebase.
- E7+ and M1 reportedly get an AI-enabled round too.
- At E6 the reported default is one classic round plus one AI-enabled round.
- The AI-enabled round is staged work in a multi-file codebase.
- E7+ and M1 candidates reportedly get one AI-assisted coding round.
Knowing it is half the job. Saying it is the other half.
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Start Free Trial →The Staff-level answer
Any questions about the onsite format, or how you're preparing for the coding rounds?
Yes, one. Public prep guides, not an official statement, report that at E6 the coding rounds are one classic round plus one AI-enabled round, though some candidates report two AI-enabled rounds. Could you confirm which mix my loop has? Either way I'm preparing for both formats: classic problems without code execution, and staged work in a multi-file codebase where I run my own tests and check anything the assistant suggests. The trade-off is time, so I'm splitting my preparation instead of dropping either format.
What makes this Staff-level: it separates the reported default from the reported variation, names the evidence's limit, and ends in a concrete plan with a trade-off.
The rubric
| Dimension | Weak answer | Strong answer | Staff answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Correctness | Says yes or no flatly, with no level named. | Says the reported E6 mix is one classic plus one AI-enabled round. | Adds that some reports show two AI-enabled rounds and that the sources are prep guides. |
| Depth | Says "AI is allowed now" and stops. | Describes the staged, multi-file task and the tests the candidate runs. | Explains that the skill shifts toward reading, checking and directing code. |
| Trade-offs | Prepares only one format. | Prepares both formats. | Names the time cost of covering both and says how to split it. |
| Communication | Rambles or overclaims. | States the answer first, then the caveat. | Gives answer, caveat and plan in under a minute. |
| Follow-up readiness | Cannot say where the claim comes from. | Names the guides as the source. | Says what to ask the recruiter to confirm the exact loop. |
Three variants of this question
Does the AI-enabled round replace the classic round at E6?
Not entirely, as reported. The guides describe it as replacing one of the two former coding rounds, leaving one classic round, though some spring 2026 reports describe two AI-enabled rounds.
What if my recruiter says both coding rounds are AI-enabled?
Prepare for it, since the Hello Interview E6 guide says to be ready for either mix. Still keep a little classic practice, because the loop you are given may differ from the one a friend describes.
Is this standard at other companies too?
The two sources cover Meta only, so no claim is made here about other companies. For other loops see the Anthropic interview process and the OpenAI interview questions and process pages.
Common mistakes
- "It is all AI now, so I will skip algorithm practice." (wrong) The E6 guide still describes a classic round with no code execution. (right) "I prepare for a classic round and an AI-enabled round."
- "The assistant writes the code, so I just prompt it." (wrong) The guides describe staged work in a multi-file codebase, with tests you run yourself. (right) "I read, test and correct what the assistant produces."
- "Meta says E6 gets exactly one of each." (wrong) The sources are prep guides, and one reports both rounds AI-enabled. (right) "Prep guides report one of each, and I confirm with my recruiter."
- "Only junior levels get it." (wrong) The interviewing.io guide says E7+ and M1 get an AI-assisted round too. (right) "It is reported across levels, with a different mix."
Follow-up questions
Do E7 and above candidates get the AI-enabled round too?
As reported, yes. The interviewing.io guide says E7+ and M1 candidates have one coding round at the onsite and that it is AI-assisted. Confirm with your recruiter, since the guide is not a Meta statement.
Is there an official Meta statement that this is the standard?
None was found for this page, so the claims rest on two interview-prep guides. Ask your recruiter to describe your exact rounds in writing or on the call.
How should I split preparation time between the two formats?
Give each a block: classic problems solved without running code, and staged tasks in an unfamiliar multi-file codebase where you write and run tests. Skew the split toward the format your recruiter confirms. If they are unsure, keep the blocks roughly even.
Does the AI-enabled round change what interviewers look for?
The sources give no rubric, so the answer is not documented here. A sensible assumption is that reading code, checking the assistant's output and explaining your choices all matter; see how an AI-assisted coding interview is graded for what is known.
- Prep guides report the AI-enabled coding round across levels, including E6 and E7+.
- At E6 the commonly reported mix is one classic round plus one AI-enabled round.
- Some spring 2026 reports describe two AI-enabled rounds, so "standard" is not uniform.
- The sources are prep guides, not Meta, so confirm your own loop with your recruiter.
- Prepare for both formats and say clearly which part is reported and which is uncertain.
Sources
- CoderPad: collaborative coding interview platform — CoderPad (vendor site, read 2026-10-26), 26 Oct 2026
- Senior Engineer's Guide to Meta Interviews + Questions — interviewing.io (undated page, read 2026-10-26), 26 Oct 2026
- Meta E6 Interview Guides & Questions (2026) — Hello Interview (undated page, read 2026-10-26), 26 Oct 2026
