Roles they hire for
- Zonal controller software engineer
- Automotive Ethernet and gateway engineer
What they emphasise
- Zonal and central-compute vehicle architectures
- Automotive Ethernet
- Smart vehicle software platforms
Brush up on
Zonal architectureSOME/IPAutomotive EthernetAUTOSAR AdaptiveHypervisors
How the rounds usually run
A typical automotive supplier loop for embedded roles. Companies vary by team and seniority.
Written or online test
- Aptitude and logical reasoning
- C programming and core electronics
- Sometimes basic networking and OS
Example: What is the output of a signed and unsigned comparison in C, and why?
Technical 1: Embedded C and MCU basics
- Embedded C, pointers and memory
- Microcontroller peripherals and interrupts
- CAN fundamentals and your final-year or work project
Example: How does CAN arbitration work, and what happens on a bit error?
Technical 2: Automotive domain
- AUTOSAR layers, RTE and BSW
- UDS diagnostics and ISO-TP
- ISO 26262, MISRA and ASPICE awareness
Example: Where does a diagnostic request travel through the AUTOSAR stack, from CAN to the application?
Managerial or process round
- V-model and ASPICE work products
- Estimation, customer communication and reviews
Example: How do you handle a customer requirement that conflicts with a safety requirement?
HR
- Motivation, mobility and compensation
Example: Why automotive software?
Practice questions
Original questions written for Aptiv's focus areas, not leaked ones.
- What problems does a zonal architecture solve compared with domain ECUs?
- Explain SOME/IP service discovery at a level you'd teach a new engineer.
- How would you route CAN signals over automotive Ethernet in a gateway?
- What does a hypervisor give a central vehicle computer, and what does it cost?
- How would you guarantee a braking-related message isn't delayed by infotainment traffic on shared Ethernet?
Your prep playlist
Serial GPS reader on LinuxEmbedded Linux · Medium · 4 bugs · ~6 minCAN receive filter and handlerProtocols · Medium · 3 bugs · ~7 minADC over spidevEmbedded Linux · Medium · 3 bugs · ~6 minTick timeouts and delaysTiming · Warm-up · 3 bugs · ~4 minCasting a byte stream to a structMemory & C · Medium · 4 bugs · ~6 minInteger promotion trapsMemory & C · Medium · 3 bugs · ~5 minADC with circular DMADMA & graphics · Hard · 3 bugs · ~7 minIndependent watchdog usageDrivers & ISRs · Medium · 3 bugs · ~5 min64-bit microsecond timestampsTiming · Medium · 2 bugs · ~5 min
Design rounds to practise
Themes are inferred from Aptiv's public product lines.
Take an AI mock round styled on Aptiv, with follow-ups that probe what you missed.
Start a mock round