Epic Systems Interview Guide

Company overview: Epic Systems is the dominant electronic health records (EHR) vendor in the United States, with software running at most major US hospitals and a growing international presence. Privately held; headquartered in Verona, Wisconsin (a campus famously themed like a fairy tale village). Engineering organization is unusual for tech: ~10,000 employees almost entirely on the Verona campus, with limited remote work and a culture distinct from coastal tech.

What makes Epic unique

Verona-centric. Almost all employees relocate to Verona; remote work is rare. Wisconsin cost of living is much lower than coastal tech hubs.
MUMPS / M language. Epic’s core systems are written in MUMPS (also known as M), a language from the 1960s most often associated with healthcare. Not a language taught in CS programs, but Epic teaches it to new hires; transferring out of Epic to other industries can be difficult because the skill is non-portable.
Strong culture. Founder Judy Faulkner built and runs the company; the culture is famously distinct — quirky, mission-driven, with high expectations and sometimes-demanding hours.
New-grad heavy. Epic hires extensively from college campuses; experienced-hire applications face a higher bar.

Interview process

Timeline: 4–8 weeks. Heavily structured.

Online application and assessment. Coding test plus aptitude / cognitive testing.
Phone screen.
On-campus interviews in Verona. Multiple rounds: technical, behavioral, culture-fit. Epic usually flies candidates to Verona for the day.
Decision and offer.

Common technical questions

Standard CS fundamentals: data structures, algorithms (typically easier than FAANG)
SQL and database design (Epic’s products use both M and SQL extensively)
Logic puzzles and aptitude tests (Epic uses these heavily as filters)
For experienced hires: software architecture, scaling, healthcare domain familiarity helps
Knowledge of MUMPS is not required (you will learn it on the job)

Compensation (2026 estimates, Verona, WI)

New grad: $80–95K base + relocation + bonus → $95–110K total
Mid: $95–130K base + bonus → $110–155K total
Senior: $130–180K base + bonus → $150–210K total

Below FAANG cash significantly. Wisconsin cost of living offsets some of the gap; Verona-area housing is dramatically cheaper than Bay Area or Seattle. No equity (Epic is private and does not issue stock).

Sample interview questions in depth

Coding (M / MUMPS for engine, Cache/IRIS, plus general CS)

Standard data-structure questions in any language. Epic does not require MUMPS knowledge in the interview; you will learn it on the job. Expect arrays, strings, hash maps, trees, and basic graph problems at LeetCode-medium difficulty.
SQL design for clinical data. Given a description of patient encounters, design tables that support fast retrieval of “all encounters of type X for patient Y in the last 12 months.” Discuss indexing, denormalization for read paths, and audit-log design.
Logic puzzles. Epic is one of the few large tech employers that still uses logic puzzles as a filter. The puzzles tend toward Bayesian conditioning, combinatorics, and algorithmic thinking rather than the dead Microsoft brainteaser tradition. Practice on a small set before the loop.

Aptitude testing

The Epic interview pipeline includes a standardized aptitude test (the Wonderlic-style cognitive assessment, plus Epic’s internal puzzle-style logic test). The aptitude test is the highest-leverage part of the loop in terms of pass/fail; preparing specifically for it (timed practice on syllogisms, sequence problems, basic math under pressure) pays dividends.

Healthcare domain context

Why Epic dominates US hospital IT despite the technology stack being from the 1980s. Network effects, switching costs, regulatory requirements (Meaningful Use, MIPS), and the role of Epic’s UserWeb community.
The MyChart consumer product: how patients access their records, the design decisions that make it usable across age groups, and the integration with Apple Health / Android Health.
Cosmos: Epic’s clinical research data set built from de-identified EHR data across customer hospitals. Discuss the privacy architecture and how this differentiates Epic from Cerner / other competitors.

The Verona experience

Epic’s all-in-Verona requirement is the most distinctive feature of the company. Engineers relocate to a small Wisconsin town with a fairy-tale-themed corporate campus and stay there for a career chapter. Trade-offs:

Cost of living: Verona-area housing is dramatically cheaper than coastal tech hubs. A senior engineer’s cash comp goes much further locally than the same comp in San Francisco or Seattle.
Career portability: MUMPS / M skills are essentially non-portable. Engineers leaving Epic typically have to rebuild expertise in modern languages. Some roles (cloud infrastructure, mobile, web frontend) use modern stacks and are more portable.
Cultural fit: The Verona environment is famously distinctive (themed buildings, founder Judy Faulkner’s strong personal stamp on the culture, a heavy mission orientation around healthcare). Some engineers love it; others find it isolating.

Compensation realities

Epic’s cash comp is below pure FAANG significantly, but the local cost of living and the absence of equity (the company is private and does not issue stock) means total compensation comparison is not apples-to-apples. New grads at Epic can buy houses on senior-engineer salaries in Wisconsin. Engineers prioritizing real-estate ownership and lifestyle stability often find the trade attractive.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to live in Verona?

For nearly all engineering roles yes. Epic has experimented with limited remote arrangements but the strong default is Verona-based.

What is MUMPS / M, and is it a career trap?

MUMPS is a 1960s-era language used heavily in healthcare. Career portability is limited — most non-Epic employers don’t use M, so skills don’t transfer well. Engineers leaving Epic typically have to rebuild expertise in modern languages. Some employees consider this a career trap; others appreciate the niche-but-stable specialization.

What is Epic’s culture like?

Distinctive. Founder Judy Faulkner has run the company since 1979 with a strong personal stamp on the culture. Mission-driven, healthcare-focused, sometimes demanding hours. Many employees love the culture; others find it culty.

How does Epic compare to other healthcare-tech firms?

Epic is the dominant player. Cerner (now Oracle Health) is the major competitor with a different stack and different culture. Athenahealth, Allscripts, and others are smaller. Epic’s market position has strengthened since the 2010s.

Adjacent Healthcare Tech

Veeva Systems — life-sciences SaaS
Tempus AI — precision medicine and genomics
23andMe — consumer genomics