sharing some notes from my own abbvie onsite last fall plus a friend who went through theirs more recently. pooling the data because one data point from pharma IT isn't enough.
format (for senior SWE roles): 4-5 sessions over 1-2 days, all virtual in our cases coding: 1-2 sessions, medium leetcode difficulty, 45 minutes each system design: 1 session, 60 minutes, pharma/healthcare domain problem (see other threads here) behavioral: 2 sessions with different interviewers, 45-60 min each hiring manager or skip-level: 1 session, more conversational
scoring observations: a friend who works on the team told me (after the fact) that they score each session separately and meet as a panel. no one interviewer can veto on their own. a weak behavioral but strong technical can still pass if the behavioral isn't a red flag, just average.
what tanked my friend's loop: she got to the final round for a software architect role and during the system design she went very deep on one component and ran out of time to cover the other parts. the interviewer noted that she couldn't keep scope in mind. for senior+ roles they want to see you cover the whole system at the right altitude before going deep. the 60 minutes goes fast.
what worked for me: being explicit about my process. like saying out loud: "i'm going to start with requirements, then high-level components, then we can dive into the part you care most about." interviewers like knowing where you're going.
comp context (mine, north chicago area, 2025): base ~165k, 15% annual bonus target, some RSU component. not FAANG numbers but benefits are strong and the 401k match is real. they also have good parental leave for pharma.
total onsite to offer: 12 days in my case. felt reasonable.