Each year, Google receives millions of applications for the role of a software engineer. So the question is — how to stand out from the crowd? And what techniques can you use to clear the Google software engineer interview?
To land a tech job at the company, you’ll need to have impeccable skills and a knack for problem-solving. So as you get ready to prepare for the Google software engineer interview, knowing the right coding questions is vital to the process.
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To help you in your Google software engineer interview preparation, in this article, we’ll be covering:
As you start your preparing for the Google software engineering interview, here are the top 10 coding questions that you can expect:
4.325 is a valid number; 1.1.1 is NOT a valid number.
If the target is not found in the array, return [-1, -1].
Here are some more Google Software Engineer Interview Questions to practice.
Google places a lot of importance on algorithms and data structure concepts such as Array, Linked List, Binary tree, String. To help you prepare thoroughly for the software engineer interview at Google, we’ll be covering these topics one by one.
You need to be well-versed with the fundamentals of arrays to be able to solve array-based questions in the Google software engineer interview. You’ll also need to know basic programming constructors such as recursion, loop, and fundamental operators.
Check more Data Structure and Algorithm Interview Questions Asked at Google here.
When you’re preparing linked-list questions, you’ll need to have a strong understanding of recursion as a linked list is a recursive data structure.
As all data can’t just be represented in the linear data structure, this is where the tree data structure comes into play. When solving binary tree questions while preparing for a Google software engineer interview, having a good grasp of the theoretical concepts is vital.
The good news here is that if you know how to solve array-based coding questions, you will easily solve string programming problems.
Studying data structures and algorithms together is the best way to go. Without a good understanding of data structures, you’ll have a hard time grasping a particular algorithm in a specific condition.
Before going in, ensure that you keep the following in mind and put your best efforts into clearing the Google software engineer interview:
These tips will always come in handy — whether you’re appearing for the Google software engineer intern interview or you’re an experienced professional. You can learn more Google software engineer interview prep tips here.
If you want some more help, check out these articles:
Q1. Are Google software engineer interviews hard?
The term hard is relative. It all comes down to how well you have prepared for the interview. Usually, the questions asked in a Google software engineer interview range from easy to medium level in terms of difficulty.
Q2. How many rounds are there in a Google software engineer interview?
There are typically 6-7 rounds in a Google software engineer interview — 2 telephonic interviews, 3 or 4 data structure and algorithm interviews, and 1 behavioral interview.
Q3. How to crack the Google software engineer interview?
Research the company, its core values, and the sort of questions you can expect in the interview. Create a study plan and then stick to it. You can also take the help of the book — Cracking the Coding Interview by Gayle Laakmann McDowell.
Q4. How long does the Google software engineer interview process last?
You can expect the entire process to take anywhere between 2-6 months. Starting from the initial phone screening round to the last set of interviews on-site (or virtual), it can take that long since the company has a lot of applicants.
Q5. What do Google interviewers look for?
When the recruiters are putting together their list of questions, the four core values of Google are taken into consideration — general cognitive ability, leadership, Googleyness (how well you fit into Google’s culture), and role-related knowledge.
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