Google | L4 | Interview Experience | Offer
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GoogleInterview

Update:

I’m seeing a lot of comments asking about my compensation. I can’t share it on an open platform, but if you’re interested, drop your LinkedIn ID in the comments, and we can discuss it there.

Hi everyone! I recently got an L4 Software Engineer offer at Google and wanted to share my experience. This post might help anyone preparing for Google interviews.

Timeline

  • Application: I regularly applied on the Google Careers website and submitted another application in late October.
  • Recruiter Outreach: Mid-November. My profile was shortlisted, and the recruiter explained the process:
    • 1 Screening Round (focused on DSA)
    • 4 Onsite Rounds:
      • 3 DSA interviews
      • 1 General Non-Technical Leadership (GNL) round
    • I was given 3 weeks to prepare for the screening and onsites both.

Phone Screening (Mid Dec)

  • Question: https://leetcode.com/discuss/interview-question/6038441/Google-or-L4-or-Phonescreen
  • Experience: I initially took the wrong approach in my first follow-up, but the interviewer gave me a small hint to use my previous solution. I also made some silly coding mistakes here and there.
  • Verdict: Cleared! Recruiter informed me within a week.
  • Feedback: HR told me I need to brush up more on DSA and coding skills.

Onsite Interviews (Early Jan)

Disclaimer

Due to NDA, I cannot share the exact questions from my onsite interviews. However, I’ve included similar LeetCode questions that closely resemble the ones I was asked. If you can solve these, you should be well-prepared for the actual interview questions.

Onsite 1:

  • Question: https://leetcode.com/problems/burst-balloons/description/
  • Experience: I solved the problem but missed one edge case. The interviewer kindly pointed it out. I took a lot of time dry-running my code, which left less time for follow-ups. Despite that, the interviewer asked three follow-ups, which I coded up quickly and tested.
  • Verdict: Positive
  • Self-Rating: Hire / Strong Hire

Onsite 2:

  • Question: https://leetcode.com/problems/substring-with-concatenation-of-all-words/description/
  • Experience: This was my best round. I coded the solution in under 10 minutes and handled two follow-ups by modifying the initial code. We wrapped up within 30 minutes. Unfortunately, the interviewer seemed uninterested, possibly multitasking, so I had to speak continuously to keep them engaged.
  • Verdict: Positive
  • Self-Rating: Strong Hire

Onsite 3:

  • Question: https://leetcode.com/problems/moving-average-from-data-stream/description/
  • Experience: This was my worst round. I misunderstood the question and spent nearly 30 minutes pursuing the wrong approach. The interviewer re-explained the problem using better examples, and with some hints, I managed to code the solution in 10 minutes. I also solved one follow-up in the last 5 minutes.
  • Verdict: Positive
  • Self-Rating: Lean Hire

Onsite 4: Behavioral (GNL)

  • Preparation: I followed the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure my answers. Practiced for two days using this list of behavioral questions. Fortunately, all the questions asked were ones I had prepared for.
  • Verdict: Positive
  • Self-Rating: Hire / Strong Hire

Final Outcome

After the interviews, the recruiter informed me that I had received positive feedback from all rounds. I had a team-matching call two days later and received my offer letter last week. 🎉

FAQs

What was your preparation strategy?

  • Solved Leetcode 150, Google-tagged questions from the last 1–3 months, and most Google-related questions from the past year (500+ problems in total).
  • Focused on graphs, trees, and segment trees, which were my weak areas—but ironically, they didn’t appear in the interviews! 😅
  • Took 20+ mock interviews to become confident in the interview format.

Can you share the exact questions?

No, I can’t share them due to NDA, but I’ve linked similar ones.

What was the location?

Bangalore, India.

Were the interviewers Indian or from the US?

Indian.

What were the timings?

Between 12:00 PM and 4:00 PM.

Key Takeaways

  1. Clarify the problem: If unsure, ask questions early to avoid wasting time.
  2. Stay engaged: If your interviewer seems distracted, talk through your thought process to involve them.
  3. Practice follow-ups: Google emphasizes follow-up questions. Make sure you can adapt your initial solution.

I hope this post helps! Best of luck to anyone preparing for Google interviews. 🚀

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