Software Engineer Interview Experience - Cambridge, Massachusetts
October 1, 2018
Neutral ExperienceGot Offer
Process
I first completed a coding challenge, consisting of one easy and one medium question.
Next, I had a phone interview with an easy (warm-up) question and a medium question.
In October, I attended four back-to-back interviews onsite. All of my onsite interview questions were medium-level, but I had to solve them quickly.
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Interview Statistics
The following metrics were computed from 28 interview experiences for the Google Software Engineer role in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Success Rate
21%
Pass Rate
Google's interview process for their Software Engineer roles in Cambridge, Massachusetts is very selective, failing most engineers who go through it.
Experience Rating
Positive61%
Neutral21%
Negative18%
Candidates reported having very good feelings for Google's Software Engineer interview process in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Google Work Experiences
4.0
Great company overall, but lots of bureaucracy
Software Engineer • Current Employee
Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
October 11, 2020
Pros: Lots of great people, good benefits, and many really cool projects.
Cons: Lots of bureaucracy, which often acts as an impediment to getting things done. Compensation is middle-of-the-road for the industry.
5.0
Smart Team, Slow Pace
Software Engineer • Current Employee
Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
July 31, 2025
Pros: Great work-life balance, smart people, and different teams.
Cons: Things move pretty slowly, with a lot of red tape.
5.0
Best internship experience imaginable
Software Engineer • Former Employee
Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
October 22, 2014
Pros: Google absolutely guarantees that your internship will be excellent.
The pay is the same as a starting software engineer, you get access to all the perks, and you have the ability to do a simplified "intern conversion" process to become a full-time engineer.
Cons: In my opinion, the biggest issue with Google is that there seem to be many people who are overqualified for their jobs. Harvard grads answering Orkut tickets. Most of the time, however, people who are motivated to find interesting work are able to do so.
- 4.0Great company overall, but lots of bureaucracySoftware Engineer • Current EmployeeCambridge, Massachusetts, United StatesOctober 11, 2020Pros: Lots of great people, good benefits, and many really cool projects.Cons: Lots of bureaucracy, which often acts as an impediment to getting things done. Compensation is middle-of-the-road for the industry.
- 5.0Smart Team, Slow PaceSoftware Engineer • Current EmployeeCambridge, Massachusetts, United StatesJuly 31, 2025Pros: Great work-life balance, smart people, and different teams.Cons: Things move pretty slowly, with a lot of red tape.
- 5.0Best internship experience imaginableSoftware Engineer • Former EmployeeCambridge, Massachusetts, United StatesOctober 22, 2014Pros: Google absolutely guarantees that your internship will be excellent. The pay is the same as a starting software engineer, you get access to all the perks, and you have the ability to do a simplified "intern conversion" process to become a full-time engineer.Cons: In my opinion, the biggest issue with Google is that there seem to be many people who are overqualified for their jobs. Harvard grads answering Orkut tickets. Most of the time, however, people who are motivated to find interesting work are able to do so.
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