10 Google Interview Questions and Answers for Software Engineers

Answers to these Google interview questions can be found by doing a Google search. Also, each question in itself demands a blog post, and I will try to cover them one by one as time allows. I have divided all interview questions into different categories like data structures, puzzles, operating systems, software design, and coding, etc., for better organization. In the last section, I have shared some top-class, must-read books for Google Interview preparation. It includes books like "Are You Smart Enough to Work at Google?" which is not only a good read but tells you a lot about the Google interview process. It's a must-read to get yourself motivated before starting preparation.

1. Google Interview Questions on Data Structures and Algorithms

Here are a few questions on data structures that appeared on various Google interviews. Data structures are a complex topic, and they can get very complex at Google. We have purposefully not collected very tough data structure questions at that time due to time constraints, as we wanted to gain some confidence by solving moderate questions. Though this may not be a good strategy for many people, it depends on how much knowledge you have and how confident you are on data structures.

• Find the fastest way to locate the largest element in a circular sorted array.
• You have a binary search tree and an integer 'n'. Find the most efficient way to locate two nodes of the three whose summation is equal to "n".
• How do you convert a max heap to a min heap?
• You are given two lists, L1 and L2. Write an algorithm to see if both lists are equivalent or not.
• How do you figure out the time and space complexity of a recursive function?
• How will you implement three stacks with one array?

See here for a few more questions on data structures and algorithms.

If you were given a chance to rewrite Linux, how would you do that?

Explain how congestion control works in the TCP protocol.

How would you optimize the TCP protocol without resorting to UDP?