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Software Engineer Interview Experience - Mountain View, California

December 1, 2010
Positive ExperienceGot Offer

Process

The process began with a tech recruiter who asked 10 multiple-choice questions covering various computer science topics such as Java, C++, and HTTP. This served as a quick smoke test to eliminate candidates efficiently; those with a computer science background would find it very easy.

Following this, I had two technical phone interviews. Both focused on computer science algorithms and emphasized runtime analysis.

Finally, I completed one onsite interview, which consisted of four separate interviews. These again focused on data structures and algorithms, including questions about blocking queues, heap-like structures, and string serialization.

I enjoyed interacting with all the interviewers; they were friendly and we engaged in some excellent dialogue. It seemed like a great place to work.

Aware of my interest from other companies, they expedited the offer process. The recruiters were very friendly, but they were also somewhat pushy in wanting a swift decision from me.

Questions

Implement a blocking queue in Java.

Implement a system to serialize and deserialize strings.

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Interview Statistics

The following metrics were computed from 748 interview experiences for the Google Software Engineer role in Mountain View, California.

Success Rate

20%
Pass Rate

Google's interview process for their Software Engineer roles in Mountain View, California is very selective, failing most engineers who go through it.

Experience Rating

Positive64%
Neutral23%
Negative14%

Candidates reported having very good feelings for Google's Software Engineer interview process in Mountain View, California.

Google Work Experiences