I was initially contacted by a Google recruiter through LinkedIn InMail.

I stated my preference to work in NYC on Google’s infrastructure software, and a one-hour technical screening phone interview was scheduled.

The phone interview covered Computer Science basics such as trees, hash tables, coding constructs, differences between Java and C++, and Design Patterns.

At the end, I was given a coding assignment to complete within 24 hours “to show my best work” and submit to Google.

The NYC on-site interview was scheduled two weeks later, where I was interviewed by five different engineers for 45 minutes each.

Some asked me to design solutions to problems and code them on a whiteboard in my preferred programming language.

Others presented open-ended problems where, I believe, I was expected to ask smart questions to define the problem and its solution.

Create a fast cached storage mechanism that, given a limitation on the amount of cache memory, will ensure that only the least recently used items are discarded when the cache memory is reached upon inserting a new item. It supports two functions: String get(T t) and void put(String k, T t).

Create a cost model that allows Google to make purchasing decisions to compare the cost of purchasing more RAM memory for their servers versus buying more disk space.

Design an algorithm to play a game of Frogger and then code the solution. The object of the game is to direct a frog to avoid cars while crossing a busy road. You may represent a road lane via an array. Generalize the solution for an N-lane road.