Software Engineer (Test) Interview Experience - Mountain View, California
Process
The interview process was very traditional. One of the project members warmed me up with some basic questions, mainly focusing on high school physics concepts. After about 15 minutes, the main interviewer walked in with a laptop, asking quite similar questions to the first interviewer, in addition to some soft questions.
Overall, I believe it could have been a more successful interview on two accounts:
- I should have meditated before I walked in. :)
- It would have been nice if the recruiter hadn't tried to hide the team/project information, so the candidate could prepare for the type of mindset required to solve those problems.
The first question/comment from my interviewer was: "So, you know which project you're interviewing for, right?"
In any case, it was a positive interview experience. Both of my interviewers were highly professional and patient throughout the interview. I would definitely apply for another position at Google.
Questions
What do you want to work at Google?
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Interview Statistics
The following metrics were computed from 1 interview experience for the Google Software Engineer (Test) role in Mountain View, California.
Success Rate
Google's interview process for their Software Engineer (Test) roles in Mountain View, California is extremely selective, failing the vast majority of engineers.
Experience Rating
Candidates reported having very good feelings for Google's Software Engineer (Test) interview process in Mountain View, California.
Google Work Experiences
- 3.0Great Experience with Cutting Edge-TechBackend Developer • Former EmployeeMountain View, California, United StatesMarch 8, 2025Pros: Flexible work environment, excellent learning opportunities, and competitive compensation.Cons: High workload at times, complex internal processes, and occasional long hours.
- 5.0Great Pay, Manager OverloadSoftware Engineer • Current EmployeeMountain View, California, United StatesSeptember 20, 2022Pros: Pay, amenities, good work-life balanceCons: It's very manager-focused, with too many teams.
- 3.0Get to see how the sausage is madeStaff Software Engineer • Former EmployeeMountain View, California, United StatesFebruary 21, 2023Pros: You get to interact with extremely experienced and bright engineers, amazing tools. You learn robust processes, read the best design docs, etc.Cons: There is no prioritization at the company or sense of mission. How Google works is by making thousands of tiny incremental changes to dozens of products that no one cares about and which don't make the world a better place. Google's leadership is completely insulated from what people actually want. One example is that for the entirety of my term (2020-2023), I've heard the narrative that "Google Search isn't as good as it used to be." The reaction of top Search leadership was essentially: "Well, not according to our metrics. We'll keep on building Search how we see fit." Then, ChatGPT comes along and installed a new narrative – that it could do things better than Google. That narrative caught on, not because OpenAI has better tech or because ChatGPT is a good product, but because Google has not addressed those earlier critics and has just been pushing its own vision of Search.
Google Interview Questions
