Interviewing for Google, it turns out, is far easier than public perception would lead you to believe. Study your data structures and algorithms, and it will be a breeze.

Also, practice whiteboard coding beforehand to get used to working without your IDE of choice. You'll make mistakes, and that's okay. But if you practice beforehand, you'll get through the process far more comfortably and thus will whiteboard better code during the interview.

If over the phone, expect a Google Docs session. If in person, expect an actual whiteboard.

My interviewer asked me a question that involved using a binary tree to solve an optimization problem, which I was very prepared for.

What threw me off guard was how the tree was being used for the problem.

Expect to see familiar things presented to you in a potentially new light.