In terms of difficulty, what you find online gives you a pretty good idea of what you will need to prepare. I found the process incredibly slow until I had other offers on the table. After mentioning the other offers, it sped up a little, but mostly I felt I was just being strung along.

I first spoke to a recruiter and was given an automated coding test. After passing, I was connected with a different recruiter. This recruiter asked a few questions, then set up two more rigorous coding interviews. In these, I was matched with two different Google engineers and asked to "whiteboard" on a shared Google Doc.

I've been told that after those two interviews, there is normally a third before the application packet is sent to the first hiring committee. However, I only completed those two interviews.

After the hiring committee, you are sent to "host matching," where you wait in limbo for a while. Your packet is at the bottom of the pile when you are first sent to host matching, so you will likely wait a few weeks before your recruiter contacts you to interview for a team. After a few interviews, you rank your preferences, and the team does the same. If you get a match, your packet is sent to another hiring committee. If you pass that, a VP reviews it and signs your contract.

They claim to not care about grades, but they really do.

Why are your grades bad?