Ivy League

Role: Software Engineer

College: Not Specified

Interview Date: Not Specified (experience posted 2025-07-23)

Interview Type: Full-Time

Result: Selected

Difficulty: Medium-Hard

Rounds: 3 rounds

Topics Asked: Data Structures, Algorithms, Problem-solving, Strings, Linked Lists, Dynamic Programming, System Design (databases, microservices, load balancing, caching)

Experience:

The candidate, Vaibhav Pandey, shared an exciting and fulfilling interview journey with Google for a Software Engineer role.

Round 1: Technical Screening

This round was conducted over a video call by a senior Google engineer. Questions focused on data structures, algorithms, and problem-solving. Specific questions included: "Implement a function to find the intersection of two arrays" and "Given a binary tree, find the maximum depth of the tree." The interviewer was friendly and made the candidate comfortable.

Round 2: In-person Coding and Problem-Solving Session

This round involved challenging coding problems on a whiteboard. Questions covered topics such as strings, linked lists, and dynamic programming. An example question given was: "Given a string, find the longest palindromic substring." The interviewer encouraged a collaborative thought process.

Round 3: System Design

In this round, the candidate was presented with a real-world scenario and asked to design a scalable and efficient system. Discussions revolved around components like databases, microservices, load balancing, and caching. The interviewer challenged design choices and provided constructive feedback.

Overall, the experience was intense yet fulfilling, with knowledgeable and supportive interviewers. The candidate received positive feedback and an offer.