@google | Software Engineer | Interview Experience
Interview Date: Not specified
Result: Not specified
Difficulty: Not specified
Interview Process
I had my Tech Phone Screen interview with Google where I was asked the Tree Distance Sum Problem. The interview lasted about 45 minutes. Initially, the interviewer introduced himself and explained the format of the interview. He then asked me about my background and experiences. After that, he presented me with the problem statement: “Given a binary tree, calculate the sum of distances between all pairs of nodes.” I was asked to explain my thought process before diving into coding.
I took a moment to think through the problem and outlined my approach. The interviewer guided me as necessary, which made it easier to tackle the challenges. I implemented a DFS-based solution to calculate the distances. I explained each part of my code as I wrote it and answered a couple of follow-up questions on optimization and edge cases. Overall, I felt the interview went smoothly, and I was relieved to get a positive outcome!
Technical Questions
- Tree Distance Sum Problem (DFS, Tree)
Tips & Insights
- Take time to think through the problem before coding.
- Clearly explain your thought process and code as you write it.
- Be prepared for follow-up questions regarding optimizations and edge cases.