Google | Software Engineer | Coding and Behavioral Interview
Timeline: 2026(Jan - Mar) • Fulltime • NewGrad • 
Waiting for result
The interview process for the Software Engineer position at Google was structured in two parts: a coding challenge followed by behavioral questions.
In the coding challenge, I was given two problems to solve in a limited time. They primarily focused on algorithms and data structures, requiring me to demonstrate my problem-solving skills effectively.
The behavioral section included questions about my experiences and approaches to team projects. I had to discuss how I collaborated with peers in past roles and handle conflicts within a team setting. Overall, the interviewers were friendly and encouraged me to think out loud while solving problems, which made the experience less stressful.
Interview Questions
Robot Grid Distance Challenge
Given a grid containing ‘0’ for empty cells, ‘1’ for obstacles, and ‘2’ for the robot’s starting position, find the distance to reach the nearest ‘0’ cell. The robot can move up, down, left, or right.
Difficulty: Medium | Reference: LC-123 | Tags: Grid, Search
Arithmetic Expression Simplification
Given an arithmetic expression in the form of a string, simplify the expression by eliminating unnecessary parentheses and simplifying constants.
Difficulty: Medium | Reference: LC-456 | Tags: Expression, Math
Tree Distance Sum Problem
Given a binary tree, calculate the sum of distances from each node to every other node in the tree.
Difficulty: Hard | Reference: LC-789 | Tags: Tree, DFS