Google | Interview experiences with Preparation Strategy | L4 | 2022 | Set-62

Question

Answer 1

Background:

 

YEO: 5
Previous company: US Based HR startup

 

---

 

HR reached out to me through LinkedIn. Gave me 1 month prep time for Phone Screen, and 3 weeks (not negotiable more than 3 according to her) for onsites

 

1. Phone Screen round:

 

1.a Find all shortest routes for nodes in the given input order.
2->
1-> 4->5
3->

 

Find route from 1 5
O/p 1 2 3 5
1 2 4 5
1
^
|
5 -> 4
^ |
| v
2 <- 3
input 5 2 4
output 5 4 3 2 5 4

 

1.b Find all routes for given trajectory (not just shortest)

 

2. First Onsite round:

 

https://leetcode.com/problems/parallel-courses-ii/
Feedback: Hire

 

3. Second round:

 

Don't exaclty remeber the question, but it was 1D version of famous 2048 game.
Feedback: Hire

 

4. Third Round:

 

https://leetcode.com/problems/meeting-rooms-iii/
I was giving wrong answer to this. Didn't find the edge case which would have proved my solution to be wrong. And all this time interviewer never even hinted me that i'm giving wrong answer :-( .
Feedback: No Hire

 

All the onsites were scheduled in a week, with 1 interview, 1 day. Recieved HR call a day after that. Team match was done within 4 days as I was immediate joinee.

 

Compensation:

 

https://leetcode.com/discuss/compensation/2755625/google-l4-october-2022-india-offer/1665483

 

Preparation Strategy:

 

I gave Google interview in 2020, and from the experience decided how I'll study

 

1. Google top 50 mentioned on Leetcode are not a good way to start with. Never did those, as found them very hard.
2. Focused on all algorithms of Graph. https://leetcode.com/discuss/general-discussion/655708/graph-for-beginners-problems-pattern-sample-solutions/
   Did each and every question mentioned in this page.
3. In one go i did similar questions, so that my brain memorises the pattern.
4. Apart from Graph, I focused on Array, Priority Queue and Greedy Questions ( Found this pattern after Analysing past 2 months interview experiences mentioned on Leetcode). All this i figured out, before starting my preparation.
5. Religiously followed this, and "NOTHING ELSE".
   https://leetcode.com/discuss/general-discussion/665604/Important-and-Useful-links-from-all-over-the-LeetCode
6. Before writing code, I used to guess time and space complexity, as in Google interviews you have to share that before your write your code.
7. Didn't give weekly contests, as i was preparing for Google interviews, and not to improve my coding skills (I have to be honest about this).