Interview LLM

Coding interview guide

Google coding interview: rounds, question types and prep

Google's software engineering interviews are coding-heavy: one or two technical screens, then a panel of several rounds where most of the weight sits on algorithms and clean code. Google publishes an overview of its hiring process; the round-by-round detail below comes from candidate reports, with what changed in 2025 and 2026.

Updated Nov 14, 2026 · 5 min read

Google publishes its hiring process and interview tips, but not its detailed rubrics or question bank. Round counts, tools and topic lists below come from candidate reports and prep sites (sources at the end) and vary by level, team and location. Your recruiter is the authoritative source for your loop.

The Google SWE process, step by step

StageWhat Google saysWhat candidates report
AssessmentsYou may be asked to take the Google Hiring Assessment and, for some roles, "a coding exercise."Not every candidate gets one; your recruiter will say if it applies.
Recruiter conversations"One or two shorter conversations over phone or video" about key skills, the team and your preferences.Expect questions about your experience, level and timeline.
Technical screenNot described separately.About 45 minutes, one or two coding problems in a shared Google Doc or an internal editor with syntax highlighting. A second screen happens if the first was inconclusive.
Interview panel"A panel of interviews, either over video or in person," assessed with "clear rubrics."Usually 4-6 rounds: mostly coding, a Googleyness and Leadership round, and system design for more experienced candidates.
Decision"We take into account a number of perspectives to reach a decision."A hiring committee of engineers and managers who didn't interview you reviews the packet, then team matching.

Google says the process typically takes about 6-8 weeks once interviews start for a specific role.

What Google grades

Google's careers site says every candidate is "assessed using clear rubrics," the same ones for everyone considered for a role, with open-ended questions and no brain teasers. The site doesn't list the rubric itself. Earlier public accounts from Google leaders describe four standard sections on the interview feedback form: general cognitive ability, role-related knowledge, leadership and Googleyness. For a coding round, that translates roughly to:

  • Problem solving: do you clarify the problem, find a sound approach, and reason about time and space complexity?
  • Coding: is the code correct, readable and close to compilable without an IDE?
  • Testing: do you find your own bugs and handle edge cases?
  • Communication: can the interviewer follow your thinking? Google's tips say the interviewer is "looking to see the thought process versus the answer itself."

Candidates and prep sites describe Google as more process-oriented than speed-oriented: getting to the optimal solution with clear reasoning matters more than racing through two problems. Each interviewer reportedly submits written feedback with a score, and the committee reviews the whole packet rather than any single round.

Question styles you should expect

Google coding questions are usually one problem per round with follow-ups that change the constraints ("now the input doesn't fit in memory", "now handle updates"). Topics candidates commonly report:

  • Graphs: BFS and DFS on grids and implicit graphs, topological sort, shortest paths, union-find.
  • Dynamic programming: more common here than at Meta; expect 1D and 2D DP and memoized recursion.
  • Trees and tries: traversals, lowest common ancestor, prefix search.
  • Binary search on sorted data and on the answer, heaps, intervals, hash maps and two pointers.
  • Design-flavored coding: implement a small class or API (an LRU cache, a rate limiter, an iterator) cleanly.

What changed in 2025 and 2026

  • In-person rounds are back for some roles. Google's interview tips now say: "We've reintroduced in-person interviews for some roles. In many cases, you'll complete initial interviews virtually before coming onsite."
  • No AI in standard interviews. Google's hiring page says "AI tools are not permitted to be used during your interviews," and its tips say the same of Google Search.
  • An AI-assisted pilot. In May 2026, Business Insider reported, citing an internal document, that Google is piloting a "code comprehension" round in which candidates use Gemini to read, debug and improve existing code, for early- and mid-career roles on select US teams, starting in the second half of 2026. A Google spokesperson confirmed pilot candidates use Gemini. The same report says the Googleyness and Leadership round adds a technical discussion of your past work. This is a pilot; don't prepare for it unless your recruiter says it's in your loop.

An eight-week prep plan

  1. Weeks 1-3: core patterns. Work through a standard list (see Blind 75 vs NeetCode 150) with extra time on graphs and dynamic programming.
  2. Weeks 4-5: depth and follow-ups. For each problem you solve, ask yourself two follow-ups (bigger input, streaming data, repeated queries) and solve those too.
  3. Week 6: no-IDE practice. Write solutions in a plain doc, with no autocomplete and no run button, then test them by hand. Narrate the whole time.
  4. Week 7: design and behavioral. If you're interviewing above entry level, prepare for system design (see coding vs system design interviews) and write out examples for collaboration, ambiguity and leadership using the STAR structure Google recommends.
  5. Week 8: mocks. Do several 45-minute mocks with a peer, and review your weakest topics.

When practicing alone, a tool like Interview LLM can turn a screenshot of a practice problem into a worked solution with complexity analysis; re-solve it yourself afterward so the pattern sticks.

Sources (checked Nov 14, 2026)

FAQ

Can I use AI tools in a Google interview?

Not in the standard process. Google's careers pages say AI tools and Google Search are not permitted during interviews. A pilot reported in May 2026 lets some candidates use Gemini inside one specific round; if your loop includes it, your recruiter will tell you.

Can I run my code in a Google coding interview?

Usually not. Candidates report writing code in a shared doc or an internal editor without a run button, and interviewers still expect it to be close to syntactically correct.

Does passing the hiring committee mean I have an offer?

Candidates report that approval is followed by team matching, where you and a hiring team both need to opt in. An offer typically follows a successful match.

How long does Google's process take?

Google says about 6-8 weeks once interviews start for a specific role, and that interview decisions can take several weeks. Team matching can add time.