Build, test, explain
Clarify an original problem, implement a solution, test boundaries and explain complexity. Choose your language and practice time in the workspace.
Open coding round →BIG TECH / COMPANY-STYLE PRACTICE
Google-style preparation
Solve unfamiliar algorithm problems aloud. Explain assumptions, alternatives and complexity before optimizing.
14 original exercises selected by ResumeWorlds. These are preparation suggestions, with no claim that Google asked these questions or endorses ResumeWorlds.
Why these topics?
A Google engineer recommends algorithm preparation and explaining thought processes aloud. It is individual published advice, not a comprehensive current hiring policy or a list of questions asked.
Read the public preparation source →Source reviewed 2026-10-10. Role and interview formats can vary; confirm your actual process with your recruiter.
A useful practice round
Choose a coding exercise, explain the approach aloud, implement it and test edge cases. Then explain time and space complexity. For design, write assumptions, compare alternatives and respond to the pressure round. Runtime results require the isolated runner to be available.
Customize and save your round sequence →
Read, repair, verify
Work with intentionally faulty code. Find a counterexample, review your diff and verify the repair with the isolated runner. Record how you evaluated AI coaching.
Open read & repair →Design under pressure
State assumptions, compare architectures and respond to a changing constraint. Existing cited coaching stays separate from executed code correctness.
Open design scenario →Company-style selections are editorial practice suggestions. View topics and source →
14 of 14 original questions
Rain storage between walls
Walls have unit width and nonnegative integer heights. Return the total water trapped after rain.
First positive inventory gap
Return the smallest positive integer absent from the supplied values.
Twice the merged median
Return TWICE the median of two nondecreasing arrays, so the output remains an integer. For even length add the two central values; for odd length double the central value.
Largest histogram cover
Each bar has width one. Return the largest rectangular area lying completely under consecutive histogram bars.
Target glyph subsequence count
Count indexed subsequences of the first input equal to the second input. Return the count modulo 1,000,000,007.
Shortest glyph coverage window
Return the shortest contiguous source window containing every target glyph with at least its target multiplicity. Return 0 if no covering window exists.
Count valid dependency orders
Count vertex permutations in which every directed edge u→v places u before v. Cyclic inputs have zero orders.
Minimum network wiring cost
Edges are undirected. Return the cheapest total edge cost connecting all vertices, or -1 if impossible. A one-vertex network costs zero.
Mutual reachability groups
Count strongly connected components of a directed graph. Every pair of vertices within one group can reach each other.
Maximum mentor assignment matching
Assign left-side learners to compatible right-side mentors. Each learner and mentor may appear in at most one assignment. Return the maximum assignment count.
Fair API rate limits
Limit API usage across free and paid tenants while retaining clear retry behavior.
Product catalog search
Search products by text, category and price while preserving stock freshness.
Structured log ingestion
Collect application logs for tenant-scoped debugging and retention.
Distributed task leases
Coordinate workers so a task has one valid lease holder at a time.