Practise for Google the way the loop is graded: algorithmic coding with no autocomplete, system design from L5, and a Googleyness and Leadership round.
Google software engineering interviews lean heavily on algorithms and data structures. Coding rounds are typically 45 minutes, written in a plain shared editor without autocomplete or the ability to run code, so you need to reason about correctness and complexity rather than lean on a compiler.
Google publishes the four attributes it evaluates: general cognitive ability, role-related knowledge, leadership, and Googleyness. In practice that means coding rounds for every level, system design for L5 and above, and a dedicated Googleyness and Leadership interview about how you work with others and handle ambiguity.
Interviewers write detailed feedback, and a hiring committee reviews the whole packet rather than any single interviewer deciding. Team matching usually happens after the committee step. Timelines and round counts vary by level and location, so treat the steps below as the typical shape.
The typical shape for software engineering roles. Some campus hiring adds an online assessment first.
20-30 min
Background, role and level, and how the process will run.
45 min
One or two coding problems in a shared document. Explain your approach and complexity before and while you code.
4-5 rounds of 45 min
Mostly coding; system design from L5 upward; one Googleyness and Leadership round.
After the loop
A committee reviews all feedback against the level, then you match with a team.
| Level | Typical experience | What the loop emphasises |
|---|---|---|
| L3 (SWE II) | 0-2 years | Coding and algorithms; behavioural fit. |
| L4 (SWE III) | 2-5 years | Stronger coding expectations; design may appear. |
| L5 (Senior SWE) | 5+ years | Coding plus system design and leadership signals. |
| L6 (Staff SWE) | 8+ years | System design depth, technical leadership and scope. |
| L7 (Senior Staff) | 10+ years | Cross-organisation architecture and influence. |
Experience ranges are typical, not requirements.
Google describes four attributes in its hiring guidance. Each maps to something you can practise.
How you break down an unfamiliar problem and reason about it out loud - not trivia.
Data structures, algorithms and, at senior levels, system design and the trade-offs behind it.
Stepping up when needed, at any level - and stepping back to let others lead.
Comfort with ambiguity, collaboration, a bias to action and doing the right thing.
Write correct code by hand-tracing examples, since the editor will not run it for you.
Talking through options and complexity before you commit gives the interviewer evidence to write down.
Every round below can be practised free on InstaMock with scored feedback.
Practise medium and hard problems on graphs, trees, dynamic programming and strings. Solve some without running code and dry-run your solution on paper first.
Practise products at Google scale: video streaming, maps, search suggestions. Lead with requirements and estimates, then defend each component.
Prepare stories about ambiguity, disagreement, helping teammates and learning from a mistake. Keep each specific to what you did.
₹0 · no credit card
DSA, LLD, system design and behavioural rounds with an AI interviewer and a scored feedback report after every one. Take as many as you need.
See the free mock interviews₹499 for 60 minutes · ₹899 for two
A working engineer runs a live round in the Google format, asks the follow-ups, and sends written feedback. Pick a time in the next 7 days, on Google Meet.
Book a sessionUsually a technical screen followed by a loop of four or five 45-minute interviews: mostly coding, system design from L5 upward, and one Googleyness and Leadership round. It varies by level and location.
Typically not. Coding interviews use a plain shared editor without autocomplete or execution, so practise tracing your code by hand and checking edge cases yourself.
A behavioural round about how you work: handling ambiguity, collaborating, disagreeing constructively and taking initiative. Answer with specific stories rather than general statements.
L3 loops focus on coding. A design question may appear at L4, and a full system design round is standard from L5 upward.
A hiring committee reviews the written feedback from every interviewer, so no single interviewer decides. Team matching usually follows the committee step.
Graphs, trees, dynamic programming, recursion and strings come up often, along with arrays and hashing. Clear complexity analysis matters as much as the solution.
Yes. Coding, system design and behavioural rounds are free to practise with an AI interviewer and scored feedback. A live 1:1 round with an engineer costs ₹499, or ₹899 for two.