Google Software Engineer interview questions and process

Updated · 14 sources

Hiring Pulse: where Google candidates are right now

Dated status reports from public Reddit threads and anonymous PortLume reports, updated Oct 18. Not official Google data.

  • 88 status reports in the last 7 days
  • 7 days: median from final interview to a decision (10 people)
  • Latest movement: 10 offers, 11 rejections, 14 final rounds reported since Oct 11

Latest Google hiring reports

Candidates rate the Google Software Engineer interview Hard: Multiple first-person reports describe LeetCode-style rounds where even a working backtracking solution was not enough, and one candidate was rejected four times despite interviewers praising their DSA skills. Reports describe 6 rounds, from Recruiter screen to Team matching, with about 4-8 weeks including team matching, longer in smaller markets from first call to offer.

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Google Software Engineer interview rounds

  1. Recruiter screen: Recruiter call sets level expectations and schedules the screen; one Warsaw candidate was told they'd be considered for both SWE 2 and 3.
  2. Technical phone screen
  3. Onsite coding rounds (2-3)
  4. Googlyness / behavioral round
  5. Hiring Committee review
  6. Team matching

Questions reported in Google Software Engineer interviews

  1. Fill a matrix based on a given strategy (screening round, Warsaw SWE 2/3).
  2. Find the minimum path to reach the end of a matrix given obstacles (DP-based, onsite round 1).
  3. Create a matrix from a given matrix based on some condition, solvable with a priority queue (heap-based, onsite round 2).

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Google Software Engineer interview: quick answers

How many rounds are in the Google Software Engineer interview?

Public reports describe 6 rounds for the Google Software Engineer interview: (1) Recruiter screen, (2) Technical phone screen, (3) Onsite coding rounds, (4) Googlyness / behavioral round, (5) Hiring Committee review, (6) Team matching. Round 1: Recruiter call sets level expectations and schedules the screen; one Warsaw candidate was told they'd be considered for both SWE 2 and 3.

Is the Google interview difficult?

Public reports put the Google Software Engineer interview at Hard difficulty. Multiple first-person reports describe LeetCode-style rounds where even a working backtracking solution was not enough, and one candidate was rejected four times despite interviewers praising their DSA skills. The process has 6 rounds, from Recruiter screen to Team matching.

Does Google ask DSA?

Yes. Rounds that involve coding: Onsite coding rounds (2-3). Reported coding questions include "Fill a matrix based on a given strategy (screening round, Warsaw SWE 2/3)". Structured LeetCode-style coding rounds scored individually, followed by a committee review and team matching rather than a single hiring manager decision.

How long does Google take to give results?

Time to a result for the Google Software Engineer process, per public reports: 4-8 weeks including team matching, longer in smaller markets. The process has 6 rounds, from Recruiter screen to Team matching. Based on 14 public reports, last updated Sep 2026.

Sources

Based on 14 public reports: YouTube (8), LeetCode Discuss (6), last updated Sep 2026.

Compiled by Adarsh Sharma from public candidate reports. Unofficial guide: PortLume AI is not affiliated with Google.

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