RejectedL4 at Google
- Difficulty
- Process took
- 4-5 Weeks
- Rounds
- 5
- Format
- Remote
- Applied via
- Company Website
How it went
- You don't need to solve 500+ problems; solving 150 quality problems is enough.
What they would tell you
- You don't need to solve 500+ problems; solving 150 quality problems is enough.
How to prepare
- For DSA rounds, ensure you are comfortable with graph, dynamic programming, and other common data structures like heaps, queues, and hashmaps.
- Communication is Key
Their background
I wanted to share my experience with Google’s L4 interview process for a backend engineering position. I’ve been working in the IT industry for over 5 years, and this was my first time interviewing with Google. While I wasn’t selected, I learned a lot along the way, and I think it could be valuable for others to hear about the process.
Round by round
- 1
Phone Screen30 min
A problem on multi-source BFS, the interviewer asked how the algorithm would behave under different constraints, and I had to tweak the solution accordingly.
- 2
DSA 160 min
The first onsite round focused on graphs. The problem involved comparing BFS and DFS approaches for a given problem. This was a pretty standard problem for anyone familiar with graph traversal techniques. Follow-up The interviewer then asked about the longest path in an undirected graph. It required me to implement the algorithm using BFS or DFS while keeping track of the paths length.
- 3
DSA 260 min
The interviewer gave me a problem, lots of requests coming into a backend, all at once, from different servers. What would I do? I explained how I would use queues, make sure important requests get done first, and use caching so nothing is missed. I shared some ideas, and it felt like two people working together, not an interview.
- 4
DSA 360 min
When I started this round, the question was all about finding groups in a graph where everything is connected. I needed to count these groups and see how large they were. The interviewer wanted ideas for different situations, sometimes the graph had loads of links, sometimes just a few. We then talked about how to spot special designs in the graph and search faster if the data is really big.
- 5
Googliness & Leadership60 min
The last interview was called the Googliness round, all about tech skills and how you work with others. At first, the interviewer gave me a coding problem by mistake, but then we switched to talking about a project I made. For behavior, I got asked about a time I disagreed with a teammate, how I helped a new intern settle in, and how I handled a tough deadline with my team. They also wanted to know about a time I dealt with feedback on my work. Most of the chat was about teamwork and being a good communicator, not just coding.
What came up
A candidate-reported account, lightly edited. Interview processes change by team and date.