Every time, we crop up with newer doubts, Google had always had our back. However, this needs the required calibre to be capable of answering all of it. This is why Google is very selective when it comes to picking the most deserving candidates. Their selection process makes Google one of the topmost reliable website of all times.
The recruitment process in Google firm is long and hectic. However, once you crack it, there is no looking back. So, the process of Selection Phases & Rounds are as follows:
| Phases | Rounds |
| Phone/Hangouts interviews | 2 |
| Onsite interviews | – |
| Coding | 2 to 4 rounds |
| Design | Utmost 2 rounds |
Google Interview Questions
Now, let us get into the most frequently asked questions in a Google interview round. We have selected 21 such questions that have the highest probability to be asked in this year’s interview.
Q 1. We have seen that manhole covers always come in round shapes. Are there any chances of the manhole coming in some other shape, for example, say, Rectangle or Squares?
Ans. The answer should be No. The manholes are in round shapes for a particular reason that is only round-shaped manhole covers cannot slip and fall into the manhole whereas, any other shaped say, rectangle or square, they can very easily slip into the manhole and cause disasters later on.
Q 2. What do you mean by a two sum problem? What are the different ways with which we can solve it?
Ans. The two sum problem is a different version of the subset sum problem. This sum revolves around determining all the pairs of two integers from an unsorted array that sum up to obtain a sum, which is S.
For instance, if the unsorted array is [32, 44, 56, -2, -14, -26, 16, 14] and the sum (S) is 30, then the program must return [32, -2], [44, -14], [16, 14] & [56, -26].
Solution 1 (Normal): The simplified solution to this problem is to look through the entire array and continue doing the same, but try and determine a pair that totals to the sum S.
Solution 2 (Faster): This approach determines the object by making use of the hash tables. While scrolling through each of the elements of the array, the method scrutinises if S – the current element, exists in the hash table or not. Hence, we need to look through the array only once.
Q 3. Which of the following ones does not belong to the respective series?
- [a, b, e, g]
- [a, k, b, n]
- [z, v, a, b]
- [p, r, q, t]
Ans. The p, r, q, t] doesn’t belong to the respective series. The remaining three sets are a part of the respective series because all of them have the [a, b] subset in common.
Q 4. What do you mean by DEADBEEF?
Ans. DEADBEEF adheres to the hexadecimal numerical representation of the 32-bit number, 3735928559. It was used during the assembly/mainframe times as a magic debug value. The DEADBEEF makes it a lot easier to identify when finding and marking specific memory in pages of the hex dumps.
Q 5. Explain the algorithm behind finding the power set of a given set.
The power set of a given set is defined as a set that consists of all the possible combinations of the elements, that is, all the subsets of a given set, and an empty set along with the given set itself. For example, if S = [0, 1, 2, 3, 4] is the given set, then its power set will be:
P[S] = [[], [0], [1], [2], [3], [4], [0, 1], [0, 2], [0, 3], [0, 4], [1, 2], [1, 3], [1, 4], [2, 3], [2,4], [3, 4], [0, 1, 2], [0, 1, 3], [0, 1, 4], [0, 2, 3], [0, 2, 4], [1, 2, 3, 4], [0, 1, 2, 3, 4]].
The Algorithm for determining the power set of a given set is worked out as For a set with N number of elements, the total subsets will be 2N. Therefore, the algorithm for determining the power set of a given set contains the following steps:
- Step 1: Search from 0 to 2N.
- Step 2: For each number, obtain the binary representation. Say, for example, four is represented as 0100 in binary.
- Step 3: Using this binary representation, check whether you should include a number from the set or not, e.g., 0100 = [exclude, include, exclude, exclude]
Q 6. Is it possible that we obtain 4 on subtracting five minus two equals? If yes, then how?
Ans. Yes, it is possible to obtain so if we remove the two alphabets, that is, f and e from five, we get iv. This is the Roman numeral representation of the number 4.
Q 7. Suppose that you have an input string 1??0, where ? is a wildcard. Explain the accurate algorithm to find all probable combinations of the string.
Ans. So the input string is 1??0. Now, the first and the last number is fixed. The middle two numbers are wildcards, which means that they can be either 0 or 1.
Algorithm for finding all the probable combinations of the given string:
- Step 1: Let’s start by calling the function with an empty set and a string (where we will push 0s and 1s).
- Step 2: Once the control reaches? wildcard make a copy of each of the string set and add 0 for one half and 1 for the other half.
- Step 3: Continue doing this recurringly calling the function with a smaller string until the string goes empty.
For the 1??0 Input string, the algorithm operates like this:
Initial set = [] (The empty set which was called in Step 1)
1st character = 1, so set = [1]
2nd character = ?(wildcard), hence a copy of each of the string sets will be made that is, [1], [1]. Next, 0 is added to half of the sets and 1 to the other half of the set. Hence, we have the set = [1, 0], [1, 1]
3rd character = ?(wildcard), hence, once again a copy of each of the string sets will be made that is, [1,0], [1,0], [1, 1], [1,1]. Next, 0 is added to one half of the string sets and 1 to the other remaining half of the string sets. Hence, we obtain the set = [1, 0, 0], [1, 1, 0], [1, 0, 1], [1, 1, 1]
4th character = 0, therefore, the final set is [1, 0, 0, 0], [1,0, 1, 0], [1, 1, 0, 0], [1, 1, 1, 0].
Q 8. For the following list of the location coordinates, [[1, 3], [2, 5], [5, 7]], is the interval (3, 7) covered by them? What do you think about the same interval in the list [[2, 3], [3, 4], [5, 6], [6, 7]]?
Ans. Point 3 to 7 are entirely covered in the list [[1, 3], [2, 5], [5, 7]] because point 2 to 5 and point 5 to 7 are covered. However, the points 3 to 7 aren’t covered in the list [[2, 3], [3, 4], [5, 6], [6, 7]]. This is because the distance between points 4 to 5 is not covered here.
Q 9. An aeroplane got crashed, resulting in the injury of every single person on the plane except two. Is it in any way possible?
Ans. This is possible because those two persons were married and not single like others on the aeroplane. So, they also got injured in the process, but not as single people.
Q 10. If the day before yesterday is three days just after Saturday, then what day is it today?
Answer: Three days after Saturday is Tuesday. Hence, the day before yesterday is Tuesday. So:
- The day before yesterday was Wednesday, and
- Yesterday was a Thursday
Therefore, today is a Friday.
Q 11. How can you get 10000 by adding only 8?
An. To get 10000 only by adding 8, we have to add 8 three times, then 88, and finally 888, and now by adding all these we get:
8 + 8 + 8 + 88 + 888 = 10000
Q 12. In the series 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 13, 21, which is the number that doesn’t belong to it?
Ans. The Fibonacci series represents the numbers that are the sum of the previous two numbers. The number 4 does not belong to the series as the remaining is the Fibonacci sequence, that is, 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21.
Q 13. How can you predict the score of a football match even before it begins and turns out to be correct every single time?
Ans. Let’s suppose, the score is 0-0 when the match begins. It has to be true for every football match as it will be the opening condition of all the matches.
Q 14. A car is driving at the rate of 100 mph on a highway. What shall be the speed of each wheel when they touch the ground? Will it remain the same when the car is travelling at 120 mph?
Ans. No matter what the speed of the car is, the wheels will have 0 mph speed at any time while it touches the ground. This is because while it’s rolling, the wheel moves in two directions:
- Rotationally, around its centre,
- And Horizontally, in the direction of the moving car.
At the point of contact, both the motions of the wheels cancel out each other. This results in a net speed of 0 mph concerning the ground.
Q 15. Using the mathematical operations +, -, *, and / on 3, 3, 7, 7, obtain 24.
Ans. First, divide three by seven and then add 3 to it. Then, multiply the result with 7 to get 24 that is,
7 x ((3/7) + 3) = 24.
Q 16. Why do you think you want to join Google?
Well, it is not necessary to present the list of all privileges in this answer, rather try to indulge your interest in the job. It is highly appreciated by everyone that Google treats its employees with huge respect and support by helping them with innovations. You should be able to convince the interviewer that the skills you possess are best suited for that particular job at Google.
Q 17. Which tools are available for Google+ users to boost overall productivity and efficiency and deal with profile management?
Ans. Some tools like Circlecount.com and Gplusdata.com can provide excellent intelligence along with major assistance in profile management for all of your posts. It also provides support to the pages or posts that are managed by you.
Q 18. What do you prefer the most between learning and earning?
Through this question, it would be evaluated if you are more consistent with improving your skills and knowledge or you are more inclined towards making money. Make sure that if you are looking out to work at Google, you have to convince the employers that you will be immensely committed to improvement and knowledge gain. Present an answer which will balance both your inclination towards work and money.
Q 19. In Google maps how are you going you calculate the route between two different Street addresses?
Ans. For this question, you just have to pay utmost attention to the fact that at Google e-scale, this is a viable option for a solution. For this type of question, major significance is given to the calculations with almost identical geographies. This is nothing but a thought-provoking question that can confuse you.
Q 20. Suppose that Tom is a 16-year-old boy and he is 4 times older than his brother Jon. How old would Tom be when he will be twice as old as that of his brother?
Ans. It is given that Tom is 16 years old and he is 4 times older than his brother Jon. At the present, the age of Jon will be (16/4 =4). Therefore, the age of his brother is 4 years. Now, if Tom is double the age of that of his brother when Jon is 12 years old, which means Tom’s age will be 12×2 = 24?
Therefore, when Tom will be 24 years old, the age of his brother Jon will be 12.
Q 21. Given that there are 8 balls, 7 balls are equal in weight by the one ball is quite heavier than the rest. How are you going to you figure out which one is heavier with the usage of a balance?
Ans. Out of the total balls, take 6 balls separately; now arrange 3 balls on each side of the balance. If they weigh the same, then you will know that the heavier ball is included in the remaining 2 and if they don’t weigh the same, then the heavier ball is among the 6 balls.
Download the list of questions in .PDF format, to practice with them later, or to use them on your interview template (if you want to crack Google Interview):
Conclusion
This article is focused mainly on providing beneficial information upon various probable interview questions which one will come across if he/she is an aspirant of Google teamwork. We hope that this article will surely guide you on a comprehensive basis. Let us know in the comments section below how valuable you found the information to be and if any other detailed information you are eager to know.
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