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GOOGLE · SDE 1

Google SDE 1 interview

The SDE 1 (entry-level software engineer) level at Google is L3 Software Engineer II, for new grads and engineers with up to about 2 years of experience. The rounds at this level, how each one is scored, and the questions to practise first.

From public candidate reports and Google's careers pages, checked November 2026. Processes vary by team. AlgoRung is not affiliated with Google.

Track my Google prep
Google titleL3 Software Engineer II
ExperienceNew grads and engineers with up to about 2 years of experience
Interviews after screeningAbout 5
System design roundUsually not

The SDE 1 rounds, in order

  1. Online assessment · 90 min

    Some candidates, often from referrals or recruiter outreach, get the Google Hiring Assessment (a survey-style questionnaire) and an easy coding test before any live interview.

    At SDE 1: The main filter for new grads and campus drives. Expect two medium problems, sometimes one hard. Passing all test cases on both usually gets you to the next round.

  2. Phone / recruiter screen · 45 min

    One live data-structures-and-algorithms problem, sometimes two, in a shared doc with no code execution; a second screen is added only when the first gives too little signal.

    At SDE 1: Usually one medium problem. Explain your idea before coding and test by hand at the end.

  3. Coding (DSA) × 3 · 45 min

    Junior loops are mostly coding (about 3 rounds); senior loops drop to about 2 as design rounds take their place, and some prompts ask you to build a small class with several methods.

    At SDE 1: The largest part of the loop: often three coding rounds. Medium problems, sometimes one hard. Correct, clean code and clear reasoning matter more than speed.

  4. AI-assisted coding · 45 min

    A pilot reported in May 2026 for some US junior and mid-level loops swaps one coding round for a code-comprehension round where you read, debug and optimize an existing codebase with Gemini available.

    At SDE 1: Focus on reading unfamiliar code quickly and fixing the bug correctly. Explain every line you accept from the AI.

  5. Behavioral · 45 min

    The Googleyness and Leadership round uses STAR-style questions on ambiguity, conflict and learning; the 2026 pilot adds a technical talk-through of a past project.

    At SDE 1: Stories from internships, projects or your first job are fine. Show learning, ownership and teamwork.

  6. Team match · 30 min

    You talk with managers who have open headcount, both sides have to opt in, and this step now usually comes before the hiring committee review.

    At SDE 1: Mostly about whether the packet clears the bar; team match can take a few weeks.

  7. Hiring committee

    A panel of Googlers who did not interview you reviews the full packet and decides hire or no-hire and the level, so passing the onsite does not guarantee an offer.

    At SDE 1: Mostly about whether the packet clears the bar; team match can take a few weeks.

What Google interviewers look for

Behavioral rounds are based on the Googleyness and Leadership, plus the four hiring attributes: General Cognitive Ability, Role-Related Knowledge and Experience, Leadership, Googleyness. Questions for each one.

Coding questions to practise for Google SDE 1

The largest part of the loop: often three coding rounds. Medium problems, sometimes one hard. Correct, clean code and clear reasoning matter more than speed.

Difficulty
Topic
12 questions
  1. Implement Trie (Prefix Tree) Medium Tries
  2. Decode String Medium Stack also Microsoft
  3. Minimum Window Substring Hard Arrays & Hashing also Meta, LinkedIn, Oracle
  4. Word Ladder Hard Graphs also Amazon, LinkedIn
  5. Binary Tree Maximum Path Sum Hard Trees & BST also Amazon, Adobe
  6. Lowest Common Ancestor of a Binary Tree Medium Trees & BST also Meta, Netflix, Atlassian +1
  7. Course Schedule Medium Graphs also Amazon, Netflix, Uber +1
  8. Cheapest Flights Within K Stops Medium Graphs also Airbnb, Flipkart, Swiggy
  9. Longest Common Subsequence Medium Dynamic Programming
  10. Coin Change Medium Dynamic Programming also Airbnb, Goldman Sachs, Salesforce
  11. Maximal Square Medium Dynamic Programming
  12. Evaluate Reverse Polish Notation Medium Stack

How the coding round is scored · The online assessment

Design at SDE 1

Formal system design usually starts at L5. At L4, design ideas show up inside coding rounds, and staff candidates may get two design rounds. Prompts lean toward Google-scale products and infrastructure: Docs, Maps, YouTube, search and indexing, job scheduling.

All Google system design questions

Questions people ask

How many rounds are in the Google SDE 1 interview?

About 5 interviews after the screening: online assessment, phone / recruiter screen, coding (dsa), ai-assisted coding, behavioral, team match, hiring committee.

Is there a system design round for Google SDE 1?

Usually not as a separate round. Formal system design usually starts at L5. At L4, design ideas show up inside coding rounds, and staff candidates may get two design rounds. Prompts lean toward Google-scale products and infrastructure: Docs, Maps, YouTube, search and indexing, job scheduling.

What coding questions does Google ask at SDE 1?

The same question pool is used across levels; the bar rises with level. Most reported: Implement Trie (Prefix Tree), Decode String, Minimum Window Substring, Word Ladder, Binary Tree Maximum Path Sum.

What does Google expect in coding rounds at SDE 1?

The largest part of the loop: often three coding rounds. Medium problems, sometimes one hard. Correct, clean code and clear reasoning matter more than speed.

SDE 1 interviews at other companies

SDE 1 interview questions across all companies · Behavioral questions