Start practising

GOOGLE · SDE 2

Google SDE 2 interview

The SDE 2 (mid-level software engineer) level at Google is L4 Software Engineer III, for engineers with about 2 to 5 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 titleL4 Software Engineer III
ExperienceEngineers with about 2 to 5 years of experience
Interviews after screeningAbout 5
System design roundUsually not

The SDE 2 rounds, in order

  1. 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 2: One or two problems, a little faster. Some companies mix in a design question.

  2. 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 2: Two or three rounds at medium to hard level. You are expected to reach the optimal approach with fewer hints and to test without being asked.

  3. 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 2: Expected to move through all stages and test as you go.

  4. 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 2: Stories should show you owning features end to end and handling conflict maturely.

  5. 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 2: Committees can down-level you instead of rejecting.

  6. 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 2: Committees can down-level you instead of rejecting.

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 2

Two or three rounds at medium to hard level. You are expected to reach the optimal approach with fewer hints and to test without being asked.

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 2

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 2 interview?

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

Is there a system design round for Google SDE 2?

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 2?

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 2?

Two or three rounds at medium to hard level. You are expected to reach the optimal approach with fewer hints and to test without being asked.

SDE 2 interviews at other companies

SDE 2 interview questions across all companies · Behavioral questions