I recently gave an interview for Google (Bangalore, India office) for the L3/L4 position. YOE: 2.8

🧠 **Telephonic Round**:
Started as a string parsing problem — convert a 12hr time format. I chose to convert it into minutes. The problem evolved with new constraints into a DP problem (coin change style).

🧪 **Round 1 (DSA)**:
Given 'n' islands with values, find 3 directly connected islands (A, B, C) such that the sum of values is maximum. Used BFS and graph traversal with sorted adjacency lists.

🔁 **Round 2 (DSA + LLD)**:
Design a user model for a social media platform and build a friendship recommendation system. My internet fluctuated — this affected the round negatively.

📈 **Round 3 (Advanced Graph)**:
Graph problem using a map-of-maps: adj[1] = {"type1": [2], "type2": [5,6]}. Heavy discussion on data structures. This round went well.

💬 **Round 4 (Googliness)**:
Standard behavioral round.

📬 **Final**:
Was offered L3. Recruiter said I bombed one round, but compensation was good and I'm planning to join.

Applied for Meta Frontend Engineer position. YOE: 3.5

📞 **Phone Screen**:
React component optimization problem. Had to implement a virtualized list component with performance considerations.

💻 **Round 1 (Frontend Coding)**:
Build a real-time chat interface with React. Focus on state management, WebSocket integration, and responsive design.

🏗️ **Round 2 (System Design)**:
Design a news feed system frontend architecture. Discussed caching strategies, infinite scroll, and performance optimization.

🎯 **Round 3 (JavaScript Deep Dive)**:
Advanced JavaScript concepts - closures, prototypes, async/await, and browser APIs. Also covered accessibility best practices.

🤝 **Behavioral Round**:
Standard Meta behavioral questions focusing on impact and collaboration.

✅ **Result**:
Got the offer! Great team culture and exciting projects ahead.

Fresh graduate interview experience at Amazon. YOE: 0

💻 **Online Assessment**:
Two coding problems - one easy array manipulation and one medium tree traversal. Completed both within time limit.

🔧 **Round 1 (DSA)**:
Implement LRU Cache from scratch. Had to optimize for both time and space complexity. Interviewer was helpful with hints.

📊 **Round 2 (System Design + Coding)**:
Design a URL shortener service and implement the core logic. Discussed database design and scaling considerations.

🎯 **Round 3 (Leadership Principles)**:
Heavy focus on Amazon's leadership principles. Asked about times I showed ownership, customer obsession, and bias for action.

👨‍💼 **Bar Raiser Round**:
Most challenging round. Complex graph problem with multiple constraints. Couldn't complete the optimal solution in time.

❌ **Result**:
Didn't get the offer. Feedback was that I need more practice with complex algorithms and system design fundamentals.