Google Interview Experience For L5 Engineer

Google L5 engineer first-round experience

Attending a DSA (Data Structures and Algorithms) round at Google can be both exhilarating and challenging. During the interview process, candidates often encounter a variety of questions designed to assess their problem-solving abilities and understanding of fundamental concepts. One such question I encountered recently was about converting postfix expressions to infix expressions, which is a common problem in computer science and programming interviews.

Postfix notation is a notation in which every operator follows all of its operands. In contrast, infix notation places operators between operands. Converting from postfix to infix can be done using a stack data structure to keep track of operands and operators. The process involves scanning the postfix expression from left to right, performing operations based on the encountered elements, and constructing the corresponding infix expression.

You can find the question and answer here:

https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/postfix-to-infix/

However, the challenge doesn’t end with the basic conversion. During my interview, the interviewer posed a follow-up question that pushed the boundaries of my problem-solving skills. They asked me to reduce the number of brackets used in the resulting infix expression. This additional requirement introduced a new layer of complexity to the problem.

Reducing the number of brackets in the infix expression while ensuring its correctness requires careful consideration of operator precedence and associativity. It involves finding opportunities to eliminate redundant brackets without changing the order of operations. This task demands a deep understanding of infix notation and the properties of arithmetic operators. Despite my efforts, I found this follow-up question to be extremely difficult. It challenged me to think creatively and critically about how to optimize the conversion process while maintaining the integrity of the expression. While I was unable to provide a satisfactory solution during the interview, it served as a valuable learning experience.

Reflecting on this experience, I realized the importance of thorough preparation and practice in tackling challenging interview questions.

In conclusion, participating in the DSA round at Google was a valuable opportunity to test my abilities and learn from new challenges. While the postfix to infix conversion posed its own set of difficulties, the follow-up question pushed me to explore new approaches and think outside the box. It reinforced the importance of continuous learning and adaptation in the ever-evolving landscape of technical interviews.