These are Algorithms questions of the kind Google actually asks — the patterns reported from Google's AI-engineering rounds, where design trade-offs, scale and failure modes matter as much as definitions. Treat this page as a mock interview: say every answer out loud before revealing it. If one surprises you, the lesson behind it is linked at the bottom.
Google Algorithms concept questions
Find the median of two sorted arrays in O(log(min(m, n))) — the approach, not full code. Why is merging (O(m + n)) not the expected answer?
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Word ladder: transform "hit" into "cog" changing one letter at a time, every intermediate word must be in the dictionary. Find the minimum number of steps. Which algorithm, and what is the graph?
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Google Algorithms applied & hands-on questions
Bars of heights [0,1,0,2,1,0,1,3,2,1,2,1]. After rain, how much water is trapped? Derive the per-position rule, then the O(n)/O(1) two-pointer solution.
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How to use this page: Google rarely asks something you've never seen — they ask a standard Algorithms concept and then push one level deeper ("why?", "what would you do if..."). Master the concept in the Algorithms course lessons, and the follow-up stops being scary.
Keep practising: Binary Search, Dynamic Programming, BFS & DFS and Patterns & Strategy cover what most Google Algorithms rounds test.