Google New Grad Bay Area Onsite: Master-Sequence Consistency and Search Suggestions

Role: Software Engineer, New Grad
Result: Entered Team Match
Report time: February 2026
Onsite location: Bay Area

The candidate completed two onsite coding rounds in late January and entered Team Match on February 9.

Coding round 1: common master sequence

Given two subsequences, determine whether there exists some master sequence whose relative ordering is consistent with both. The master sequence itself is not provided.

The follow-up extends the decision to n subsequences. The candidate modeled ordering constraints as a directed graph and used topological sorting.

The source does not say whether the hidden master sequence may contain duplicate values. A commenter asked, but the candidate did not answer.

Practice: Can Subsequences Share One Master Sequence?

Coding round 2: search suggestions

The second problem resembled LeetCode 1268, Search Suggestions System. The candidate used a trie for prefix suggestions.

The follow-up asked for a solution without a trie, and the candidate used binary search over lexicographically sorted products. Both versions were completed quickly, leaving about ten minutes at the end.

Practice: Lexicographic Search Suggestions

The first interviewer gave almost no verbal feedback, while the second interviewer communicated smoothly. Despite feeling uncertain about the first round, the candidate passed the onsite.