[khedoros1]

I spend a few minutes a day reading through some problems for a week or two before an interview that I suspect will be challenging. Less if I've been interviewing a lot lately. Who the heck studies for a month for an interview??

[kelvin0]

I have 3 friends who now work at Google. They've put it in at least a couple of months each into studying.

You are in a special category if all it takes you is a 'few minutes a day reading through some problems'?

[khedoros1]

I'm exaggerating. My point is that doing some studying spread out over periods of free time is more practical than using a more concentrated chunk of time where I already have commitments.

I'd also argue that your friends are in a "special category" of their own, if they're willing to devote months of study time into getting a specific job.

[p1esk]

Getting a job at Google means two major changes for 90% of programmers in US:

1. Doubling the salary

2. Working with very smart people on very interesting problems

Each one is worth a couple of months of extra hard work, if you ask me. But if given a choice of doing a cool project for a week, I'd choose that over drilling on red-black trees.

[khedoros1]

Sure, it's worth the time if it pays off with a decent chance of a job. What percentage of programmers in the U.S. who aren't already working there have a decent chance, would you estimate?

[p1esk]

A better question: given that it takes a month of preparation, and given my current experience/knowledge, do I have a decent chance of getting an offer from Google?

I don't really care what are the chances for an average US programmer. If I believe I have a decent chance, I will go through it, because it's worth it for me.

[p1esk]

I'm at grad school currently, and all recent graduates I know who wanted to get a job at top SV companies studied really hard for SE interviews. And even after all that studying, most of them didn't pass technical interviews at big 4.

We are talking about solid knowledge of algorithms and data structures. If you haven't just gotten an A in that class you will need a while to really hammer it down.

[marssaxman]

This whole subthread makes more sense if we're talking about college hires. I can see why the idea of a homework assignment and a week of paid consulting might seem appealing for people who don't already have a job and haven't already been through the interview process a few times.

[p1esk]

I think this subthread (and the whole thread, actually) is for people who either already work at Google, or who are willing to make sacrifices to get there.

[marssaxman]

I didn't study before interviewing at Google, nor Microsoft, nor anywhere else I've ever worked. The whole idea is foreign, so I'm struggling to understand where this expectation is coming from.

[khedoros1]

Google has the reputation for trying to hire well above average developers. If some fraction of professional software developers/engineers don't have the aptitude to get through the interview, regardless of preparation, then it should be fair to assume that the other candidates with the aptitude to be hired might need various levels of preparation, depending on past experience and their own level of ability. Those who are already prepared by aptitude, education, and experience, won't need to study. Everyone else will fall a little short, and have to put forth some remedial effort.