My experience with the Google Foobar challenge
I passed all the levels, but it was an interesting experience.
Happy Saturday my Fantastic Readers,
Continuing with our Google Theme, I will be sharing my Google Foobar Experience. To those of you that don’t know, Google Foobar is an invite-only challenge run by Google. It has multiple levels, and each is a lot of fun. Clearing it (or even just participating), gives you a chance to get selected for an onsite interview at Google.
In this email/post I will my experience with the Google Foobar. I will share how I got the invitation, my thoughts on the challenge, and some tips. To those of you that read to the end, I will also include a gift. A special form where you can put your email. That will put you in the queue for a referral to the challenge from yours truly. So make sure you’re appropriately hyped for this.
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How I got the invitation
Google has an algorithm that chooses you based on your search history (a pretty good way to get people to use their products). If your search history is sufficiently technical, Google will invite you to play.
Getting the invitation is the easy part for me. Because of my content and writing, I’m always searching for new concepts and terms. I trigger the Foobar invitation a lot as I’m doing my research/prepping my content. Once you get past a certain stage of the challenge, you can refer another person (which is how I will be able to refer everyone that puts their information in the form).
My assessment of the challenge
The Foobar is unlike any coding interview question/challenge you will do. What makes it very tricky is the sheer length of the questions asked. As mentioned earlier, Foobar is designed like an infiltration story. For every question, you are given a long-winded story about bunny rabbits, laser beams, and anti-matter. The challenge starts with figuring out what the question is asking you to do. This is deliberate. Unlike other coding interviews/screens, the Foobar expects you to Google the concepts you need to solve the problem. However, figuring out what concepts/data structures you will need is a challenge with Foobar.
I really like this approach much more than the standard Leetcode process. The ability to parse through ambiguous situations, filter out all irrelevant information, and frame the problem in a solvable way are crucial skills for developers. That is why I spend so much time explaining the setup of the problems (even when they might seem obvious). That skill has great carryover to both Hard Leetcode Problems, and actual development.
To get to the first screening, you will only need to pass three levels. The first 3 levels are much easier than the last 2. Questions in the last 2 stages often require extremely specific knowledge of very high-level concepts. Without the right game plan (which I will share next), you will fail.
Problem Solving Strategies for Foobar
As mentioned, the ability to read through the text and coming up with the relevant information will make or break you. Even very simple problems (the first level is very easy) will seem much harder than they are because of Foobar’s long questions. In order to develop this skill, you need a lot of practice. Look at the questions this newsletter(or other resources) provide. Then look at how they use that information to build upon the first step. As you keep getting exposure to this, you will learn about how you can start identifying the right things (and where you were lacking). Another thing you should do boost your results is to work backwards. As you watch YouTube videos/play video games/use tech, think about the different DSA that would be helpful in this context. This will help both in systems design and boost your ability to frame problems in the correct way.
Once you build up your ability to frame situations in the correct way, you will start understanding what to do. However, in many cases that won’t tell you how to do it. That requires the development of your basic knowledge in Math (Foobar through a lot of those questions), DSA, and Coding. This will allow you to recognize what you don’t know, and Google the correct concepts/ideas. Don’t rush yourself as you learn. Unlike, normal coding challenges, Foobar will give you days (and even weeks) to solve problems.
Aside from the theoretical learning, Foobar will also require you to code the solutions. This was the hardest part for me (my base is in Math and Theoretical Computer Science. I’m one of the few for who very complex theory is much easier than coding). However, I was able to get through it without too many problems, and as long as you’re willing to put in a lot of trial and error as you learn, you will be fine.
These might seem simple, but that’s the point. What makes Foobar an amazing challenge is that it truly tests your fundamental skills. Even though the topics it covers will sometimes be very technical, it is designed in a way that anyone with very high-level fundamentals can ace the challenge. It’s not needlessly complex for the sake of making things harder. Instead, it will force you to grow and learn, but in a way that is similar to Tech IRL. This is why I suggest trying out the Foobar, even if you don’t get an interview. Just the practice and knowledge you gain will be worth it. And I can keep spamming the referral links for you :)
To maximize your chances of getting the interview, you will want a well-developed online profile. Check out this story for more details
Link to the form. Drop your email here: https://forms.gle/U1bE9CttMdFB8cEWA
Make sure you share your thoughts on this question/any interesting questions/developments in the comments or through my links. If you liked this post, make sure you tap that heart button and let the world know.
Happy Prep. I’ll see you at your dream job.
Someone very proud of you,
Devansh <3
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