Google Placement Papers 2024 - Previous Year Questions & Solutions

Company Overview

This page contains Google placement papers from 2024 with previous year questions, solutions, and exam patterns. Use these papers to understand the 2024 online assessment pattern and prepare effectively for future Google recruitment drives.

2024 Online Assessment Pattern

The 2024 Google placement process saw increased focus on system design fundamentals even for entry-level roles. The online assessment included 2 coding problems and 18 MCQs on CS fundamentals.

Google Online Assessment 2024 Exam Pattern

Section	Questions	Time	Difficulty	Focus Areas
Coding Problem 1	1	30 min	Medium	Arrays, strings, two pointers
Coding Problem 2	1	30 min	Hard	Trees, graphs, dynamic programming
CS Fundamentals MCQs	18	30 min	Medium	DSA, time complexity, system design basics

Total: 20 questions, 90 minutes

Key Changes in 2024:

• Basic system design questions introduced in online assessment
• Increased emphasis on graph algorithms and dynamic programming
• Time complexity analysis became more important
• Product thinking questions added to behavioral round

2024 Online Assessment Questions & Solutions

Coding Problems (2024)

Q1: Longest Palindromic Substring (2024)

Problem: Given a string s, return the longest palindromic substring in s.

Example: Input: s = “babad”, Output: “bab” or “aba”

Solution:

def longestPalindrome(s):
    if not s:
        return ""

    start = 0
    max_len = 1

    def expand_around_center(left, right):
        nonlocal start, max_len
        while left >= 0 and right < len(s) and s[left] == s[right]:
            if right - left + 1 > max_len:
                start = left
                max_len = right - left + 1
            left -= 1
            right += 1

    for i in range(len(s)):
        expand_around_center(i, i)  # Odd length
        expand_around_center(i, i + 1)  # Even length

    return s[start:start + max_len]

Explanation: Use expand around center approach. For each character, expand left and right to find longest palindrome. Time: O(n²), Space: O(1).

Answer: Returns the longest palindromic substring

Q2: Range Sum Query - Mutable (2024)

Problem: Design a data structure that supports range sum queries and point updates efficiently.

Solution:

class SegmentTree:
    def __init__(self, nums):
        self.n = len(nums)
        self.tree = [0] * (4 * self.n)
        self.build(nums, 0, 0, self.n - 1)

    def build(self, nums, idx, left, right):
        if left == right:
            self.tree[idx] = nums[left]
            return
        mid = (left + right) // 2
        self.build(nums, 2*idx + 1, left, mid)
        self.build(nums, 2*idx + 2, mid + 1, right)
        self.tree[idx] = self.tree[2*idx + 1] + self.tree[2*idx + 2]

    def update(self, idx, pos, val, left, right):
        if left == right:
            self.tree[idx] = val
            return
        mid = (left + right) // 2
        if pos <= mid:
            self.update(2*idx + 1, pos, val, left, mid)
        else:
            self.update(2*idx + 2, pos, val, mid + 1, right)
        self.tree[idx] = self.tree[2*idx + 1] + self.tree[2*idx + 2]

    def query(self, idx, qleft, qright, left, right):
        if qleft > right or qright < left:
            return 0
        if qleft <= left and qright >= right:
            return self.tree[idx]
        mid = (left + right) // 2
        return (self.query(2*idx + 1, qleft, qright, left, mid) +
                self.query(2*idx + 2, qleft, qright, mid + 1, right))

Explanation: Segment tree allows O(log n) updates and queries. Build tree recursively, update by traversing to leaf, query by combining segments.

Answer: Segment tree implementation for efficient range queries

CS Fundamentals MCQs (2024)

Q3: Time Complexity Analysis (2024)

Question: What is the time complexity of finding the median of two sorted arrays using binary search?

Answer: O(log(min(m, n))) where m and n are lengths of the two arrays.

Explanation: Binary search on the smaller array, checking partition validity. Each iteration eliminates half the search space.

2024 Hiring Trends

Hiring Volume

• Total Hires: 500+ freshers across India offices
• Software Engineer L3: 450+ selections
• Product Manager: 30+ selections
• Data Scientist: 20+ selections
• Growth: 15% increase from 2023

Salary Packages

• Software Engineer L3: ₹30-45 LPA
• Product Manager: ₹35-60 LPA
• Data Scientist: ₹40-80 LPA
• 15% increase from 2023 packages

Process Changes

• System design basics introduced in OA
• Extended behavioral round
• Faster decision making (6-8 weeks)
• More remote opportunities

2024 Question Trends

Coding Problems:

• Increased focus on dynamic programming (40% of problems)
• Graph algorithms became more common (30%)
• Array/string manipulation (30%)

System Design:

• Basic scalability concepts
• Database design basics
• API design principles

Key Insights from 2024 Google Online Assessment

1. Coding Section is Critical: Must solve both problems correctly with optimal solutions to advance
2. System Design Basics: Introduced in online assessment for entry-level roles - focus on scalability basics
3. Time Management: 90 minutes for 20 questions requires excellent speed and accuracy
4. Preparation Strategy: Practice 15-20 previous year papers - focus on graph problems and string manipulation
5. Googleyness: Behavioral round emphasizes collaboration, innovation, and problem-solving approach
6. Difficulty Level: Google interviews rated 3.4-3.5/5 difficulty - most challenging among FAANG companies
7. CS Fundamentals: MCQs test deep understanding of DSA, time complexity, and system design basics
8. Product Thinking: Product thinking questions added to behavioral round
9. Competitive Process: Only 15-20% of candidates cleared online assessment

Google 2024 Interview Experiences

Based on candidate experiences from 2024 Google interviews:

2024 Interview Process:

1. Online Assessment (90 minutes): 2 coding problems + 18 CS fundamentals MCQs
2. Technical Phone Screen (45-60 minutes): Coding problems, algorithm discussions
3. Onsite Interviews (4-5 rounds, 45 minutes each):
   • Coding rounds (2-3): Algorithms, data structures, problem-solving
   • System Design round: For experienced candidates
   • Behavioral round: “Googleyness” - collaboration, innovation, impact

Common 2024 Interview Topics:

• Coding: Graph algorithms, dynamic programming, string manipulation, tree problems
• System Design: URL shortener, distributed systems basics, scalability
• Behavioral: Collaboration examples, innovation stories, problem-solving approach
• Product Thinking: Design products, identify competitors, improve existing products

2024 Interview Questions Examples:

• “Design a URL Shortener” (System Design)
• “Serialize and Deserialize Binary Tree” (Coding)
• “Choose a product you like and explain how you would identify its competitors” (Product)
• “Design a voice assistant product for kids” (Product Design)

Success Tips:

• Strong coding performance is essential - solve problems optimally with clean code
• Practice explaining your thought process clearly
• Prepare examples demonstrating collaboration and innovation
• Focus on “Googleyness” - show how you think about problems and impact
• Practice system design basics even for entry-level roles
• Be ready for product thinking questions

Difficulty Rating: 3.4-3.5/5 (Most challenging among FAANG)

For detailed interview experiences, visit Google Interview Experience page.

Preparation Tips for Google 2024 Pattern

1. Master Coding Fundamentals: Focus on solving 2 coding problems optimally - graph algorithms, DP, string manipulation
2. Practice Previous Year Papers: Solve Google OA papers from 2020-2024 to understand patterns
3. Time Management: Practice completing 2 coding problems in 60 minutes, 18 MCQs in 30 minutes
4. CS Fundamentals: Deep understanding of DSA, time complexity analysis, system design basics
5. System Design Basics: Learn scalability concepts, distributed systems fundamentals
6. Mock Tests: Take timed practice tests to improve speed and accuracy
7. LeetCode Practice: Solve 200+ LeetCode problems focusing on Google tag (medium-hard difficulty)
8. Googleyness Preparation: Prepare examples demonstrating collaboration, innovation, and impact
9. Product Thinking: Practice product design questions and competitor analysis
10. Master Dynamic Programming: Practice 50+ DP problems covering all patterns
11. Graph Algorithms: Focus on BFS, DFS, shortest paths, and topological sort
12. Time Complexity: Always analyze and optimize time/space complexity

Download 2024 Placement Papers

Google 2024 Paper 1

Complete 2024 online assessment with coding problems and MCQs

Download PDF →

Google 2024 Paper 2

Additional 2024 questions with detailed solutions

Download PDF →

2024 Coding Examples

Collection of 2024 coding problems with solutions

View Examples →

Related Resources

• Google Placement Papers 2025 - Current year papers and patterns
• Google Placement Papers 2026 - Expected pattern for upcoming drives
• Google Placement Papers Main Page - Complete guide and overview
• Google Coding Questions - All coding problems with solutions
• Google Interview Experience - Real interview experiences
• Google Preparation Guide - Comprehensive preparation strategy

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Preparation Tips for Google 2024

Based on 2024 Online Assessment Pattern:

1. Master Coding Fundamentals: Focus on solving 2 coding problems optimally - graph algorithms, DP, string manipulation
2. Practice Previous Year Papers: Solve Google OA papers from 2020-2024 to understand patterns
3. Time Management: Practice completing 2 coding problems in 60 minutes, 18 MCQs in 30 minutes
4. CS Fundamentals: Deep understanding of DSA, time complexity analysis, system design basics
5. System Design Basics: Learn scalability concepts, distributed systems fundamentals
6. Mock Tests: Take timed practice tests to improve speed and accuracy
7. LeetCode Practice: Solve 200+ LeetCode problems focusing on Google tag (medium-hard difficulty)
8. Googleyness Preparation: Prepare examples demonstrating collaboration, innovation, and impact
9. Product Thinking: Practice product design questions and competitor analysis

Practice 2024 papers to understand Google’s pattern! Focus on dynamic programming, graph algorithms, and system design basics for best results.