Google vs TikTok: Interview Question Comparison

When preparing for technical interviews, understanding the landscape of question volume and topic focus is crucial. Both Google and TikTok test core computer science fundamentals, but their approach and scale differ significantly. This comparison breaks down the key differences in question volume, difficulty distribution, and topic overlap to help you strategize your preparation effectively.

Question Volume and Difficulty

Google's question bank is vast, with 2,217 documented questions. The difficulty distribution is relatively balanced: 588 Easy (27%), 1,153 Medium (52%), and 476 Hard (21%). This large volume reflects Google's long history of interviews and the breadth of its engineering roles. Preparing for Google requires endurance; you must be ready for a wide array of problems, with a strong emphasis on mastering Medium-level questions, which form the majority.

TikTok's question set is more concentrated, with 383 questions. The difficulty skews heavily toward Medium and Hard: 42 Easy (11%), 260 Medium (68%), and 81 Hard (21%). While the total count is lower, the intensity is high. The low percentage of Easy questions suggests the interview process is designed to quickly filter for strong problem-solving skills, with a sharp focus on complex, algorithmic challenges from the outset.

Topic Overlap

Both companies heavily emphasize four core data structures and algorithms: Array, String, Hash Table, and Dynamic Programming. This significant overlap means that mastering these topics provides a strong foundation for interviews at either company.

The commonality in topics suggests a preparation strategy centered on deep mastery. For example, a problem involving a sliding window on a string or a DP approach to a subsequence problem could appear at either company.

# Example: Sliding Window for a String Problem (Find all anagrams)
def findAnagrams(s, p):
    from collections import Counter
    res = []
    p_count = Counter(p)
    s_count = Counter(s[:len(p)-1])

    for i in range(len(p)-1, len(s)):
        s_count[s[i]] += 1  # Add new char to window
        start_idx = i - len(p) + 1
        if s_count == p_count:
            res.append(start_idx)
        # Remove the oldest char from the window
        s_count[s[start_idx]] -= 1
        if s_count[s[start_idx]] == 0:
            del s_count[s[start_idx]]
    return res

Which to Prepare for First

Start with TikTok's focused list. The concentrated set of 383 questions, dominated by Medium and Hard problems, allows for efficient, high-intensity practice on the most challenging material. Achieving proficiency here will build a robust problem-solving muscle. Because the core topics (Array, String, Hash Table, DP) are identical to Google's, this deep practice transfers directly.

Once comfortable with TikTok's level of difficulty, expand to Google's broader question bank. Use the additional 1,800+ questions to increase your exposure to problem variations and to build the stamina needed for a longer interview loop. The key is to first develop depth with hard problems, then build breadth.

This sequence—depth then breadth—is efficient. Mastering the hard problems from a focused list makes tackling a larger volume of questions easier, as you'll have solidified the advanced patterns and optimizations required.

For targeted practice, visit the company pages: Google and TikTok.