Google vs Yandex: Interview Question Comparison

When preparing for technical interviews, understanding how companies differ in their question selection can help you allocate study time effectively. Google and Yandex, while both testing core computer science fundamentals, show distinct patterns in volume, difficulty, and focus. This comparison breaks down their interview question profiles to guide your preparation strategy.

Question Volume and Difficulty

Google’s question bank is substantially larger and more heavily weighted toward harder problems. With 2,217 cataloged questions, it dwarfs Yandex’s 134. The difficulty distribution is telling:

• Google: 588 Easy (27%), 1153 Medium (52%), 476 Hard (21%). Over half are Medium, and a significant portion are Hard, indicating a strong emphasis on complex problem-solving and optimization.
• Yandex: 52 Easy (39%), 72 Medium (54%), 10 Hard (7%). The focus is overwhelmingly on Medium-difficulty questions, with very few Hard problems.

This suggests a Google interview is more likely to push into advanced algorithmic territory, requiring deeper mastery and faster, optimal solutions. Yandex interviews, while still challenging, appear more centered on solid application of standard patterns.

Topic Overlap

Both companies prioritize the most fundamental data structures. The top topics are nearly identical:

1. Array
2. Hash Table
3. String

This core trio forms the backbone of most coding interviews. Success with these topics is non-negotiable for both companies. The primary difference lies in the next tier of focus:

• Google prominently features Dynamic Programming (DP). The high volume of Medium and Hard questions makes this a critical area. Expect problems involving optimization, memoization, and state transition.
• Yandex highlights Two Pointers. This indicates a preference for problems involving sorted data, sliding windows, or in-place array/string manipulation.

Here’s a practical example of a Two Pointers problem, common for Yandex, and a DP problem, key for Google:

# Two Pointers: Remove Duplicates from Sorted Array
def removeDuplicates(nums):
    if not nums:
        return 0
    write = 1
    for read in range(1, len(nums)):
        if nums[read] != nums[read-1]:
            nums[write] = nums[read]
            write += 1
    return write

# Dynamic Programming: Climbing Stairs
def climbStairs(n):
    if n <= 2:
        return n
    dp = [0] * (n + 1)
    dp[1], dp[2] = 1, 2
    for i in range(3, n + 1):
        dp[i] = dp[i-1] + dp[i-2]
    return dp[n]

Which to Prepare for First

Prepare for Yandex first. Its smaller, more concentrated question set focused on Medium problems allows you to build a robust foundation in the core topics (Array, Hash Table, String) and the Two Pointers technique efficiently. Achieving proficiency here creates a strong platform for tackling more difficult problems.

Once comfortable with Yandex-level questions, shift focus to Google. This requires expanding your study to cover the much larger question bank, drilling down on Dynamic Programming, and practicing under higher difficulty and time constraints. The skills built for Yandex are directly transferable and necessary, but Google demands more breadth, depth, and optimization.

In short, use Yandex's profile to build core competency, then use Google's profile to scale up to elite problem-solving.

For detailed question lists and patterns, visit the company pages: Google and Yandex.