DE Shaw vs Google Interview Questions
DE Shaw lists 105 LeetCode interview questions while Google lists 2,305. They share 80 problems — 76% of DE Shaw's bank and 3% of Google's. Focus on the overlap first, then drill into 25 DE Shaw-only and 2,225 Google-only questions.
Overview
Preparation Strategy
Step 1 — Shared core: Solve the 80 overlapping problems first. These are the highest-yield questions for candidates interviewing at both DE Shaw and Google.
Step 2 — Company-specific depth: Add DE Shaw-specific problems like Maximum Number of Subsequences After One Inserting, Minimum Size Subarray in Infinite Array, Maximum Points After Collecting Coins From All Nodes and Google-specific problems from the exclusive lists below.
Step 3 — Difficulty tuning: DE Shaw skews harder in our data. Budget extra time for Hard problems if you are targeting that company.
Difficulty Comparison
Top Shared Topics
80 Shared Questions
High-priority problems to practice for both DE Shaw and Google.
Showing top 30 of 80 shared problems.
Unique to DE Shaw (25)
Problems in DE Shaw's list that do not appear at Google.
Unique to Google (2,225)
Problems in Google's list that do not appear at DE Shaw.
| Problem | Difficulty |
|---|---|
| Add Two Numbers | Medium |
| Longest Common Prefix | Easy |
| Palindrome Number | Easy |
| 3Sum | Medium |
| Create Hello World Function | Easy |
| Merge Strings Alternately | Easy |
| Longest Palindromic Substring | Medium |
| Recyclable and Low Fat Products | Easy |
| Roman to Integer | Easy |
| Merge Intervals | Medium |
| Maximum Subarray | Medium |
| Reverse Integer | Medium |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many LeetCode questions do DE Shaw and Google share?
DE Shaw and Google share 80 LeetCode interview questions. 25 problems appear only in DE Shaw's list and 2225 appear only in Google's list.
What topics overlap most between DE Shaw and Google?
The most common shared topics between DE Shaw and Google are Array (21 shared questions), Dynamic Programming (10 shared questions), Hash Table (10 shared questions), Greedy (8 shared questions), Sorting (8 shared questions). Mastering these areas prepares you for both companies.
Which company asks harder LeetCode questions: DE Shaw or Google?
DE Shaw has 11 Easy, 64 Medium, and 30 Hard questions. Google has 601 Easy, 1205 Medium, and 499 Hard questions. DE Shaw has a higher proportion of Hard problems in its interview set.
How should I prepare if interviewing at both DE Shaw and Google?
Start with the 80 shared problems since they cover what both companies ask most often. Then add 20 DE Shaw-specific and 20 Google-specific questions to round out your prep.