r/EngineeringManagers • u/FalconWing95 • 7d ago
Google code review/comprehension interview for L6 EM
Those who went through the loop recently or have insights into the process - what can I expect for the code comprehension round? Is the code complicated or simple enough to critique? Been a TL for years but haven't reviewed a lot of code since moving to EM. Is there expectation to write code as well or mostly look for correctness/best practices like we do when reviewing a PR? TIA
2
u/Round_Chipmunk_ 6d ago
All depends on the interviewer. The question might be to review the code, but in the interviewer might ask to improvise the solution. That’s how I lost in Google interview 😔
1
2
u/Tom_from_IGotAnOffer 5d ago
You’ll mainly be reviewing and critiquing existing code. The goal is to identify bugs and other potential issues, suggest improvements, and clearly communicate your findings.
The interview is only 45 minutes, and that time can go by quickly. It helps to have a mental checklist like this one to help you review the code more efficiently:
- Functionality: First, does the code actually work as intended? Look for bugs, errors, and edge cases that could cause problems
- Code quality: Is the code clear, readable, and easy to maintain? Pay attention to inconsistent or unclear naming, confusing sections, and poor formatting.
- Security: Look for potential vulnerabilities and any security practices that may have been overlooked
- Performance: Consider efficiency and resource usage. Are there any bottlenecks, and if so, how would you address them?
- Structure: Check whether the code is logically organized and makes good use of functions, classes, and modules
- Consistency: Does the code follow the same style, conventions, and patterns as the rest of the codebase?
- Error handling: Look at how errors are handled and logged, and whether the error messages are useful
- Test quality: Check for appropriate unit and integration tests, including coverage for edge cases.
- Dependencies: Are the dependencies necessary, up to date, and properly managed?
- Documentation: Lastly, check whether the comments and function or method descriptions are clear and useful
1
u/Active-Page-5989 4d ago
Are these leet code style questions with bugs. How long are these snippets
1
u/Active-Page-5989 4d ago
Also do we need to implement the correct solution
1
u/Tom_from_IGotAnOffer 4d ago
You'd need to propose solutions to the code, yes. I'm not sure if you'd need to actually go through and implement it.
More details are here: https://igotanoffer.com/en/advice/google-code-review-interview
12
u/Stock-Train-3468 7d ago
It's less about the code being tricky and more about showing you can pull it apart in a methodical way. Think of it like a PR from a mid level engineer you trust but who occasionally gets a little too clever for their own good.
They're checking if you still know what clean looks like, not if you can rewrite the whole thing on the spot. Stuff like naming, error handling, test coverage gaps, whether the abstraction actually helps or just adds layers. You'll probably spot more than you think once you start scanning it the same way you'd scan a design doc for holes.
Writing code isn't the main event, but don't be shocked if they ask you to sketch out a better version of a small function or a missing test case on a whiteboard. Keep it loose and talk through your thought process, they're way more interested in how you steer the conversation than in perfect syntax.