Earlier quoted context omitted.
Thanks for replying. This is helpful stuff. Did you pass either of those 2 Google interviews? And/or get offers from other similar companies? > I only had one interview which had a different data structure (rope data structure) and the only reason he asked me the question was because I had never used it before. It was an intro question and if I said I knew it he wouldn't have given it to me. So I think if they give y…
I failed the first time and passed the 2nd. I'm interviewing now so waiting to see if I get other offers. To explain, one of the interviewers walked in and asked "have you heard of the rope data structure?" I said "no" because I hadn't and he was like "great because otherwise I would give you another question". He then asked me to build 2 key functions for the data structure. I didn't need to study it beforehand, and…
Was this part of the interview challenging? Seems to me like a surprise data structure coming up in an interview could be a bad thing (in terms of doing well).
Edit: What have your other interview experiences been like? Similar to Google, or would different/more preparation be required?
Also, what level are you at/interviewing for at these companies?