How often are these problems asked?
Frequency scores are based on crowdsourced interview reports. A higher score means the problem has been reported more often in recent Waymo interviews.
Very Likely
75-100%
Likely
50-74%
Sometimes
25-49%
Rare
0-24%
Problem database last updated: June 20, 2025
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Waymo Coding Interview Questions
6 problems · 0 Easy, 5 Medium, 1 Hard · Ranked #215 of 458
Difficulty breakdown
0 Easy
0% · avg 23%
5 Medium
83% · avg 59%
1 Hard
17% · avg 18%
Top topics
array
83.3%
hash-table
50%2.2x
depth-first-search
33.3%3.7x
breadth-first-search
33.3%4x
union-find
33.3%11.3x
matrix
33.3%3.8x
Interview profile
Based on 6 reported problems, Waymo interviews are in line with industry averages - 17% Hard vs 18% overall. The majority (83%) of questions are Medium difficulty, which is typical for companies that want to see solid fundamentals without excessive trick questions.
Compared to the industry average, Waymo puts unusual emphasis on union-find (33.3% of problems, 11.3x the industry average), breadth-first-search (33.3% of problems, 4x the industry average), matrix (33.3% of problems, 3.8x the industry average). If you're short on time, these are the categories to double down on.
The most common topics are array (83.3%), hash-table (50%), depth-first-search (33.3%), breadth-first-search (33.3%). Problems below are sorted by frequency, the ones at the top are asked most often.
All 6 problems
| Problem | Difficulty | Frequency | Topics | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Max Points on a Line Given an array of points where points[i] = [xi, yi] represents a point on the X-Y plane, return the maximum number of points that lie on the same straight line. | Hard | Very Likely | arrayhash-tablemath | Solve |
Number of Islands Given an m x n 2D binary grid grid which represents a map of '1's (land) and '0's (water), return the number of islands. | Medium | Very Likely | arraydepth-first-searchbreadth-first-search | Solve |
Find Peak Element A peak element is an element that is strictly greater than its neighbors. | Medium | Likely | arraybinary-search | Solve |
Valid Sudoku Determine if a 9 x 9 Sudoku board is valid. Only the filled cells need to be validated according to the following rules: | Medium | Likely | arrayhash-tablematrix | Solve |
Possible Bipartition We want to split a group of n people (labeled from 1 to n) into two groups of any size. Each person may dislike some other people, and they should not go into t... | Medium | Likely | depth-first-searchbreadth-first-searchunion-find | Solve |
Divide Array in Sets of K Consecutive Numbers Given an array of integers nums and a positive integer k, check whether it is possible to divide this array into sets of k consecutive numbers. | Medium | Likely | arrayhash-tablegreedy | Solve |
Max Points on a Line
SolveGiven an array of points where points[i] = [xi, yi] represents a point on the X-Y plane, return the maximum number of points that lie on the same straight line.
HardVery Likely
arrayhash-tablemath
Number of Islands
SolveGiven an m x n 2D binary grid grid which represents a map of '1's (land) and '0's (water), return the number of islands.
MediumVery Likely
arraydepth-first-searchbreadth-first-search
Find Peak Element
SolveA peak element is an element that is strictly greater than its neighbors.
MediumLikely
arraybinary-search
Valid Sudoku
SolveDetermine if a 9 x 9 Sudoku board is valid. Only the filled cells need to be validated according to the following rules:
MediumLikely
arrayhash-tablematrix
Possible Bipartition
SolveWe want to split a group of n people (labeled from 1 to n) into two groups of any size. Each person may dislike some other people, and they should not go into t...
MediumLikely
depth-first-searchbreadth-first-searchunion-find
Divide Array in Sets of K Consecutive Numbers
SolveGiven an array of integers nums and a positive integer k, check whether it is possible to divide this array into sets of k consecutive numbers.
MediumLikely
arrayhash-tablegreedy
Preparing for your Waymo coding interview
Waymo interviews focus heavily on array, hash-table, depth-first-search problems. If you're short on time, these are the categories to prioritize. The problems on this page are sorted by frequency, so start from the top and work your way down.
Beyond solving problems, practice explaining your approach. Waymo interviewers care about your thought process - how you break down a problem, consider edge cases, and evaluate tradeoffs between solutions. A clean O(n) solution you can explain clearly beats an O(log n) solution you can't articulate.
Looking for more companies? Browse all 458 companies in our directory, or sharpen your fundamentals with our free data structure visualizers and AI-powered DSA tutor.
Frequently Asked Questions
What coding problems does Waymo ask in interviews?add
Waymo has been reported to ask 6 distinct coding problems. The most common topics are array, hash-table, depth-first-search. 0 are Easy difficulty, 5 are Medium, and 1 are Hard. Problems are sorted by frequency - the ones at the top are asked most often.
How hard are Waymo coding interviews?add
Based on 6 reported problems, Waymo interviews are in line with industry averages - 17% Hard vs 18% overall. 83% of questions are Medium difficulty. Focus on the high-frequency Medium problems first, then work through the Hard ones.
How should I prepare for a Waymo coding interview?add
Start with the highest-frequency problems listed on this page. Focus on the core topics: array, hash-table, depth-first-search. Practice solving them under time pressure and explaining your approach out loud. Mock interviews with AI can simulate the real experience.
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