Technical Interview Preparation
Interview Prep collects study aids for the rounds that make up a tech hiring loop: coding, system design, behavioral, and the role-specific loops for product managers, engineering managers, machine learning engineers and UI or UX designers. They suit people preparing for their next job, and interviewers who want a shared structure for what a good answer covers.
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All Interview Prep (7)
Coding Interview Prep
Checklist of 14 data structure and algorithm topics with patterns and complexitiesSystem Design Interview
Framework and guidelines for system design interviewsBehavioral Interview
STAR method framework and sample behavioral interview questionsProduct Manager Interview
PM interview frameworks, practice prompts and sample questionsEngineering Manager Interview
Technical leadership and management interview preparationML Engineer Interview
Machine learning engineering interview prep with ML concepts and system designUI Designer Interview
UI/UX designer interview prep with design frameworks and portfolio guidance
Which tool do I need?
Plan what to study for a coding round
Work through the 14 topic areas in Coding Interview Prep and tick each one when you can solve its standard problems without hints.
Practise answering "design a URL shortener"
Follow the four time-boxed steps in System Design Interview and use the practice prompts and building block notes to fill in the details.
Prepare stories for "tell me about a time" questions
Write each story into the Situation, Task, Action and Result boxes, after loading a sample to see the structure.
Get ready for an engineering manager loop
Practise the people and delivery scenarios, prepare leadership stories in STAR form, and refresh system design for the technical round.
Engineering Manager InterviewBehavioral InterviewSystem Design Interview
Prepare for a product manager metrics or estimation question
Apply the seven-step metrics or estimation framework to a practice question and edit the outline into your own answer.
Practise ML system design or a design challenge
Generate an outline for a recommendation or fraud detection problem, or a timed plan for a design challenge, and fill it in yourself.
About Interview Prep
Most loops mix several rounds, so most candidates need more than one page. A software engineer usually needs Coding Interview Prep (14 topic areas and a seven-step problem-solving method), System Design Interview (a four-step, time-boxed approach and about 40 building blocks) and Behavioral Interview (a STAR editor with sample answers). Engineering managers add scenario practice for people and delivery problems, ML engineers add ML system design frameworks, and product managers and designers have pages for product sense, metrics, estimation, portfolio reviews and design challenges. Start dynamic programming, graphs and estimation early, because they take the longest to get comfortable with.
These are frameworks, checklists and outline builders, not mock interviewers or answer writers. The generate buttons lay out a framework's steps under your question as an editable outline, and you do the thinking. Nothing here runs code or grades you, so practise coding problems in an editor against a clock and explain your reasoning out loud. Ticks and drafts are saved in this browser's localStorage, so they do not follow you to another device, and a behavioral Share link carries the whole draft in the URL.
Guides
- Coding Interview Prep: What Gets Scored and a 6-Week PlanThe four signals coding interviewers score, the patterns behind most problems, complexities people get wrong, and a week-by-week study plan.
- System Design Interviews: A Four-Step Method with Real NumbersHow to scope, estimate, design and defend a system in 45 minutes, with back-of-the-envelope numbers, a worked URL shortener and the mistakes interviewers see most.
- The STAR Method for Behavioral Interviews, with ExamplesWhat behavioral interviewers are scoring, how to split a two-minute STAR answer, a before and after example, and how to build a bank of six to eight stories.
- Engineering Manager, ML Engineer and Designer Interviews ExplainedWhat each round tests in EM, ML engineer and UI/UX designer loops, how to answer scenario and ML system design questions, and how to time a design challenge.
Frequently asked questions
Which interview rounds should a software engineer prepare for?
Most loops include coding rounds and a behavioral round, and mid-level and senior roles usually add system design. Ask the recruiter for the exact list of rounds, since companies vary, and prepare for each one rather than only the coding round.
How should I split prep time between coding, system design and behavioral rounds?
Weight it by the loop you face and by seniority. Junior candidates are judged mostly on coding, while senior and staff candidates are judged more on system design and on behavioral answers about scope and influence. Prepare behavioral stories early, because finding good examples takes longer than people expect.
Do the interview prep tools use AI to write answers?
No. The outlines come from fixed framework templates and the samples are written examples. The tools give structure and reminders of what to cover; the content of your answer has to come from your own experience and practice.
Does interview prep progress sync between devices?
No. Ticks, drafts and inputs are stored in the browser you used, in localStorage. Switching browsers or clearing site data starts you fresh, so copy out anything you want to keep, such as finished STAR answers.
Can interviewers use these frameworks to run interviews?
Yes, as a reference for what a complete answer covers. The step lists for system design, product and ML questions and the STAR structure make useful rubrics, as long as you still judge the substance of the answer rather than whether every step was named.