Tech Interview Prep: A Practical Playbook (Scripts by Level)
Tech interview prep made simple: a step-by-step plan, what interviewers actually score, and copy-paste scripts by level to pass technical interviews faster.
Tech Interview Prep: A Practical Playbook (Scripts by Level)
Why Tech Interviews Feel Hard (and Often Unfair)
A tech interview can feel stacked against you. You do real work every day, yet you’re judged in a compressed, artificial setting. You might solve problems comfortably at home, then blank out once someone watches. Or you over-explain, start coding too late, and run out of time.
If this sounds familiar, it’s not a talent problem.
The truth is simpler: most technical interviews are highly predictable. They test a small set of skills again and again. With the right structure—not random grinding—tech interview prep becomes much easier and more reliable.
What Interviewers Actually Look for in a Tech Interview
Across companies and roles, most technical interview prep boils down to five signals:
- Clarity – You restate the problem, confirm assumptions, and define success.
- Pattern Recognition – You choose the right approach, not the first one.
- Correctness – You handle edge cases and validate with examples.
- Trade-offs – You explain time/space complexity and alternatives.
- Communication – You narrate your thinking and stay calm under pressure.
Interviewers are not just testing if you can code. They are testing how easy it is to follow your thinking.
How to Prepare for a Tech Interview (Step-by-Step Plan)
This is a 10-day tech interview prep plan. If you have more time, repeat the cycle. If you have less time, compress Days 1–3 into one focused day.
Day 1: Define Your Target + Build a Pattern List
- Choose your role (SWE / Frontend / Backend / Data / Mobile).
- Pick one language and stick to it.
- Lock in 8–10 core coding interview patterns:
- Arrays + Hash Map
- Two Pointers
- Sliding Window
- Stack / Monotonic Stack
- Binary Search
- BFS / DFS (Trees & Graphs)
- Heap / Priority Queue
- Intervals
- Backtracking
- DP Basics
Rule: Don’t exceed 10 patterns at first. Depth beats breadth.
Days 2–5: Coding Interview Pattern Reps
Each day:
- 1 Easy + 1 Medium (same pattern)
Workflow per problem
- Understand + edge cases (5 min)
- Plan (5 min)
- Code (20–25 min)
- Validate (5 min)
- Template note (5 min): trigger, skeleton, pitfalls
After solving, explain the solution out loud in 30 seconds.
This habit directly improves real interview performance.
Days 6–7: Mixed Sets (Simulate Real Tech Interviews)
Each day:
- 2 Medium problems from different patterns
New requirement: talk while solving.
- Say your plan before coding
- State invariants (“window contains at most K…”)
- Ask clarifying questions when constraints matter
This is where most candidates level up.
Day 8: System Design (Mid / Senior Only)
If you’re mid or senior, add system design prep:
- Clarify requirements and constraints
- High-level architecture
- Data model and APIs
- Scaling and bottlenecks
- Reliability and trade-offs
Junior candidates should replace this with more mixed coding problems.
Day 9: Behavioral Stories (Hidden Multiplier)
Prepare 3 reusable stories:
- Ownership / impact
- Conflict / collaboration
- Failure / learning
Use STAR format. Keep each story under 90 seconds.
Day 10: Full Mock Interview (Timed)
Simulate the real thing:
- One coding problem under time
- One behavioral question
- One “questions for interviewer” close
You’re ready when you can perform under time, not when you “know everything”.
Tech Interview Scripts by Level (Copy-Paste)
Junior / New Grad / Internship
Clarify
“Let me restate the problem to confirm I understand it. Inputs are {…}, output is {…}. Are there constraints like size, duplicates, or empty input?”
Plan
“This looks like a {pattern} problem because {trigger}. I’ll do {steps}. Time complexity should be O({}), space O({}).”
Recover
“I think the issue is in {part}. I’ll walk through a small example to see where the invariant breaks.”
Senior IC
Trade-offs
“I’ll start with a simple correct approach, then optimize if constraints require it.”
Correctness
“The invariant is {invariant}. Each iteration maintains it by updating {state}.”
Close
“Time is O({}), space is O({}). We could optimize further with {alternative}, but it adds complexity and risk around {pitfall}.”
Manager / Lead
Leadership Framing
“I’ll outline the approach first, then implement. I’ll optimize for clarity and correctness, then discuss how I’d productionize this.”
Tech Interview Prep FAQ
What should I study for tech interview prep?
For tech interview prep, focus on core patterns rather than random questions. Two pointers, sliding window, BFS/DFS, heaps, and DP basics cover a large share of coding interviews. If you’re mid or senior, add system design prep. Communication matters as much as correctness.
How many coding problems are enough?
There’s no magic number. Many candidates succeed with 80–150 focused problems if they learn patterns deeply and can explain trade-offs clearly. Timed mock interviews reveal readiness faster than more grinding.
How do I stop freezing during a tech interview?
Freezing usually comes from uncertainty. Use a repeatable routine: restate the problem, confirm constraints, choose a pattern, and outline a plan before coding. Practicing mock interviews with narration trains your brain to stay calm under pressure.
Practice Tech Interviews Under Real Conditions
Reading guides helps, but performance improves fastest with practice.
- Try the full AI Interview Simulator for real-time feedback and detailed scoring.
- Practice role-specific mock interviews:
If you want structured prep by company, explore our Curated Interview Guides:
Turn preparation into performance.
