Two weeks is enough time to prepare well if you are deliberate about it. The goal is not to learn everything — it is to close your biggest gaps, rehearse how you communicate and walk in with a calm, repeatable approach.
Start by understanding the interview loop
Ask the recruiter what the rounds are, how long each one lasts and what they assess. A loop with two coding rounds and a system design round needs a different plan from one with a take-home and a pairing session.
Write the rounds down and assign each one a confidence score from one to five. Your lowest scores decide where most of your time goes.
- Number and type of rounds
- Languages and tools allowed
- Whether the coding environment runs code
- Who you will meet and their roles
Week one: fundamentals and patterns
Spend the first week on problem patterns rather than random questions. Two pointers, sliding window, hash maps, BFS and DFS, binary search, heaps and basic dynamic programming cover a large share of coding rounds.
For each pattern, solve two or three problems and write a one-line summary of when the pattern applies. Those summaries become your revision notes.
Week two: communication and full rehearsals
In the second week, shift from learning to rehearsing. Do timed mock interviews, practise narrating your thinking, and prepare five or six behavioural stories that you can adapt to different questions.
If your loop includes system design, practise the same structure each time: requirements, estimates, API, data model, architecture, deep dives and trade-offs.
Do not leave logistics to the last day
Test your microphone, camera, internet connection and the meeting tool the company uses. Have your resume, the job description and a glass of water within reach.
- Quiet room and stable connection
- Charged laptop and a backup plan
- Questions to ask the interviewer
- A short summary of each project on your resume
The day before
Stop learning new material. Review your pattern notes and your stories, then rest. Performance on the day depends as much on sleep and composure as on the last problem you solved.