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The System Design Interview Prep Handbook

Your System Design Interview performance determines your starting role & salary at top companies. Stand out with this free guide from a FAANG hiring manager.

Beginner

13 Lessons

Certificate of Completion

Your System Design Interview performance determines your starting role & salary at top companies. Stand out with this free guide from a FAANG hiring manager.

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Course Overview

What You'll Learn

Course Content

Course Overview

Only 1 in 5 candidates pass the entire technical interview process at tech companies—their most common pitfall is the System Design Interview. When it comes to System Design Interview preparation, it's not enough to practice System Design Interview questions. This is because, unlike other technical interviews, there are many possible solutions to a given System Design problem. Rather, to excel in these interviews, you must be able to demonstrate the soft skills and thought processes that interviewers are lo...Show More

What You'll Learn

Simulate the real-world design process in the interview.

Tackle any System Design problem with an 8-step method.

Discuss the appropriate talking points for your desired role.

Demonstrate collaboration skills, adaptability, and a growth mindset.

Complete your high-level design under a time crunch.

Evaluate trade-offs between common System Design attributes.

Recognize commonly used components in any System Design (e.g., cache, load balancer, etc.).

Understand the importance of mastering System Design Interviews at tech companies.

Simulate the real-world design process in the interview.

Course Content

Introduction to the System Design Interview Handbook

2 Lessons

Get familiar with key strategies and skills for excelling in System Design Interviews.

About This Course

What to Expect

System Design 101

2 Lessons

Discover the logic behind System Design principles and acing System Design interviews.

What Is System Design?

The System Design Interview

Sending Hireable Signals

4 Lessons

Work your way through mastering trade-offs, impactful communication, varying roles, and time management in system design interviews.

Navigating Trade-Offs

Communicating for Impact

Showing Your Vantage Point

Managing Your Time

Getting to the Finish Line

3 Lessons

Grasp the fundamentals of essential system design components, structured methods, and tackling unfamiliar interview challenges.

A Starting Point: The Common 8 (SLIC FAST)

Getting to the Finish Line with RESHADED

How to Tackle a Problem You’ve Never Seen Before

Mastering the System Design Interview

2 Lessons

Build a solid foundation to navigate system design interviews confidently and demonstrate your knowledge.

Key Takeaways

Mastering the System Design Interview

Course Author

Fahim ul Haq

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Frequently Asked Questions

How can I improve my System Design interview?

To excel in System Design interviews, practice common scenarios like URL shorteners, social media, or e-commerce. Break down systems into components like databases, caching, and APIs, and analyze their interactions, data flow, and scalability. Understand concepts like load balancing, replication, sharding, and partitioning. Practice communicating trade-offs and your design choices effectively. Mock interviews can also help refine your approach.