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Interview Prep
System design interviews
The framework that turns a terrifying open-ended question into a structured conversation.
8 lessons
~130 min total
First principles
What you'll learn
Approach any system-design question with a consistent framework
Talk through tradeoffs like a senior engineer
Avoid the most common junior-level red flags
Progress
0 / 8
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Lessons
1
What interviewers are actually testing
It's a conversation, not a whiteboard puzzle.
3 objectives
2
A five-step framework
One shape that works across almost every prompt.
3 objectives
3
Asking the right clarifying questions
Five minutes here saves twenty later.
3 objectives
4
Napkin math and why it matters
Rough numbers beat precise guesses every time.
3 objectives
5
Choosing a database
SQL vs NoSQL is the wrong question — here are the right ones.
3 objectives
6
Caching and queues in interviews
Used well they help. Sprinkled as magic they hurt.
3 objectives
7
Case study: URL shortener
A short prompt that exercises the whole framework.
3 objectives
8
Case study: social feed
A prompt that forces you to compare real alternatives.
3 objectives
Related tracks
"Tell me about yourself"
The first sixty seconds of any interview — how to answer so you set the tone instead of reacting to it.
7 lessons
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