Technical Interview Preparation Checklist: A Two-Week Plan

Who this is for

Use this checklist when you already have the knowledge and want to turn it into a good interview performance. If you are still learning fundamentals, start with the DSA study plan and core CS subjects first.

Two weeks before

Know your own resume completely. Interviewers often start there.

• For every project: the problem, your role, the tech stack and why you chose it, the hardest bug, what you would improve
• For every technology you list: be ready for basic questions. If you cannot explain it, remove it or learn it.

Make a revision list of topics by priority:

1. The main language you will code in
2. Data structures and algorithms
3. Core subjects: OOP, DBMS and SQL, OS, networks
4. Role-specific topics (web, cloud, data, testing)
5. For experienced roles: system design

Schedule daily practice: one hour of problems, one hour of concepts, thirty minutes speaking aloud.

Coding practice that works

• Solve without autocomplete. Practise in a plain editor or on paper.
• Time yourself: 30–45 minutes per medium problem.
• Follow the same routine every time:
  1. Restate the problem and confirm the input, output and constraints
  2. Walk through a small example by hand
  3. Describe the brute-force approach and its complexity
  4. Improve it, and say why it is better
  5. Write clean code
  6. Test with your own examples, including edge cases (empty input, one element, duplicates, negatives, very large values)
  7. State the final time and space complexity
• Think aloud. Silence gives the interviewer nothing to evaluate.
• After each problem, write one line: the pattern used and the mistake you made.

More tips for timed platforms are in online coding assessment tips.

Concepts to be able to explain simply

Write five questions per topic and answer them aloud:

• Language: how memory works, strings, collections, exceptions (Java, Python, JavaScript)
• OOP: four pillars, abstract class vs interface, SOLID (guide)
• DBMS: keys, normalisation, ACID, indexes, joins (SQL practice)
• OS: process vs thread, deadlock, scheduling, virtual memory
• Networks: TCP vs UDP, DNS, HTTP and HTTPS, what happens when you open a URL

Behavioural preparation

Prepare six to eight stories using STAR (guide), a clear two-minute introduction and honest answers to HR questions (sample answers).

Mock interviews

• Do at least three mock interviews with a friend, senior or mentor.
• Ask the interviewer to give honest feedback on clarity, structure and pace.
• Record one session and watch it. You will notice habits you cannot feel while speaking.

The week before

• Reduce new topics; focus on revision and weak areas
• Re-solve the problems that you got wrong earlier
• Research the company: what they build, recent news, the role description and the technology mentioned in the posting
• Prepare three questions for the interviewer
• Prepare your setup for online interviews: stable internet, charged laptop, headset, quiet room, a plain background and a backup device

The day before

• Light revision only; sleep matters more than one more problem
• Keep your documents and links ready: resume, ID, project links
• Test the meeting link, camera and microphone
• Plan your travel time if it is an in-person interview

During the interview

• Join five minutes early, greet clearly and smile
• Listen to the whole question before answering
• If you do not know something, say so, then explain how you would find out or reason about it
• If you get stuck on a coding problem, explain what you have tried and ask a clarifying question
• Accept hints without getting discouraged; using a hint well is a good sign
• Keep your answers concise; offer to go deeper

After the interview

• Send a short, polite thank-you message
• Write down the questions you were asked and what you could improve
• If you receive feedback, note it for the next one
• Keep applying; do not wait for one result

Common mistakes

• Jumping into code without understanding the question
• Memorised definitions with no examples
• Not knowing details of your own projects
• Appearing unprepared to ask anything at the end
• Letting one bad answer affect the rest of the interview

Next steps

For the full picture see the interview process explained, and for a day-by-day plan read how to crack your first tech interview in 30 days.