Hello guys, are you preparing for coding interviews but not sure where to start with? Are you drowned in the sea of Data structures and algorithms and System design and what not then you have come to the right place.
In the past, I have shared best coding interview books and courses, best System design books and courses, and in this article, I will share with you a systematic approach to prepare for coding interviews and also covering all the bases.
Looking for job in this tough market is not easy as many people are looking for the job and market is flooded with a lot of talented people, thanks to what happening in the world.
But that should not be an excuse but you also need to level up yourself to stand a chance.
Here are things you can do on your side for rock solid preparation.
By the way, if you are looking for one stop shop to prepare for coding interview then DesignGurus.io is a great place to start with.
They have many Grokking courses to prepare for coding interview like OOP Design, System Design, Dynamic Programming etc and you can get access to all of their courses for a big discount by joining their All course bundle. You can also use code GURU to get 30% discount.
How to Crack Coding Interviews in 2026?
Here is your step by step guide to prepare well and crack the coding interviews and covering all the topics which matters:
1. Data Structures and Algorithms
If you are rusty, start with top interview questions:
- Algomonster — http://shrsl.com/483tp
- Bugfree.ai — LeetCode for System Design
- Educative-99 — https://buff.ly/3LFG4zL (Available in both Python and Java) i twill teach you 26 key coding interview patterns
- Blind 75: lnkd.in/g5wx7QSq
- Grind 75: lnkd.in/gvZ7_pnp —
- Practice C++ STL or Java Collections or data structure libraries in the language of your choice — essential for fast coding
If you are a beginner, DSA requires more than 3 months of active practice. I am omitting the details in this post
If you are looking for Java programs from coding interviews, I have shared many here. javarevisited.blogspot.com/2017/07/top-…
2. High Level Design (HLD)
1. Books: Start with Alex Xu’s Volumes 1 and 2 or an Educative subscription amazon.com/System-Design-Interview-insi…
2. Videos: Good channel for basic concepts of System Design Interview — see here
3. Engage actively and try solving problems yourself
4. Mock interviews on Pramp, tyrExponent, and other platforms — medium.com/javarevisited/3-best-mock-in…
5. Practice System Design Problems in Leetcode style on Codemia -
2. Low Level Design (LLD)
If you are rust on LLD, you can start with reading:
1. Design Principles: Read “Head First Design Patterns” (read 2nd edition)
2. OOPs concepts should be crystal clear like Virtual Methods in C++ and Abstract class vs interface, overloading vs overriding, method hiding etc.
3. Questions: Awesome Low-Level Design — https://github.com/ashishps1/awesome-low-level-design by Ashish Pratap Singh of AlgoMaster newsletter, I highly recommend that one to programmers.
4. Practice question with a 45-minute timer
5. Solutions: Low-Level Design Playlist — lnkd.in/gkVZgK4b (Credits to Soumyajit Bhattacharyay)
4. CS Fundamentals
Learn from GateSmashers videos — lnkd.in/gs6m5RQb
Operating systems — see these courses
5. Behavioral
1. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result)
2. Keep each section concise: 4–5 sentences per section so that it can be covered in the given time during interviews
3. Prepare both a detailed and a short version of your answers
4. For resources, check free course Grokking the Behavioral Interview on Educative.
6. Company-specific Preparation
1. You can use Leetcode Premium to solve company-tagged problems
2. Explore tab in Leetcode Premium — lnkd.in/g3_dHef4
3. Practice using Leetcode’s Interview tab → Assessment → Select the company for phone or onsite rounds — lnkd.in/g5Tq5rZi
That’s all guys. I know its not easy to crack coding interview in this tough market but following this guide and preparing for all important topics mention in this article can improve your chances a lot.
I hope these tips help you in your preparation. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions or need guidance.
Good luck to everyone on their journey!
P. S. — Preparing for Java certification, grab my book “Grokking the Java Interview” for just $9.99 today.
P.S.S — I am also giving away free coupon to my Java 17 Certification Practice test on Udemy. You can join to test your Java skills and see where you are. If you find the practice test worth your time, please leave ratings and reviews, it will help me attract more readers.
And, if you struggle to solve System design problem, start practicing with Codemia
