Interview Kickstart
Average Rating4.78
265 Reviews
17 Courses
Interview Kickstart is a part-time, 12-15 week online interview training platform that helps software engineers nail technical interviews at FAANG (Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Google) and Tier-1 companies. Interview Kickstart helps students strengthen their programming fundamentals and become better engineers in the process, thereby equipping them with the right set of skills required to crack tough technical interviews at top companies.
Based on a student’s c...
Interview Kickstart is a part-time, 12-15 week online interview training platform that helps software engineers nail technical interviews at FAANG (Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Google) and Tier-1 companies. Interview Kickstart helps students strengthen their programming fundamentals and become better engineers in the process, thereby equipping them with the right set of skills required to crack tough technical interviews at top companies.
Based on a student’s career path, they can choose from 18 different domain-specific courses. The course curriculum covers Data Structures and Algorithms, Distributed Systems, Design, Domain-Specific Concepts, and Behavioral Interviews. Students will receive support with optimizing their LinkedIn profile and leveraging LinkedIn to land FAANG interviews.
Interview Kickstart gives students expert support with salary negotiation to land bigger and more lucrative offers, mock interviews with industry experts and FAANG hiring managers, one-on-one mentor sessions with technical leads and hiring managers from FAANG companies, and 18 domain courses that specialize in the highest-paying domains.
The highlight of Interview Kickstart’s program is the technical interview prep. Interview Kickstart’s team of 500+ instructors are hiring managers, technical leads, and hiring committee members at FAANG and Tier-1 companies. Being closely acquainted with the hiring process at top tech companies, these instructors know precisely what recruiters are looking for while hiring candidates. This gives students an edge and sets them up for success at highly competitive and challenging technical interviews at FAANG+ companies.
After course completion, Interview Kickstart students receive an extended 6-month support period. During the support period, students can retake classes, schedule mock interviews with domain experts, have one-on-one sessions with instructors from FAANG companies, get support with optimizing their LinkedIn profile and resume, and land interviews through Interview Kickstart’s wide network of alums.
Since 2014, Interview Kickstart has trained over 13,500 engineers for the toughest tech interviews. Interview Kickstart alums receive multiple lucrative offers from top companies, including FAANG, Microsoft, Uber, Lyft, LinkedIn, Twitter, VMware, and more. In 2021, Interview Kickstart graduates received an average salary increase of 53%.
265 Interview Kickstart Reviews
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- ApurvaSolutions ArchitectVerified by LinkedInJul 30, 2022Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
Solutions Architect
I really enjoyed the live classes. The supplemental learning material is outstanding. Every question you tackle builds on top of what you have already learned consequently you don't feel overwhelmed by the large amount of course material. The progression of the course is very organic. The entire curriculum is setup to help you improve your engineering and problem solving skills simultaneously. There are many IK instructors I admire but Omkar Deshpande deserves special mention. He can br...I really enjoyed the live classes. The supplemental learning material is outstanding. Every question you tackle builds on top of what you have already learned consequently you don't feel overwhelmed by the large amount of course material. The progression of the course is very organic. The entire curriculum is setup to help you improve your engineering and problem solving skills simultaneously. There are many IK instructors I admire but Omkar Deshpande deserves special mention. He can break down complex problems and make them easily comprehensible. I was able to apply some of the things I learned in the system design classes to my current job. The instructors were people who have solved design challenges and scalability problems in the industry and could rationalize the trade offs they made to solve the design problems very skillfully. This course is a good investment and I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking to up-level their career or even simply improve their engineering skills.
Student Success Advocate of Interview Kickstart
Student Experience Team
Sep 26, 2022
Hi Apurva, thank you for your encouraging feedback! We are glad to know that you found the program valuable in your journey during the program. Please feel free to reach out to us at operations@interviewkickstart.com if you require our support on anything related to the program. - AnonVerified by LinkedInJun 29, 2022Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob AssistanceN/A
Kickstarted my interviewing
Starts really well with the DSA foundation, and Omkars passion and natural ability makes all the DSA problems related videos a must watch. System Design is also structured well, although more scenarios could be covered in depth. Career Coaching really helped me nail my behavioral answers down. I personally felt I could have used the mock interviews better. They could enforce you to use part of you mock interviews by a certain date so that you have a better understanding of the importance...Starts really well with the DSA foundation, and Omkars passion and natural ability makes all the DSA problems related videos a must watch. System Design is also structured well, although more scenarios could be covered in depth. Career Coaching really helped me nail my behavioral answers down. I personally felt I could have used the mock interviews better. They could enforce you to use part of you mock interviews by a certain date so that you have a better understanding of the importance of mocks (currently you are free to use the mock interviews as you want, and a lot of us tend to procrastinate)Student Success Advocate of Interview Kickstart
Student Experience Team
Sep 28, 2022
Hi Anon, thank you for your words of appreciation! We are glad to know that you found the support received from the instructors and the course content useful in your upleveling journey. Please feel free to reach out to us at operations@interviewkickstart.com if you require our support on anything related to the program. - ThivyaGraduateVerified by LinkedInJun 24, 2022Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
Interview kickstart helped me bag 3 FAANG offers
I'm one of those people who was initially apprehensive to join IK but then decided to give it a shot and joined early this year. To give you a context, I have a degree in Electrical Engineering and had never solved a single Leetcode problem before I joined IK. It had always felt extremely overwhelming to solve DSA problems even though I've been writing firmware in C for over a decade. But, constant practice was what helped me. In 4 months, I solved 425 LC prob...I'm one of those people who was initially apprehensive to join IK but then decided to give it a shot and joined early this year. To give you a context, I have a degree in Electrical Engineering and had never solved a single Leetcode problem before I joined IK. It had always felt extremely overwhelming to solve DSA problems even though I've been writing firmware in C for over a decade. But, constant practice was what helped me. In 4 months, I solved 425 LC problems, thanks to Omkar's amazing explanations in all his foundation videos, live classes and floater series. He covers each topic in depth in his videos and this is very helpful for people like me who come from a background that is not Computer Science. I chose the Embedded Systems master class since that was my domain and I came across an absolutely amazing study group there. That group of driven and passionate individuals from various IK cohorts kept me accountable on my prep and helped one another as needed and I would definitely say that group was my blessing. The mock interviews helped me a lot in identifying the areas I need to focus more on. The detailed feedback from mock interviewers and suggestions on resources were very helpful. I started interviewing in mid April and started with tier 2 companies. I interviewed with 4 of them - 2 startups and 2 established companies : Skytran, Inari Medical, Masimo and Marvell Semiconductors. I got offers from all the 4. With this warm up, I started applying to my target FAANG companies. I also applied to a couple AV companies - Cruise and Rivian. As of today, I have offers from Google, Apple, Amazon, Cruise and Rivian. So, I was able to crack all the interviews I had given and got offers from all 9 companies I interviewed with (I got 2 offers from Apple since I interviewed with 2 different teams.) I also cleared the phone screen for Meta and then the hiring freeze happened. In total, I had given almost 75-80 rounds of interviews with all these companies combined and I cracked all of them. None of this would have been possible without IK. I was someone who tried clearing Amazon's phone screen twice in the past few years and failed both the times. However, this time, I cracked 3 big FAANG companies with ease. I will definitely attribute this 100% success rate to IK. This program is no magic. They don't give you cheat sheets or shortcuts to crack interviews. They show you the path and provide you with the resources. If you can make the maximum use of those resources and put in your sincere efforts, then you are sure to achieve your goals.Student Success Advocate of Interview Kickstart
Student Experience Team
Sep 28, 2022
Hi Thivya, thank you for your encouraging feedback! We are glad to know that you found the program structure and the curriculum valuable in your journey during the program. Please feel free to reach out to us at operations@interviewkickstart.com if you require our support on anything related to the program. - AnkurVerified by LinkedInNov 03, 2021Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
My honest review
2 years back I gave a atleast 10 onsites which had system design and literally bombed every design interview so I was looking for a course that taught me how to learn architecture and system design. I had searched everywhere and read a few books on it but never understood how to answer design questions. I was lucky to have found IK because they teach system design from the absolute basics, they have some really great teachers and what I really love in their curriculum is the daily office...2 years back I gave a atleast 10 onsites which had system design and literally bombed every design interview so I was looking for a course that taught me how to learn architecture and system design. I had searched everywhere and read a few books on it but never understood how to answer design questions. I was lucky to have found IK because they teach system design from the absolute basics, they have some really great teachers and what I really love in their curriculum is the daily office hours//support. I would recommend anyone who i s willing to understand the basics and prepare for system design rounds to give IK a try and am sure they woon't regret it. Infact when I joined I get a feeling that why isn't colleges teaching this stuff to their students when this type of knowledge is to important.Student Success Advocate of Interview Kickstart
Student Experience Team
Dec 05, 2022
Hi Ankur, thank you for your words of appreciation! Please feel free to reach out to us at operations@interviewkickstart.com if you require our support on anything related to the program. 
Vijay ParmarSep 18, 2022Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob AssistanceA truly amazing and informative program that boosts confidence and maximizes interview opportunities.
It is a truly amazing program that helps you uplevel your knowledge and increases your interview preparation skills. Omkar's
foundational videos offered something that can't be found in medium articles or on other online programs. It's a well-designed
program that prepares you to handle all interview processes, including technical, behavioral, and negotiation. I found the staff
to be very knowledgeable, and the support team to be very helpful. It is recommended that you devot...It is a truly amazing program that helps you uplevel your knowledge and increases your interview preparation skills. Omkar's
foundational videos offered something that can't be found in medium articles or on other online programs. It's a well-designed
program that prepares you to handle all interview processes, including technical, behavioral, and negotiation. I found the staff
to be very knowledgeable, and the support team to be very helpful. It is recommended that you devote six to eight months to
Interview Kickstart and make the most of all of the resources available to you. In addition to helping me get into interviewing shape, Interview Kickstart's program maximized my interview opportunities for success. Definitely worth the money. You will gain confidence from the knowledge you gain. This is an excellent course that I strongly recommend.Student Success Advocate of Interview Kickstart
Student Experience Team
Sep 21, 2022
Hi Vijay, thank you for your words of appreciation! We are glad to know that you found the our program and the course content provided by Omkar Deshpande useful in your upleveling journey. Please feel free to reach out to us at operations@interviewkickstart.com if you require our support on anything related to the program.- Suresh KumarSolution ArchitectSep 04, 2022Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob AssistanceN/A
Solution Architect
Interview kickstart's backend programming, an in-depth, intensive program conducted by subject matter experts and helps me in my studies with its structured approach.
Student Success Advocate of Interview Kickstart
Student Experience Team
Sep 25, 2022
Hi Suresh, thank you for your words of appreciation! We are glad to know that you found the program useful in your upleveling journey. Please feel free to reach out to us at operations@interviewkickstart.com if you require our support on anything related to the program. - ReshonaTechnology LeadAug 20, 2022Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
Masterclass
Keeping in mind the companies that I wanted to target, I was extensively looking for a course over the internet and found IK apt for the same.
It has been quite an extensive course, and the thing I like about it is that it's well structured and properly taught (Omkar Deshpande has done a great job breaking down every concept for easy understanding), not just to help you crack the interview but also to help you gain knowledge to get better at your workplace. As I come f...Keeping in mind the companies that I wanted to target, I was extensively looking for a course over the internet and found IK apt for the same.
It has been quite an extensive course, and the thing I like about it is that it's well structured and properly taught (Omkar Deshpande has done a great job breaking down every concept for easy understanding), not just to help you crack the interview but also to help you gain knowledge to get better at your workplace. As I come from a non-CS/IT background, it has helped me bridge the gap in my knowledge related to areas that are needed in the IT industry.
I'd highly recommend this course to all.Student Success Advocate of Interview Kickstart
Student Experience Team
Sep 30, 2022
Hi Reshona, thank you for your words of appreciation! We are glad to know that you found the program structure useful in your upleveling journey. Please feel free to reach out to us at operations@interviewkickstart.com if you require our support on anything related to the program. - Jyothi MopartiAug 08, 2022Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
Review
Interview Kickstart Operations really helped me to deal with the unexpected situations when i started off my course. I am thankful to them in helping me out and being flexible with things. Their curriculum is pretty much organized and the instructors are very knowledgeable and are willing to support you throughout the journey.Student Success Advocate of Interview Kickstart
Student Experience Team
Sep 30, 2022
Hi Jyothi, thank you for your encouraging feedback! We are glad to know that you found the curriculum valuable in your journey during the program. Please feel free to reach out to us at operations@interviewkickstart.com if you require our support on anything related to the program. - QasimSoftware EngineerJul 28, 2022Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
Bootcamp for learning and professional mentorship
I joined the interview kickstart in the Summer of 2021. Since then I have been blown away by the quality of content, I'm sure you have read that in other sources and the support that comes with it. The support is available almost 24/7/365 for your questions, scheduling help, and alternative coursework whenever and however needed. There's also a community of current and former students at every professional level in every domain of software engineering and related niche (ML, DS) who are f...I joined the interview kickstart in the Summer of 2021. Since then I have been blown away by the quality of content, I'm sure you have read that in other sources and the support that comes with it. The support is available almost 24/7/365 for your questions, scheduling help, and alternative coursework whenever and however needed. There's also a community of current and former students at every professional level in every domain of software engineering and related niche (ML, DS) who are friendly, understand your journey and challenges and help along the way as much as possible. After the live classes end the course is self-directed mainly but there are a lot of pre-made schedules available to copy, paste or adapt to your own personal situation and pace. Overall, I highly recommend interview kickstart if you feel un-directed, are anxious to try the interviews on your own, and can benefit from the experience, good structure, and mentorship, yes there may be a lot of free courses out there but if you are someone who can benefit from a structure that promotes accountability, discipline this will be worth looking into for you. The support and negotiation team goes above and beyond to accommodate urgent negotiation, offer deadlines, and mock interview request with select individuals based on the company you may be interviewing for. Soon after I joined, a friend of mine also joined and we are both very happy with the results and most importantly the growth and network of professionals we walked away with.Student Success Advocate of Interview Kickstart
Student Experience Team
Sep 30, 2022
Hi Qasim, thank you for your encouraging feedback! We are glad to know that you found the program structure and the curriculum valuable in your journey during the program. Please feel free to reach out to us at operations@interviewkickstart.com if you require our support on anything related to the program. - RahulJul 04, 2022Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
Student
IK is great for up-leveling your skills. One instructor which stood out for me was Omkar Deshpande. I have never had an instructor who is so clear in his thought process. His style of teaching really helped in understand all the Data Structure and Algorithms topics. Earlier I had never studied about DP & graphs but after watching Omkar's videos I was not able to understand the concept but was also able to solve many LC problems. Another great advantage is the study group formed in th...IK is great for up-leveling your skills. One instructor which stood out for me was Omkar Deshpande. I have never had an instructor who is so clear in his thought process. His style of teaching really helped in understand all the Data Structure and Algorithms topics. Earlier I had never studied about DP & graphs but after watching Omkar's videos I was not able to understand the concept but was also able to solve many LC problems. Another great advantage is the study group formed in this course. Very helpful and really motivating.Student Success Advocate of Interview Kickstart
Student Experience Team
Dec 05, 2022
Hi Rahul, thank you for your words of appreciation! We are glad to know that you found the program structure useful in your upleveling journey. Please feel free to reach out to us at operations@interviewkickstart.com if you require our support on anything related to the program. - ChandraJun 10, 2022Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
Waste of money..Dont wast 6400$
I have attended the Interview kickstart SRE course and its waste of money. They have some pre-recorded videos/materials for specific topics which are some what good for Coding and System design. Remaining all materials are not useful at all. Mainly, they don't care about you once your payment is done. And, there is no way to get back your money if you are unsatisfied. Its all business with them. The cost of the course is 6400$.Student Success Advocate of Interview Kickstart
Student Experience Team
Dec 05, 2022
Hi Chandra, thank you for sharing your feedback with us. We are sorry to hear about your experience. Please feel free to reach out to us at operations@interviewkickstart.com if there is anything that we can do to turn around your experience. - Keyur ShahMay 26, 2022Overall ExperienceInstructorsCurriculumJob Assistance
Engineering Manager Cohort 2022
I am an experienced professional working as an EM at a financial firm who wanted to upskill and uplevel my career. I heard about IK and took the plunge finally in Dec 2021. I was enrolled for Feb Cohort and started with System Design classes. The classes were amazing and the content extremely relevant. This I did not know for sure at the time but as I interviewed with my target companies over the year, FAANG and Startups, I was asked exactly the same questions which were covered in those...I am an experienced professional working as an EM at a financial firm who wanted to upskill and uplevel my career. I heard about IK and took the plunge finally in Dec 2021. I was enrolled for Feb Cohort and started with System Design classes. The classes were amazing and the content extremely relevant. This I did not know for sure at the time but as I interviewed with my target companies over the year, FAANG and Startups, I was asked exactly the same questions which were covered in those classes. Same for the EM Content. The job assistance I got with interview strategies and mock interviews was amazing. The only issue I had was that a few instructors rescheduled very close to or on the class date or interview date and that would mess up my whole schedule. Considering that I'm a very busy professional it was hard to sometimes get the right help in terms of interview prep when I needed it, since they would cancel and I would not be able to re-schedule the next mock before my actual interview.
Whatever mock interviews I was able to attend were good and the feedback extremely helpful.
Overall I would give 5 starts to all but scheduling. I wish I had taken this up much sooner - I feel it would have definitely helped with my career and helped me get higher salary.Student Success Advocate of Interview Kickstart
Student Experience Team
Dec 05, 2022
Hi Keyur, thank you for your encouraging feedback! We are glad to know that you found the program valuable in your journey during the program. Please feel free to reach out to us at operations@interviewkickstart.com if you require our support on anything related to the program.
Interview Kickstart Alumni Outcomes
Recent Interview Kickstart News
Nat Davis
Updated April 05, 2023
The technical interview can be daunting for both new and experienced tech professionals. Nailing the tech interview requires practice, and interview prep programs exist to give their students the support and confidence-building they need to land their tech dream job. Whether you re a coding bootcamp graduate, a self-taught software engineer, or an experienced developer, we ve rounded up the 7 best interview prep programs to accelerate your career! What is a technical interview? ...
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Interview Kickstart Alumni Reviews Summary
Based on 250+ Interview Kickstart alumni reviews on Course Report, positive feedback for the program centers on the detailed curriculum and effective preparation for technical interviews at top companies. One review praises the program, stating, "I gained way more in confidence and technical skill than the cost of the course." A contrasting view, however, points out that while the support team is exceptional, some of the technical prep materials could be improved.
Overall Experience
4.8
Instructors
4.7
Curriculum
4.8
Job Assistance
4.5
More Information
Guarantees Job
Job Assistance
Includes Housing
Offers Corporate Training
Accepts GI Bill
Recent Interview Kickstart News
By Nat Davis
FAQs
How much does Interview Kickstart cost?
The average bootcamp costs $14,142, but Interview Kickstart does not share pricing information. You can read a cost-comparison of other popular bootcamps!
What courses does Interview Kickstart teach?
Interview Kickstart offers courses like Android Engineering Interview Course, Backend Engineering Interview Course, Cloud Engineering Interview course, Data Engineering Interview Course and 13 more.
Where does Interview Kickstart have campuses?
Interview Kickstart has an in-person campus in San Jose.
Is Interview Kickstart worth it?
Interview Kickstart hasn't shared alumni outcomes yet, but one way to determine if a bootcamp is worth it is by reading alumni reviews. 265 Interview Kickstart alumni, students, and applicants have reviewed Interview Kickstart on Course Report - you should start there!
Is Interview Kickstart legit?
We let alumni answer that question. 265 Interview Kickstart alumni, students, and applicants have reviewed Interview Kickstart and rate their overall experience a 4.78 out of 5.
Does Interview Kickstart offer scholarships or accept the GI Bill?
Right now, it doesn't look like Interview Kickstart offers scholarships or accepts the GI Bill. We're always adding to the list of schools that do offer Exclusive Course Report Scholarships and a list of the bootcamps that accept the GI Bill.
Can I read Interview Kickstart reviews?
You can read 265 reviews of Interview Kickstart on Course Report! Interview Kickstart alumni, students, and applicants have reviewed Interview Kickstart and rate their overall experience a 4.78 out of 5.
Is Interview Kickstart accredited?
While bootcamps must be approved to operate, accreditation is relatively rare. Interview Kickstart doesn't yet share information about their accreditation status.