Interview Kickstart

Even though I am having a decade of years of software development experience, I felt that I was not ready to interview with MAANG+ companies.

This is because the interview process has changed so much recently including live coding rounds and system design rounds. Though I had basic data structure and algorithm knowledge, it wasn't good enough to solve LeetCode, Hackerrank or competitive programming problems.

I was a part of Backend Engineering program at Interview Kickstart and I would like to thank IK for delivering In depth study materials, test series related to fundamental and advanced DS and Algo topics along with System design topics. The curriculum is well structured and I have enjoyed and learned a lot by going through offline contents, live classes and time based test series. There is also great support from IK through Technical coaching and career coaching. The best thing I liked is giving mock interviews. It helped me to gain confidence in giving interviews with top product based companies. Read less

Interview kickstart provided efficient support for me during my job searching process. The data science class materials were well prepared and covered most of the technical questions for interviews. The technical support was effiecient. All my technical/support tickets were resolved in 24 hours. In addition, the data science group sessions provided opportunities for students to meet with experienced data scientists in industry and discussed topics and concerns for job searching and interviews, which is helpful. Read less

 I started Interview Kickstart in August 2023 cohort, and I paid $4000 for the course. There is a lot of content, and the amount is very overwhelming. In order to be ready for the live classes, they encourage you to complete each (5) weeks pre-course work by watching videos, taking quizes, and solving practices problems. It took an entire day to complete each weeks pre-course work. I was rushed to complete each weeks pre-coursework. How much can you learn, if you’re being rushed? 



Week one was fine, we have all seen sorting algorithms. I even had most of those algorithms already. After the second week, everything went downhill. I could not have completed, and I did not complete a single algorithm on my own. I am totally dependent on CHATGPT. I could not have done this course without CHATGPT. The AI is not perfect. I had to manage it a little, but then I figured out if I cut and paste the entire question, I could get the solution. I also wrote a jailbreak, so it would give clearer and cleaner solutions. 



After five weeks, I am not able to solve a single algorithm on my own. The live classes consist of endless puedo-code, and they do not solve a single algorithm in the class. You will only see peudo-code. It is mind dumbing. The live classes take place on Sunday, and they last about 5 or 6 hours. 



I did not enjoy the live classes. 



After the five week course, they also do mock interview, resumes, 1 on 1 assistance, etc… I cannot solve anything. I don’t want to participate in anything else when I cannot solve anything. What good is a mock interview? 



I am not satisfied with the course. The do have instructors who work at well know companies, and this does not make them good teachers. If a 12 year old kid can teach me algorithms, I would pay him $4000. 



Currently, I started with Zero to Mastery, and this is exactly what I wanted. They break everything down much better, and I am seeing and hearing things I have not seen or heard. 



I suggest you sign up with Zero to Mastery, and it’s only $42/month. They also have lifetime and annual options. 



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One of the best focus and result oriented course out there . The  sessions and materials are upto the point. The  support is something that makes the already an excellent course even a better experience . They are willing to go that extra mile for helping out the candidate. Really appreciate the promptness in providing the required support.




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InterviewKickstart offers a fantastic blend of Technical, Domain & Behavioral interventions that strengthens your foundation and rounds off your experience. The program is deep , well structured and boosts on the job performance. The delivery is very accessible with ample support for one on one doubts and queries.  They are highly responsive for any kind of issues. The instructors not just carry deep knowledge but are very interactive.  Read less

All the sunday classes are going over 6+ hours and rushing it complete. Some of the concepts covered are difficult to digest and definitely needs more time, when we brought that with support, we got response that "We are working on it" that's it. Not covering all the basic concepts to understand the topic well. They just cover what is needed at bare minimum. 140+ slides to be covered in 4 hrs with over 95 students makes it wague and boring.



The ability to explain to someone with no knowledge on the subject is an art. BEING a teacher and WORKING as a teacher are two extremely different aspects. Pretty sure most of the instructors are PHD's earning half a million/year. But the same concepts I can understand effectively from my favourite teacher in youtube free videos.
This course is supposedly designed for people with no experience but it is not true, cheap marketing! Why would they put 95+ students in 1 class. Very difficult to follow and wasted my money. Quantity over quality. Read less

It was a great experience to go through a program where you gain in-depth insight from working professionals along with learning crucial techniques to crack software interviews. The material covered was great and very relative. The focus is more on being a better engineer and about the process to get there and can be applied to the current job or future job. The instructors were very knowledgable and very helpful. Read less

I took the ML specialization course. It was well structured, what helped me the most were the technical coaching sessions where I could get help with regards to coding questions and mock interviews helped me a lot as well. For ML system design, would have liked review of more questions.

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I took the ML specialization course. It was well structured, what helped me the most were the technical coaching sessions where I could get help with regards to coding questions and mock interviews helped me a lot as well. For ML system design, would have liked review of more questions. Read less

I attended Data Engineering Interview Course

Pros
1. Trainers from FAANG companies
2. Covered all required topics for interview prep
3. Completed course on time
4. I recommend this for serious interview prep folks

Cons:
1. Obviously expensive
2. Not for freshers or beginners, Need to have some experience to go through complex classes
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I just started, and the content seems very useful so far. The Support team they have is top-notch. I wanted to push my start date and they quickly helped me with that request on last-minute notification before my first class start. It's very much appreciated.  Read less

Absolutely worth it! This program covers all the essential aspects of interview preparation comprehensively. The foundational videos and live classes on algorithms and system design have greatly strengthened my core concepts, and the instructors are impressively current with industry trends.
What's unique is the disciplined approach that ensures no gaps in knowledge. The "Notions" workbook for behavioral questions is a standout feature, providing a distinct edge.
Success here is tied to effort, and the behavioral instructors are real industry experts, offering invaluable insights.
Kudos to the prompt and efficient Operations team too! Overall, this interview kickstart program is a remarkable investment. It's boosted my confidence and equipped me exceptionally well.
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This course provided me with structured learning for interview preparation. It has all the ingredients that were missing when I was preparing for the interview on my own. First of all, the course material is extensive yet focused on interview preparation, and the teachers are very skilled and patient. Mock interviews provide crucial feedback during the coursework. My only word of caution is that this is not a magical solution, and this course requires a serious and consistent time commitment. I benefited from this course once, so I am retaking it to up-leve my career  again Read less

The training course materials are awesome. Instructors are very knowledgeable. The problems assigned in the course are very challenging and interesting and very much aligned to the industry ask. The Thursday problem solving classes are very helpful. And finally the support staffs are very very helpful. I would highly recommend to take the IK courses for your next level of career uplevel.  Read less

The fundamental material they provide in their courses are exactly the same if you have gone through CS or related major. However on top of that they provide things university don’t teach, such as offer negotiations, effective ways to attract recruiters etc. And having mock interviews is also very helpful to track down what mistakes you have made in the past.


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Great interview content. Its the one-stop-shop for every topic you need to know for an interview. Overwhelming content, but the content is neatly categorized as "foundational videos", "live classes & recordings" and "additional resources". Instructors are great and recorded classes available from other instructors as well. Specifically recommend it for content from Omkar Deshpande. I got good at recursion and dynamic programming, cause of Omkar's videos. Read less