Introduction:
When I first set my sights on a FAANG company, I was excited, optimistic, and totally underprepared.
My first technical interview with a big-name company lasted 45 minutes. I bombed the second question, mumbled through the behavioral round, and walked away deflated. I didn’t even make it past the recruiter screen for the next two companies.
That’s when I realized that ambition isn’t enough—you need a plan. And that’s how my journey of focused, consistent FAANG interview prep began.
If you're preparing for your own FAANG journey, this blog will show you how I turned rejection into a job offer in just 90 days—and how you can do the same.
Step 1: Admitting I Was Preparing the Wrong Way
Like many others, I started by binge-watching YouTube tutorials, solving random LeetCode problems, and hoping something would stick. But FAANG interview prep isn’t about scattered effort—it’s about strategic, high-impact repetition.
After my third rejection, I sat down and did something I hadn’t done before: I created a prep strategy.
Step 2: I Created a 3-Phase Interview Plan
I divided my preparation into three tactical phases: Foundation, Application, and Simulation. Each phase had a specific focus and timeline.
???? Phase 1: Foundation (Weeks 1–3)
- Goal: Build DSA fundamentals
- Daily: 2–3 problems from NeetCode’s curated list (arrays, strings, hash maps)
- Weekly: Write and rehearse 1 behavioral story
- System Design: 2 short videos/week on API design and scalability basics
This was the “back to basics” phase. I focused on understanding patterns rather than memorizing solutions.
???? Phase 2: Application (Weeks 4–7)
- Goal: Apply patterns to real interview problems
- Topics: Trees, Graphs, Recursion, Sliding Window, Binary Search, Dynamic Programming
- Practice: 1 hard or 2 medium problems daily
- Mocks: 1 mock interview per week on Pramp
- Behavioral: Start doing timed responses to common questions
This is where my confidence started growing. My code got cleaner, my explanations sharper.
???? Phase 3: Simulation (Weeks 8–12)
- Goal: Interview-like pressure and fluency
- Practice: Timed mock interviews every 3–4 days
- Review: Track mistakes, identify weak spots, revisit them
- Behavioral: Polish and rehearse 10 STAR stories
- System Design: Designed 4 apps (URL shortener, messaging app, news feed, file storage system)
By the time I reached Week 10, I was solving questions with clarity and communicating like I belonged in the room.
Step 3: Resources That Actually Helped Me
There’s a sea of resources out there. But in the end, FAANG interview prep only needs a few great tools:
- LeetCode: Primary DSA practice. I focused on the Blind 75 and tagged problems by topic.
- NeetCode: Helped me recognize recurring patterns.
- Pramp & Interviewing.io: Realistic mock interviews, peer-reviewed.
- Notion: Used it to build my progress tracker and log insights.
- Gaurav Sen’s YouTube channel: Essential for understanding system design thinking.
- Glassdoor & Levels.fyi: To tailor prep to company-specific patterns.
The trick isn’t to use more tools. It’s to go deeper with fewer.
Step 4: I Took Behavioral Interviews Seriously
At first, I thought I could "wing it" in the behavioral rounds. Big mistake. I quickly learned that interviewers care deeply about your decision-making, leadership, and resilience.
I spent an entire weekend just writing out:
- A time I failed on a project and recovered
- A time I had conflict with a team member
- A moment I took initiative or led something
- A lesson I learned from a mistake
Then I used the STAR format (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to shape each one. Practicing them aloud helped me sound confident, not rehearsed.
This part of FAANG interview prep turned out to be the edge I needed—because once you're in the final rounds, culture fit can make or break your offer.
Step 5: The Mistakes That Slowed Me Down
Looking back, I could’ve saved a lot of time if I had avoided these mistakes early on:
- Solving problems without understanding the why behind the approach
- Ignoring system design because I wasn’t “senior” enough
- Not practicing mock interviews soon enough
- Memorizing solutions instead of learning patterns
- Over-preparing technically but under-preparing behaviorally
Once I fixed these, everything clicked faster. My code got more thoughtful, my designs more scalable, and my stories more impactful.
Step 6: The Interview That Changed Everything
My final round was at a top-tier FAANG company. I had four back-to-back interviews: two coding, one system design, one behavioral.
I didn’t ace every question. But here’s what I did do:
- I communicated clearly
- I handled stress with calm
- I made trade-offs in my system design answer
- I gave honest, thoughtful answers about my past experiences
Two weeks later, I got the call: I had an offer.
And that was the day I knew the 90 days of focused FAANG interview prep were absolutely worth it.
Final Advice:
If you’re preparing for a FAANG interview right now, let me tell you: you don’t have to be perfect. You just have to be prepared. And preparation isn’t about grinding endlessly—it’s about building disciplined momentum.
Here’s what worked for me and might work for you:
- Make a realistic 8–10 week schedule
- Solve 2–3 problems/day consistently
- Practice communication just as much as code
- Log everything—your progress, your mistakes, your improvements
- Believe you belong in that interview room
FAANG interview prep isn’t just about passing a test. It’s about growing into a version of yourself that’s capable of thriving in one of the world’s top tech environments.
You’re closer than you think. Start today.