10 Best Resources for Software Engineer Interviews in 2025?
Software Engineer Interview Preparation guide for Coding, System Design, Low Level Design and Behavioral Interviews
Hello guys, if you are wondering how to prepare for Software Engineering interviews particularly coding interview and System design interview in 2025 then you have come to the right place.
Earlier, I have shared best Coding interview books, courses, and interview questions and today, I am going to share with you more resources and key area and topic you should prepare and how to prepare them.
being an author of popular Java blog and Medium publication, I often receive questions about how to prepare for coding interview quickly? I am struggling with getting DSA and System design concept? can you please recommend resources? What are the best coding interview books I can read or courses I can join? etc
After answering many of them individually, I thought to write a detailed post about how to go about Coding interviews in 2025 as things have changed a lot in last few years, especially with due to AI and current situation getting job in tech is not as easy as it was, unless you are not in India, Poland or China.
As someone who has successfully navigated over 100 interviews and have experience on both side of tables, both as a candidate and an interviewer, I’ve compiled an extensive list of resources that have proven invaluable in my preparation journey.
This guide covers everything from coding interviews to system design, low-level design, and behavioral interviews, offering a mix of free and paid resources to suit every learner’s needs.
It also complement my previous resources which I shared on coding and system design interviews like
How to Crack Software Engineer Interviews in 2025?
Here is your complete guide and resources to prepare for Software Engineering interviews in 2025 and next year. We will start with books and then see courses and website to further prepare
1. Mastering Coding Interviews
Here are the best books, YouTube Playlist and online courses you can take to prepare for coding interview, including data structures and algorithms.
1.1 Essential Books
- “ — An excellent starting point for beginners, available in multiple programming languages.
- by Gayle Laakmann McDowell — A comprehensive collection of 189 high-quality coding problems with detailed solutions.
- — Available in Python, Java, and C++, this book offers a deep dive into algorithm design and problem-solving strategies.
1.2 YouTube Playlists
- — Fundamental algorithms explained with clarity.
- — Master the art of solving DP problems.
- — Visualizations that simplify complex concepts.
- — Offers in-depth explanations of various algorithms and data structures.
1.3 Online Courses
- Andrei Negaoie’s on Udemy is a great resource to prepare DSA.
- Coursera’s “” by Robert Sedgewick — A thorough exploration of fundamental data structures and algorithms.
- MIT OpenCourseWare’s “Introduction to Algorithms” — Rigorous coverage of algorithm design and analysis.
- Stanford’s “” on Coursera — A four-part series diving deep into algorithm design and analysis.
- on ZTM Academy
1.4 Practice Platforms
- LeetCode — The go-to platform for coding interview preparation.
- HackerRank — Offers a wide range of programming challenges and contests.
- CodeSignal — Features company-specific assessments and interview practice.
1.5 Curated Problem Lists
- — coding patterns and selected problems
- — (Available in both Python and Java) i twill teach you 26 key coding interview patterns
- Blind 75
- LeetCode Top Interview 150
- LeetCode Top 100 Liked Problems
- Grind 75 — An updated version of Blind 75 with more problems and customizable study plans.
2. Cracking System Design Interviews
Next challenge is cracking System Design interview which is notoriously hard due to their vast nature and open ended questions.
Here are few , books, websites, newsletters, cheat sheets, mock interviews, you can take to prepare for System Design interviews.
2.1 Must-Read Books
- “” by Martin Kleppmann — The bible for understanding distributed systems.
- “” by Alex Xu — Practical guide with real-world examples.
2.2 Insightful YouTube Channels
- — Offers short, focused videos on various system design topics.
- Tech Dummies — Detailed explanations of common system design problems.
- — Quality over quantity, offering unique insights.
- Gaurav Sen — Explains complex system design concepts in an accessible manner.
2.3 In-Depth Courses
- — most popular Udemy course by ex Amazon hiring manager
- “ on Educative.io — Comprehensive coverage of system design fundamentals and patterns.
- on DesignGurus.io — one of the best website for System Design interviews.
- “Distributed Systems” by MIT on edX — Theoretical foundations of distributed systems.
- ” — Another awesome Udemy course by ex Facebook tech lead on designing modern systems.
2.4 System Design GitHub Repositories
- — A curated list of best resources for system desig interviews
- — A curated list of system design resources.
- — Learn how to design large-scale systems.
3 Low-Level Design Interviews
Now, let’s jump into low level design and found what it needs to clear this round.
3.1 Foundational Books
- “” — An engaging introduction to OOP concepts and design patterns.
- “” by Robert C. Martin — Principles of writing maintainable and efficient code.
3.2 Skill-Building Courses
- on Educative.io — Covers OOPS, Design Patterns, SOLID Principles, and common LLD problems.
- “” on Udemy — Practical application of design patterns in Java.
- — An interactive course on object orietned design
3.3 Comprehensive GitHub Repositories
- — Curated resources for LLD concepts and interview problems.
- — A simplified explanation of design patterns.
4. Behavioral Interviews
Now, let’s jump into behavioral interview which is good indicator that you are reaching near to your goal but still offer is not in your hand.
4.1 Preparation Strategies
- Create a Notion doc or use a similar tool to compile and answer common behavioral questions using the STAR framework.
- Practice storytelling to make your experiences more engaging and memorable.
Here is an example of STAR framework where you tell about how you improved performance of a slow performing application or API
Situation:
- I was tasked with optimizing a slow-performing web application that was experiencing significant delays during peak usage.
Task:
- Identify the root cause of the performance bottleneck and implement solutions to improve response times.
Action:
- Profiling: I used profiling tools to analyze the application’s performance metrics, such as CPU usage, memory consumption, and database query execution times.
- Bottleneck Identification: I discovered that the application was making excessive database queries, particularly during complex search operations.
- Optimization: I implemented database query optimization techniques, including indexing, caching, and query rewriting. I also optimized the application’s code for efficiency by reducing unnecessary calculations and memory allocations.
- Testing: I thoroughly tested the optimized application to ensure it met the performance requirements and did not introduce any new bugs.
Result:
- The application’s response times were significantly improved, leading to a better user experience and increased customer satisfaction. The optimization efforts also reduced the server load, resulting in cost savings for the organization.
You can see how effective this technique is.
4.2 Recommended Resources
- “” by Gayle Laakmann McDowell — While focused on Product Management, it offers excellent advice on behavioral interviews.
- — A comprehensive guide to using the STAR method effectively.
5. Perfecting Your Interview Skills
It’s a saying that practice make you perfect and its no differnet on interviews. The more you give the more your chances of success improves but in real world every chance is an opportunity lost so you better use mock interviews on sites like and to practice.
5.1 Mock Interview Platforms
- — Offers free peer-to-peer mock interviews.
- — A website which gives you a chance to get interviewed with ex FAANG engineers like ex Microsoft and Facebook engineer Arslan Ahmad
- InterviewBit — Provides a realistic interview environment with timed coding challenges.
- Interviewing.io — Anonymous technical interviews with engineers from top companies.
5.2 Coding Competitions
- LeetCode Virtual Contests — Regular coding competitions to test your skills under time pressure.
- HackerRank Contests — Offers various themed coding competitions.
5.3 Additional Tips
- Record yourself explaining solutions to identify areas for improvement in your communication.
- Join coding communities on Discord or Reddit to discuss problems and strategies with peers.
That’s all about the best resources for Software Engineering Interviews. I have shared many great resources to prepare well for coding and System Design interviews in 2025. It contains a lot of resources but you may need to do all of them, just choose where you connect better.
Remember, consistent practice and a structured approach to learning are key to interview success.
You can also customize this guide to your needs, focusing on areas where you need the most improvement.
Good luck with your interview preparation!
Other System Design Articles and Resources you may like
- Is DesignGuru’s System Design Course worth it
- 16 best Resources to Prepare for System Design Interview
- Is Exponent’s System Design Course worth it?
- 16 Best System Design Interview Resources for Developers
- Is System Design Interview RoadMap by DesignGuru worth it?
- 10 Reasons to Learn System Design in 2025
- 6 Best System Design and API Design Interactive Courses
- 10 Software Design Courses for Developers
- 5 Best System Design Newsletters for Interviews
- My Favorite Software Design Courses for 2025
- Top 5 System Design YouTube Channels for Engineers
- 10 Best Places to Learn System Design in 2025
- 3 Places to Practice System Design Mock interviews
- Is Designing Data intensive application book worth reading?
Thanks for reading this article so far. If you like these best Software Engineer interview resources then please share with your friends and colleagues. If you have any questions feel free to ask in comments.
P. S. — By the way, also have many other Grokking courses to prepare for essential coding interview topics 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 . You can also use code GURU to get 30% discount.
