Your complete guide to cracking SDE-1/2 interviews at top tech companies (Google, Meta, Amazon, Microsoft, Apple)
1️⃣ DSA Mastery
- 16+ Core Patterns with complexity analysis
- Quick Lookup Tables for instant pattern recognition
- 40+ Coded Solutions across arrays, graphs, strings, DP, and more
- Advanced Algorithms: Segment Tree, Bitmask DP, Manacher's, Monotonic Deque
Quick Links:
- 📖 DSA Complete Guide - Deep dive with code templates
- ⚡ DSA Quick Lookup - Fast pattern recognition cheatsheet
2️⃣ System Design
- 10 Real System Designs - All optimized for 45-min SDE-2 interviews
- Interview-Ready Format - Perfect for FAANG/Unicorn/Startup interviews
- India-Specific Designs (Payment Gateway with UPI/Razorpay, Food Delivery like Swiggy/Zomato)
- Component Deep-Dives (Load Balancers, Caching, DB Sharding, Message Queues, Microservices, Monitoring)
- Trade-off Analysis for scalability decisions
- Capacity Estimation frameworks
- Low-Level Design sections (Class diagrams, Sequence diagrams, State machines, Design patterns)
All Designs SDE-2 Optimized: Payment Gateway, Uber, WhatsApp, Food Delivery, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, URL Shortener, Distributed Cache, Netflix
Quick Links:
- 📖 System Design Guide - Complete framework
- 🏗️ Design Examples - SDE-2 optimized designs
- 🔧 Components - Building blocks explained in depth
- STAR Method Framework for structured answers
- 20+ Story Templates covering all scenarios
- 7 Company Guides (Google, Meta, Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, India, Indian Startups)
- India-Specific Behavioral Prep covering FAANG India offices and unicorn startups
- Mock Practice Framework with peer and self-practice protocols
- Interview Question Bank with sample answers
Quick Links:
- 📖 Behavioral Guide - STAR method & frameworks
- ⭐ STAR Stories - Your personal story bank
- 🏢 Company-Specific - Culture fit guides (Google, Meta, Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, India, Indian Startups)
- 🎯 Mock Practice Framework - Structured practice guide
4️⃣ Interview Prep
- 8-Week Study Plan with daily goals and milestones
- Company-Specific Tips for FAANG interviews
- India-Specific Guide with salaries, companies, office locations, referral strategies
- Mock Interview Questions with detailed solutions
- Progress Tracking templates
Quick Links:
- 📅 8-Week Study Plan - Structured learning path
- 🎯 Company-Specific Tips - FAANG focus areas
- 🇮🇳 India-Specific Guide - Salaries, companies, cities, referrals
- 🎤 Mock Questions - Practice interviews
- Comprehensive Salary Data for FAANG India and unicorn startups
- 18+ Top Companies including Flipkart, Razorpay, CRED, Swiggy, Zomato
- Office Locations Guide (Bangalore, Hyderabad, Gurgaon, Pune, Mumbai)
- Referral Strategies with templates and success rates
- India System Designs (Payment Gateway with UPI, Food Delivery platform)
Quick Links:
- 💼 India Behavioral Guide - FAANG India offices & culture
- 🚀 Indian Startups Guide - Flipkart, Razorpay, CRED, Zepto, Swiggy, Zomato
- 📊 India Interview Prep - Complete India guide
- 💳 Payment Gateway Design - UPI, Razorpay-style system
- 🍕 Food Delivery Design - Swiggy/Zomato architecture
# Start with pattern recognition
cat DSA/DSAQuickLookup.md
# Deep dive into specific patterns
cat DSA/DSACompleteGuide.md
# Practice with implementations
cd DSA/patterns
node sliding-window.js# Learn the framework
cat SystemDesign/SystemDesignGuide.md
# Study real designs
cat SystemDesign/designs/url-shortener.md# Learn STAR method
cat Behavioral/BehavioralGuide.md
# Prepare your stories
cat Behavioral/STAR-stories.md# 8-week structured preparation
cat InterviewPrep/StudyPlan-8weeks.md- SDE-1 / SDE-2 candidates preparing for top tech companies
- Self-learners who want comprehensive, organized interview prep
- Career switchers entering software engineering
- Anyone targeting Google, Meta, Amazon, Microsoft, Apple
| Category | Topics Covered | Difficulty | Completion |
|---|---|---|---|
| DSA | 16+ patterns, 40+ algorithms | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | 🚧 In Progress |
| System Design | 10 designs (inc. India-specific), 6 components | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | 🚧 In Progress |
| Behavioral | STAR framework, 7 company guides, mock practice | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | 🚧 In Progress |
| Interview Prep | 8-week plan, India guide, company tips | ⭐⭐⭐ | 🚧 In Progress |
| India Resources | Salaries, companies, cities, referrals, designs | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | 🚧 In Progress |
tech-interview-master/
├── 📘 DSA/
│ ├── DSACompleteGuide.md # Comprehensive pattern guide
│ ├── DSAQuickLookup.md # Quick reference cheatsheet
│ ├── patterns/ # 13 pattern implementations
│ ├── algorithms/ # Core algorithms (BFS, DFS, etc.)
│ └── data-structures/ # DS implementations (Heap, Trie, etc.)
│
├── 🏗️ SystemDesign/
│ ├── SystemDesignGuide.md # Framework & methodology
│ ├── designs/ # Real system designs
│ │ ├── url-shortener.md # Complete design with capacity calc
│ │ ├── twitter.md # Social media feed design
│ │ ├── instagram.md # Photo sharing platform
│ │ ├── youtube.md # Video streaming with CDN & transcoding
│ │ ├── whatsapp.md # Real-time messaging with E2EE
│ │ ├── uber.md # Ride-hailing with geospatial matching
│ │ ├── netflix.md # Streaming platform with recommendations
│ │ ├── distributed-cache.md # Cache design patterns
│ │ ├── payment-gateway.md # 🇮🇳 Razorpay/PhonePe-style with UPI
│ │ └── food-delivery.md # 🇮🇳 Swiggy/Zomato architecture
│ └── components/ # Building blocks
│ ├── load-balancer.md # L4/L7 balancing strategies
│ ├── caching.md # Cache strategies & eviction
│ ├── database-sharding.md # Sharding patterns
│ ├── message-queues.md # Kafka, RabbitMQ, SQS patterns
│ ├── microservices.md # Service mesh, API gateway, sagas
│ └── monitoring.md # Metrics, logs, traces, alerting
│
├── 💼 Behavioral/
│ ├── BehavioralGuide.md # STAR method framework
│ ├── STAR-stories.md # Template for 15-20 stories
│ ├── leadership-principles.md # Amazon's 14 principles
│ ├── MockPracticeFramework.md # Self & peer practice protocols
│ └── company-specific/ # Company culture guides
│ ├── google.md # Googleyness & growth mindset
│ ├── meta.md # Move fast, impact-driven culture
│ ├── amazon.md # 16 Leadership Principles
│ ├── microsoft.md # Growth mindset & collaboration
│ ├── apple.md # Attention to detail & innovation
│ ├── india-specific.md # 🇮🇳 FAANG India offices & culture
│ └── indian-startups.md # 🇮🇳 Flipkart, Razorpay, CRED, Swiggy, Zomato
│
├── 🎯 InterviewPrep/
│ ├── StudyPlan-8weeks.md # Day-by-day study plan
│ ├── CompanySpecific.md # FAANG focus areas
│ ├── India-Specific.md # 🇮🇳 Salaries, companies, cities, referrals
│ └── MockInterviewQuestions.md # Practice questions
│
└── README.md # You are here!
✅ Comprehensive Coverage - DSA + System Design + Behavioral in one place
✅ Actionable Templates - Ready-to-use code and story frameworks
✅ Company-Specific - Tailored for Google, Meta, Amazon, Microsoft, Apple
✅ Complexity Analysis - Time/Space for every pattern and algorithm
✅ Progressive Learning - From fundamentals to advanced topics
✅ Interview-Focused - Real questions and scenarios from top companies
- LeetCode Top Interview Questions
- System Design Primer
- "Designing Data-Intensive Applications" by Martin Kleppmann
- "Cracking the Coding Interview" by Gayle Laakmann McDowell
- Company engineering blogs (Google, Meta, Amazon)
- Real interview experiences
If this repository helps you land your dream job:
- Star ⭐ this repo
- Share with friends preparing for interviews
- Contribute your learnings back to the community
This repository is for educational purposes. Feel free to use for personal interview preparation.
Interview preparation is a marathon, not a sprint.
This repository contains everything you need to succeed, but remember:
- Consistency > Intensity - Study daily, even if just 1 hour
- Quality > Quantity - Understand patterns deeply, don't just memorize
- Practice > Theory - Code every pattern, design every system
- Mock > Solo - Practice with others to simulate pressure
You've got this! 💪
| Company | SDE-1 (0-2 yrs) | SDE-2 (2-5 yrs) | Office Locations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google India | ₹35-50 LPA | ₹70-110 LPA | Bangalore, Hyderabad, Gurgaon |
| Meta India | ₹40-65 LPA | ₹80-140 LPA | Bangalore, Gurgaon |
| Amazon India | ₹25-40 LPA | ₹50-80 LPA | Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai |
| Microsoft India | ₹35-55 LPA | ₹70-120 LPA | Bangalore, Hyderabad, Noida |
| Apple India | ₹30-50 LPA | ₹60-100 LPA | Bangalore, Hyderabad |
| Company | SDE-1 (0-2 yrs) | SDE-2 (2-5 yrs) | Focus Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flipkart | ₹25-45 LPA | ₹55-90 LPA | E-commerce |
| Razorpay | ₹20-35 LPA | ₹35-50 LPA | Fintech/Payments |
| CRED | ₹30-50 LPA | ₹50-80 LPA | Fintech |
| Swiggy | ₹25-40 LPA | ₹40-65 LPA | Food Delivery |
| Zomato | ₹22-38 LPA | ₹38-58 LPA | Food Delivery |
| Zepto | ₹28-45 LPA | ₹45-70 LPA | Quick Commerce |
| PhonePe | ₹25-42 LPA | ₹42-75 LPA | Payments |
| Meesho | ₹22-38 LPA | ₹38-62 LPA | Social Commerce |
Note: All figures in Lakhs Per Annum (LPA). Includes base + RSUs/ESOPs. Stock values vary. See India-Specific.md for detailed breakdown.
Last Updated: February 2026
Status: 🚧 In Progress
Target: SDE-1/2 at top tech companies (Global & India)