Your 8-Week Study Plan

A structured preparation plan is the difference between random practice and systematic improvement. This plan covers all backend interview topics with built-in flexibility for your target companies.

The 8-Week Framework

Week	Focus Area	Daily Time	Goal
1	SQL & Database Fundamentals	2-3 hours	Master schema design, indexing, query optimization
2	Database Deep Dive & NoSQL	2-3 hours	Transactions, isolation levels, CAP theorem, NoSQL patterns
3	API Design Patterns	2-3 hours	REST best practices, gRPC, GraphQL, authentication
4	Microservices & Architecture	2-3 hours	Saga pattern, CQRS, event-driven, service mesh
5	System Design Fundamentals	3-4 hours	Framework, back-of-envelope, caching, load balancing
6	System Design Practice	3-4 hours	URL shortener, rate limiter, notification service, chat system
7	Distributed Systems & Concurrency	3-4 hours	CAP, Raft, concurrency patterns, SLOs/SLIs
8	Mock Interviews & Review	3-4 hours	Full mock loops, weak area review, behavioral prep

Daily Schedule Template

For a 3-hour daily session:

30 min — Review yesterday's concepts (spaced repetition)
60 min — New material study (this course's lessons)
60 min — Practice (LeetCode SQL, system design sketching, or lab exercises)
30 min — Write notes / teach-back (explain the concept in your own words)

Company-Specific Adjustments

Targeting Google?

• Add 1 extra week of algorithm practice (insert between weeks 4 and 5)
• Focus on coding efficiency — Google expects optimal solutions
• Practice explaining algorithmic choices clearly

Targeting Amazon?

• Start writing STAR stories from week 1 (aim for 15+ stories)
• Map each story to 2-3 Leadership Principles
• Practice weaving LP answers into technical discussions

Targeting Meta?

• Practice the AI-assisted coding format (use Copilot/Cursor to simulate)
• Focus on multi-file code navigation and architectural decisions
• Emphasize trade-off discussions in every system design practice

Targeting Startups?

• Complete 1-2 take-home projects to build speed
• Practice pair programming with a friend or on Pramp
• Prepare "why this startup" answers and demonstrate product thinking

Recommended Resources

System Design

Resource	Type	Best For
System Design Interview by Alex Xu (Vol 1 & 2)	Book	Classic problems, structured approach
Designing Data-Intensive Applications (DDIA) by Martin Kleppmann	Book	Deep distributed systems understanding
HelloInterview.com	Interactive	Practice with feedback
ByteByteGo newsletter	Newsletter	Weekly system design breakdowns

Database & SQL

Resource	Type	Best For
LeetCode Database problems	Practice	SQL query writing
Use The Index, Luke	Website	Indexing strategies deep dive
PostgreSQL documentation	Reference	Authoritative SQL reference

Coding Practice

Resource	Type	Best For
LeetCode (Medium difficulty)	Practice	Algorithm patterns
NeetCode 150	Curated list	Focused problem set
Exercism (Go/Java/Python tracks)	Practice	Language-specific idioms

Mock Interviews

Resource	Type	Best For
Pramp	Free peer-to-peer	System design + coding
interviewing.io	Paid anonymous	Realistic FAANG simulation
Exponent	Paid structured	Company-specific prep

Progress Tracking

Use this checklist to track your readiness:

• Can design a database schema and justify normalization decisions
• Can explain B-tree indexes and when to use composite indexes
• Can design a RESTful API with proper status codes, pagination, and auth
• Can explain Saga pattern vs. 2PC for distributed transactions
• Can solve a system design problem in 45 minutes using a structured framework
• Can explain CAP theorem with real-world examples (DynamoDB = AP, Spanner = CP)
• Can identify and fix race conditions in concurrent code
• Have 12+ STAR stories ready covering different behavioral themes
• Can explain salary expectations and negotiation strategy

Remember: Consistency beats intensity. 2-3 focused hours daily for 8 weeks beats 12-hour cramming sessions on weekends.

Let's dive into the technical content. Next module: Database Design & SQL Mastery. :::