Build an EM Interview Self-Assessment Tool

Overview

In this lab, you will build a Python command-line tool that helps Engineering Manager candidates assess their interview readiness. The tool will collect self-ratings across five competency areas, calculate scores, identify strengths and weaknesses, and generate a personalized study plan.

The Five Competency Areas

Your tool must evaluate candidates across these five areas:

1. People Management — Hiring, coaching, feedback, performance management, conflict resolution
2. Technical Architecture — System design, tradeoff analysis, technical decision-making
3. Behavioral Storytelling — STAR-format stories, leadership narratives, structured communication
4. Execution & Delivery — Project management, cross-team coordination, shipping under constraints
5. Strategic Thinking — Vision setting, roadmap prioritization, connecting engineering to business

Requirements

Part 1: Data Collection

Create a function collect_ratings() that:

• Accepts a dictionary of competency ratings (each rated 1-5)
• Validates that all five competency areas are present
• Validates that each rating is an integer between 1 and 5
• Returns a validated ratings dictionary
• Raises a ValueError for invalid inputs

Part 2: Score Analysis

Create a function analyze_scores(ratings) that returns a dictionary containing:

• overall_score: The average score across all five areas (rounded to 1 decimal)
• readiness_level: A string — "Strong" (avg >= 4.0), "Moderate" (avg >= 3.0), or "Needs Work" (avg < 3.0)
• strengths: A list of competency names where the score is 4 or 5
• weaknesses: A list of competency names where the score is 1 or 2
• growth_areas: A list of competency names where the score is 3

Part 3: Study Plan Generation

Create a function generate_study_plan(analysis, weeks) that:

• Accepts the analysis dictionary from Part 2 and a number of weeks (4, 8, or 12)
• Allocates preparation time: 40% to weaknesses, 20% to growth areas, 10% to strengths (remaining 30% to general practice)
• Returns a list of dictionaries, where each item represents a week with:
  • week_number: The week number (integer)
  • focus_area: The primary competency to focus on that week
  • daily_hours: Recommended daily study hours (float)
  • activities: A list of 2-3 specific activities for that week
• Distributes weeks proportionally across weakness, growth, and strength areas

Part 4: Report Generation

Create a function generate_report(ratings, analysis, study_plan) that:

• Returns a formatted string containing:
  • A header with the overall score and readiness level
  • A section listing all five competency areas with their scores and a visual bar (using # characters, where each # represents one point)
  • A strengths section listing areas rated 4-5
  • A weaknesses section listing areas rated 1-2
  • The complete week-by-week study plan
• The output must be clean, readable, and well-structured

Example Usage

ratings = {
    "People Management": 2,
    "Technical Architecture": 4,
    "Behavioral Storytelling": 3,
    "Execution & Delivery": 5,
    "Strategic Thinking": 2
}

validated = collect_ratings(ratings)
analysis = analyze_scores(validated)
plan = generate_study_plan(analysis, weeks=8)
report = generate_report(validated, analysis, plan)
print(report)

Expected Output Format

============================================
EM INTERVIEW READINESS ASSESSMENT
============================================

Overall Score: 3.2 / 5.0
Readiness Level: Moderate

--- Competency Breakdown ---
People Management:       ## (2/5)
Technical Architecture:  #### (4/5)
Behavioral Storytelling: ### (3/5)
Execution & Delivery:    ##### (5/5)
Strategic Thinking:      ## (2/5)

--- Strengths (Score 4-5) ---
* Technical Architecture
* Execution & Delivery

--- Weaknesses (Score 1-2) ---
* People Management
* Strategic Thinking

--- 8-Week Study Plan ---
Week 1: People Management (1.5 hrs/day)
  - Read 'The Manager's Path' chapters on feedback
  - Practice delivering constructive feedback scenarios
  - Write 3 STAR stories about people management

[... remaining weeks ...]
============================================