What are the best FAANG interview prep materials?

The best FAANG interview prep materials consist of courses, practice problems, books and video lectures. Some of our favorites include the courses AlgoExpert, SystemsExpert, Grokking the Coding Interview, Grokking the System Design Interview, and Coderust: Hacking the Coding Interview. In addition, we recommend the book Cracking the Coding Interviw by Gayle Laakmann McDowell. Some other resources included platforms such as LeetCode and HackerRank where you can practice coding problems. And sometimes, video lectures can help drive a point home, like John Marty's presentation "How to Get A Job at Google - Amazon - Facebook - or Microsoft." Read our post for the full scoop.

What's the best coding interview course for FAANG interviews?

Here are a few of the best coding interview courses for FAANG interviews. 1. AlgoExpert - learn data structures and algorithms in this video-based course. 2. SystemsExpert - work through 8 systems design interview questions with guided mock interview videos. 3. Grokking the Coding Interview by Educative is designed to prepare students for FAANG-level interviews. 4. Grokking the System Design Interview by Educative helps you prepare for the system design part of technical interviews. 5. Coderust: Hacking the Coding Interview by Educative is another solid course for FAANG interview prep. Check out today's post for more information.

What are some places for coding interview practice?

Here are some great places for coding interview practice: 1. Cracking the Coding Interview, a book by Gayle Laakmann McDowell. It has 189 coding problems for FAANG interview prep. 2. AlgoExpert.io is a video-based platform filled with problems, interview tips and assessments for coding interview practice. 3. SystemsExpert is a systems design course to prepare you for the systems design portion of interviews. 3. Educative has courses like Grokking the Coding Interview, Grokking the System Design Interview and Coderust: Hacking the Coding Interview. Each of these helps you prepare for different aspects of coding interviews. 4. Other resources include platforms containing hundreds of coding interview practice questions like LeetCode, HackerRank and Codewars. Read our post for more in-depth coding interview practice insight.

13 FAANG Interview Prep Resources You Can't Afford To Miss Out On

Table of Contents

Today we’re looking at the best FAANG interview prep resources for this year.

A FAANG interview is arguably one of the most nerve-wracking experiences a software engineer can go through. The outcome of the interview could literally make a 6-figure difference.

But if you don’t have the right resources, you could tank the interview.

You’re going to be competing with some of the best minds out there, so you want to make sure you have every advantage possible.

This post contains affiliate links. I may receive compensation if you buy something. Read my disclosure for more details.

“How do I know what FAANG interview prep resources to use?”

Great question. We put together this must-use list of the top 13 FAANG interview prep materials:

Courses & Coding Platforms:

✨ AlgoExpert

✨ SystemsExpert

✨ Grokking the Coding Interview

✨ Grokking the System Design Interview

✨ Coderust: Hacking the Coding Interview

✨ AlgoMonster

✨ Edabit

✨ LeetCode

✨ Interview Cake

✨ HackerRank

✨ Codewars

Book: Cracking the Coding Interview by Gayle Laakmann McDowell

Video: “How to Get a Job at Google – Amazon – Facebook – or Microsoft” lecture by John Marty at USC.

So let’s take a closer look at ’em.

Not quite ready for FAANG interview prep?

If you’re looking for some “pre-FAANG” algorithms practice, check out our BONUS free introductory algorithms course at the bottom of this article.

FAANG Interview Prep: At a Glance

	Interactive or Video-Based	Number of Programming Languages	Coding Problems	Certificate	Cost
AlgoExpert	Both	9	160+	✅	$99/year
SystemsExpert	Both	N/A	13	✅	$99/year
Grokking the Coding Interview	Interactive	4	38	✅	$199/year
Grokking the System Design Interview	Interactive	N/A	15	✅	$199/year
Coderust: Hacking the Coding Interview	Interactive	5	80+	✅	$199/year
AlgoMonster	Interactive	7	230+	❌	$99+/lifetime
Edabit	Text	8	10,000+	❌	$120/year
LeetCode	Text	7	1000+	❌	$159/year
Interview Cake	Text	11	50	❌	$249/3 months
HackerRank	Text	45+	???	✅	Free
Codewars	Text	50+	3000+	❌	$48/year

FAANG Interview Prep

Now, let’s look at these FAANG interview prep resources in a little closer detail…

✨ AlgoExpert

We think AlgoExpert is one of the best platforms for FAANG interview prep. Designed to help software engineers ace the technical interview, it extensively covers algorithms and data structures with video-based modules.

➡️ Technical interviewer Jordan Bishop believes AlgoExpert is one of the best FAANG interview prep resources:

AlgoExpert is one of the best resources for interview preparation as far coding goes, especially if your goal is to land a job in big tech companies like Google.
– Jordan Bishop, technical interviewer

Plus, they update content regularly.

Learning Environment

AlgoExpert’s 4-pane integrated workspace allows you to:

1️⃣ read the prompt

2️⃣ watch the video

3️⃣ input and test your solutions

All in one coding environment.

And it’s a factory of bells and whistles:

✅ dark mode

✅ editor selector

✅ adjustable panes

✅ multiple syntax highlighting options

And much, much more.

4-pane integrated workstation environment in AlgoExpert — Student learning environment on **AlgoExpert** featuring *Two Number Sum*

Programming Languages

AlgoExpert enables you to code in 9 programming languages:

JavaScript	TypeScript	Python
Swift	Kotlin	Go
C++	C#	Java

And solutions are presented in Python because it’s an easy language to read.

Coding Problems

There are currently 160+ coding problems available on AlgoExpert. Difficulty levels include easy, medium, hard, very hard, and extremely hard.

For example:

Easy – Validate Subsequence
Medium – Spiral Traverse
Hard – Water Area
Very Hard – Flatten Binary Tree
Extremely Hard – Square of Zeroes

Square of zeroes problem mapped out in AlgoExpert review — *Square of Zeroes* video explanation on **AlgoExpert**

💡Want to know more about AlgoExpert? Check out our full review.

Certificate

AlgoExpert does offer a certificate of completion.

Extras

The AlgoExpert platform contains hours of additional educational goodies:

✅ Coding interview tests

✅ Behavior interview prep

✅ Data structures crash course

✅ Experience-backed interview tips

💰 Cost

You can get AlgoExpert for $99 annually.

Use promo code realtoughcandy and SAVE 10%

2. ✨ SystemsExpert

SystemsExpert is another course on the AlgoExpert platform created to help software engineers ace the systems design portion of a FAANG interview.

➡️ RTC thinks SystemsExpert is one of the best FAANG interview prep resources for software engineers and developers:

I have to stress this…This is for a very specific subset of software engineers and software developers who are looking for FAANG jobs.
– RTC

Learning Environment

Similar to AlgoExpert, SystemsExpert has a unique 4-pane integrated workspace. Here you can:

✅ read the prompts

✅ watch the mock interview scenarios

✅ use the scratchpad to take notes

✅ read the solution walkthroughs

4-pane integrated workspace with top left prompt, top right scratchpad, bottom left video solution, bottom right solution walkthrough — Student learning environment on **SystemsExpert** featuring *Design AlgoExpert* prompt

Problems

There are currently 10 problems jam-packed with information, scenarios and walkthroughs.

And remember, one systems design question is going to take you an hour or so to sufficiently answer.

MapReduce hand-drawn data of map to data to k/v pairs, to reduce step to output — Video explanation of *MapReduce* in **SystemsExpert**

💡Want to know more about SystemsExpert? Check out our full review.

Certificate

SystemsExpert does offer a certificate of completion.

💰 Cost

You can get SystemsExpert for $99 annually.

Use promo code realtoughcandy and SAVE 10%

Educative.io

🚀 The following three courses are available on Educative.io, a robust interactive learning platform for developers.

And while there are no videos,
there are ample coding environments, code snippets, playgrounds and media-rich examples to keep you engaged while learning.

3. ✨ Grokking the Coding Interview

Grokking the Coding Interview features 16 patterns for coding questions.

The idea is that once you’re familiar with a pattern you’ll be able to solve dozens of similar problems – as opposed to grinding away at 1000s of problems on LeetCode for months on end.

➡️ Grokking the Coding Interview is one of the best courses for FAANG interview prep for learning coding patterns.

When our team sat together to brainstorm on ideas to make the interview process easier for candidates, we realized quickly that one skill helped us the most when we were preparing for coding interviews: “the ability to map a new problem to an already known problem.”
– Design Gurus, one creator of Grokking the Coding Interview

Learning Environment

Grokking the Coding Interview has a standard learning environment, but don’t be fooled. As you move through the course, the code snippets, playgrounds and diagrams constantly reinforce concepts.

Programming Languages

Solutions are supported in 4 programming languages:

✅ C++

✅ Java

✅ Python

✅ JavaScript

Coding Problems

Grokking the Coding Interview covers 16 patterns such as:

✅ Sliding Window

✅ Merge Intervals

✅ Cyclic Sort

✅ Two Heaps

✅ Subsets

✅ Topological Sort

And more.

In addition, each lesson contains code snippets and playgrounds for you to test your knowledge.

From there, there are multiple problems to solve.

*Anagrams* problem in **Grokking the Coding Interview** with a solution in Java on **Educative.io**

💡Want to know more about Grokking the Coding Interview? Check out our full review.

Certificate

Grokking the Coding Interview does offer a certificate of completion.

💰 Cost

You can purchase the Grokking the Coding Interview course for $79.

Or you can get a subscription to all 330+ courses and learning tracks on Educative.io for $199 annually.

4. ✨ Grokking the System Design Interview

Grokking the System Design Interview is a complete guide to system design interviews.

➡️ Grokking the System Design Interview is one of the best FAANG interview prep resources for tackling the system design interview.

Created by hiring managers who have worked at Google, Facebook, Microsoft and Amazon, the course contains a compilation of actual system design questions asked at interviews.

Even engineers [who have] some experience building such systems aren’t comfortable with these interviews, mainly due to the open-ended nature of design problems that don’t have a standard answer.
– Design Gurus on Grokking the System Design Interview

Learning Environment

Similar to Grokking the Coding Interview, Grokking the System Design Interview uses a series of diagrams, snippets and playgrounds as teaching guides.

diagram of web crawler with queue files, URL set, internet, document checksum set and document store — Diagram of web crawler in **Grokking the System Design Interview** on **Educative.io**

💡Want to know more about Grokking the System Design Interview? Check out our full review.

Certificate

Grokking the System Design Interview does offer a certificate of completion.

💰 Cost

You can purchase Grokking the System Design Interview for $79.

Or you can get a subscription to all Educative courses (330+) and learning tracks for $199 annually.

5. ✨ Coderust: Hacking the Coding Interview

Coderust: Hacking the Coding Interview was created by former hiring managers of FAANG-level companies. The course contains over 80 problems with step-by-step visualizations.

➡️ Coderust: Hacking the Coding Interview is one of the best FAANG interview prep resources for visual learners.

That’s because it’s jam-packed with over 1500 illustrations.

Learning Environment

Just like Grokking the Coding Interview and Grokking the System Design Interview, Coderust: Hacking the Coding Interview uses a blend of code snippets, diagrams and playgrounds to reinforce key concepts.

Coderust Quicksort challenge with multiple language support screenshot — Sample quickSort problem on **Coderust: Hacking the Coding Interview** on **Educative.io**

Programming Languages

Problem solutions are available in 5 programming languages:

✅ C++

✅ Java

✅ Ruby

✅ Python

✅ JavaScript

Coding Problems

There are 80+ problems and solutions with step-by-step explanations in this course.

💡Want to know more about Coderust: Hacking the Coding Interview? Check out our full review.

Certificate

Coderust: Hacking the Coding Interview does offer a certificate of completion.

💰 Cost

You can purchase Coderust: Hacking the Coding Interview for $79.

Or you can get a subscription to all 330+ Educative courses and learning tracks for about $199 annually.

6. ✨ AlgoMonster

AlgoMonster is similar to AlgoExpert in that it’s a coding interview prep site meant to help you nail the technical interview.

But in addition to algorithms questions, you’ll find system design interview questions.

algomonster system design question with diagrams — System design question on **AlgoMonster**

➡️ We think AlgoMonster is one of the best FAANG interview prep resources for algorithms and system design questions.

First you’ll find a refresher on data structures.

From there, you’ll find a few practice algorithms.

Then you’ll work on 48 patterns commonly found at FAANG interviews including binary search, graph, divide and conquer and more.

Finally, you’ll find a section on company-specific assessment questions for Amazon, Microsoft, Google and Twitter.

Learning Environment

AlgoMonster has an interactive learning environment where you’ll do all work within the same browser.

graphs of top patterns asked at technical coding interviews on algomonster — Graph of common patterns on **AlgoMonster**

Programming Languages

AlgoMonster supports 7 programming languages:

✅ Python

✅ Java

✅ JavaScript

✅ C++

✅ Racket

✅ Go

✅ Haskell

Coding Problems

There are over 200 lessons and problems on AlgoMonster.

Certificate

AlgoMonster does not offer a certificate of completion.

💰 Cost

AlgoMonster costs $99 for lifetime access.

7. ✨ Edabit

Edabit is a platform of coding problems. Ten thousand of them, in fact.

There aren’t any courses. So it’s similar to LeetCode and HackerRank.

But it is not ideal for other aspects of FAANG interview prep.

For example, you won’t find any behavioral interview prep material here.

Therefore, we recommend pairing Edabit with one of the courses on Educative or AlgoExpert.

Learning Environment

Edabit challenges are separated into 5 sections:

✅ Instructions

✅ Code

✅ Resources

✅ Solutions

✅ Comments

**Edabit** learning environment with Return the Sum of Two Numbers problem

In addition, Edabit has a gamified environment. So you can gain XP, unlock achievements and level up.

Programming Languages

Edabit offers problems in 6 programming languages:

JavaScript	Java
C#	C++
Python	Ruby

You can also find problems in PHP and Swift.

Coding Problems

There are over 10,000 coding problems on Edabit.

They fall into 6 categories:

very easy
easy
medium
hard
very hard
expert

Certificate

Edabit does not offer certificates.

💰 Cost

There are 4 pricing tiers for Edabit:

First 15 questions are free
$39 per month
$120 per year
$299 for lifetime access

8. 📚 FAANG Interview Prep BOOK BREAK: Cracking the Coding Interview

If you’re looking for the Holy Grail of FAANG interview prep, look no further.

Cracking the Coding Interview book laying on dry cracked earth — **Cracking the Coding Interview** by Gayle Laakmann McDowell

💡Want to know more about Cracking the Coding Interview? Check out our full review.

Cracking the Coding Interview has almost 700 pages of pure coding interview preparation gold:

✅ 189 programming questions based on algorithms, coding, and design

✅ Hints and walkthrough for each solution

✅ Strategies to tackle various algorithm questions

✅ Huge section covering Big O notation, data structures and core algorithms

✅ Insider look at how Google & Facebook hire developers

✅ Techniques to ace soft skills at interviews with behavioral questions

And much, much more.

➡️ In our opinion, Cracking the Coding Interview is one of the best books for FAANG interview prep.

🚨 Important: Most coding interview questions in this book are written in Java. So if you don’t know Java, Cracking the Coding Interview probably isn’t going to be useful.

GRAB YOUR COPY OF CRACKING THE CODING INTERVIEW

9. ✨ FAANG Interview Prep: LeetCode

LeetCode has multiple collections of coding problems ranging from easy to hard.

You won’t find any courses here, though there is a thriving community, over a thousand coding questions and various competitions.

And while we don’t recommend LeetCode as a lone source for FAANG interview prep, it can be useful in conjunction with other platforms.

➡️ LeetCode is arguably one of the best FAANG interview prep resources for competitive programmers.

Learning Environment

Coding problems on Leetcode are presented in a standard, no-frills coding environment.

student coding environment on LeetCode with black and blue syntax and white background — Typical learning environment on LeetCode showcasing *singly-linked list*

Programming Languages

There are currently 16 languages supported on LeetCode:

C++	C	C#	PHP
Python3	Java	Python	Scala
JavaScript	TypeScript	Kotlin	Ruby
Swift	Go	Rust	Bash

Coding Problems

There are over 1400 coding problems on LeetCode.

But because many problems (and answers) are user submitted, so the quality and consistency is not guaranteed.

List of 16 coding problems on LeetCode with their number, title, solution, acceptance percentage and difficulty level — Example of problems available on LeetCode

Certificate

LeetCode does not offer a certificate of completion.

💰 Cost

LeetCode does have a free tier, but you can get a Premium subscription for about $159 per year.

This gives you access to upgraded help, more questions, autocomplete in the code editor, debugger and more.

You can check out LeetCode here.

10. ✨ FAANG Interview Prep: Interview Cake

Interview Cake is a course geared towards helping software engineer candidates with FAANG interview prep.

➡️ Interview Cake’s main offering is a 14-module FAANG interview prep course.

In addition, they offer free interview tips, a glossary and weekly practice questions.

All in all, I’d recommend Interview Cake the most to candidates who already have experience and want to brush up on algorithms. If you are someone who’s familiar with technical interviews and working your way through a problem, Interview Cake is great because it explains problems and logical flow well.
– James Chang, software engineer

Learning Environment

After reading about a concept with examples, you then work on a problem within their built-in code editor.

Programming Languages

Interview Cake supports 11 languages:

Java	Python	Ruby
JavaScript	C++	C
Swift	Objective-C	PHP
C#	SQL

Coding Problems

You can organize interview questions by company:

✅ Uber

✅ Google

✅ Amazon

✅ Facebook

✅ Etc…

Or you can organize interview questions by topic:

✅ Programming Language

✅ Testing and QA

✅ Bit manipulation

✅ Etc…

Certificate

Interview Cake does not offer a certificate of completion.

💰 Cost

An annual subscription to Interview Cake costs $160. However, you can get a 6 month subscription for $90, or 2 weeks access for $30.

You can get Interview Cake here.

11. ✨ FAANG Interview Prep: HackerRank

Similar to LeetCode and Codewars, HackerRank contains plenty of FAANG-level coding problems.

However, it’s not a one-stop resource for comprehensive FAANG interview prep.

➡️ We believe HackerRank is one of the best FAANG interview prep resources for developers who love coding challenges.

Learning Environment

After reading a series of instructions, you then execute the challenge in the embedded coding environment.

darkmode coding environment on HackerRank with black background and red, yellow and blue syntax highlighting — Coding environment on HackerRank showcasing *MakeAnagram* function in PHP

Programming Languages

HackerRank currently supports 45 programming languages.

This includes popular programming languages like JavaScript, C, Python, Java, PHP and Scala. And some less popular programming languages include LOLCODE, Brainf**k and Smalltalk, none of which you’ll need for FAANG interview prep.

Coding Problems

While the total number of coding problems on HackerRank is unclear, we do know there are at least 100 algorithm-related questions.

Certificate

Yes, HackerRank offers a certificate of completion.

💰 Cost

HackerRank is free to programmers.

You can check out HackerRank here.

12. ✨ FAANG Interview Prep: Codewars

Codewars is set up using Kata (honor) points, where you can level up and compete against others.

➡️ We think Codewars is one of the best FAANG interview prep resources for developers who love gaming.

The platform is gamified. And the more Kata you earn, the higher Kyu (rank) you achieve.

You can skip and choose questions within a difficulty level. And you can jump around difficulty levels, and level up at your own pace.

Learning Environment

The instructions are presented and you code your solution in the embedded code editor. They include sample tests.

Programming Languages

Codewars supports over 50 programming languages.

Coding Problems

Coding questions are organized by collections and tags. These collections range from a couple programming problems to thousands.

Similar to LeetCode, users can contribute to coding problems.

Certificate

Codewars does not have a certificate of completion.

💰 Cost

Codewars is free, but has a Red Tier which costs about $48 annually for:

expanded profile stats – streaks and detailed language training
real-time test output streaming of code
redundant code runs
head-to-head comparison with other users
faster & more isolated code execution

And a few other features.

If you’re looking for a free mental workout platform, this one might be a good fit.

You can check out Codewars here.

13. 📺 FAANG Interview Prep VIDEO BREAK: How to Get a Job at Google – Amazon – Facebook – or Microsoft

John Marty is a project manager at Amazon that has interviewed at Google and other major tech companies.

➡️ We think this is one of the best FAANG interview prep resources for visual learners.

In this video lecture at the University of Southern California, John discusses his journey into the FAANG world.

John Marty presentation on FAANG interview prep giving lecture at University of Southern California with large screen — John Marty talks about his FAANG interview prep recipe for success

He also lays out the 3 strategies for successful FAANG interview prep:

1️⃣ Practical Steps

2️⃣ Outreach

3️⃣ Nailing Interviews

BONUS: Introduction to Algorithms in Python: RealToughCandy.io

💰 Price: Free
⏲️ Duration: 2 hours
📉 Level: Beginner+
🖥️ Format: Video
🎖️ Certificate: No

RealToughCandy.io is a video-based learning platform that’s newbie-friendly.

Joy Brock, Instructor

So for this free course, you’ll do all work on your local computer.

Introduction to Algorithms in Python is taught by Joy Brock, an enthusiastic and skillful Pythonista.

Her teaching style is humorous while delivering loads of useful information.

This can make learning more fun than some other algorithms courses.

For this course, you should know Python basics like:

📌 functions

📌 variables

📌 loops

And more.

This course is ideal for new software developers, aspiring machine learning engineers, and for “pre-FAANG” prep.

You’ll discover:

✅ data structures

✅ divide & conquer

✅ greedy algorithms

✅ recursive algorithms

✅ dynamic programming

No previous experience with algorithms is required.

Course Layout

Introduction to Algorithms in Python runs about 2 hours.

But don’t be fooled.

It’s a fast-paced course that covers a wealth of concepts.

Exercise explanation in **Introduction to Algorithms in Python** on **RealToughCandy.io**

For example, you’ll work on more than 15 coding challenges such as:

✅ factorials

✅ permutations

✅ traveling salesman problem

✅ fractional knapsack problem

And many more.

Problems range from “Easy” to the more challenging “Mindbreaker.”

Problem walkthrough in **Introduction to Algorithms in Python** on **RealToughCandy.io**

There are over 60 quiz questions.

They’re multiple choice, true/false and fill-in-the-blank.

Support

RealToughCandy.io has 24/7 support on our Discord.

FAANG Interview Prep: Conclusion

Now let’s recap.

Today we showed you some of the best FAANG interview prep materials out there.

Courses & Platforms:

✨ AlgoExpert

✨ SystemsExpert

✨ Grokking the Coding Interview

✨ Grokking the System Design Interview

✨ Coderust: Hacking the Coding Interview

✨ AlgoMonster

✨ Edabit

✨ LeetCode

✨ Interview Cake

✨ HackerRank

✨ Codewars

Best book: Cracking the Coding Interview by Gayle Laakmann McDowell

Video lecture: “How to Get a Job at Google – Amazon – Facebook – or Microsoft” by John Marty

Now it’s up to you to decide which FAANG interview prep resources work best for you.

There are physical workouts, and then there are mental workouts. Whether you prefer courses, books or videos, we think there’s something for every developer working towards a FAANG interview.

Want more FAANG interview prep? Check out these articles:

What are the best FAANG interview prep materials?
The best FAANG interview prep materials consist of courses, practice problems, books and video lectures. Some of our favorites include the courses AlgoExpert, SystemsExpert, Grokking the Coding Interview, Grokking the System Design Interview, and Coderust: Hacking the Coding Interview. In addition, we recommend the book Cracking the Coding Interviw by Gayle Laakmann McDowell. Some other resources included platforms such as LeetCode and HackerRank where you can practice coding problems. And sometimes, video lectures can help drive a point home, like John Marty’s presentation “How to Get A Job at Google – Amazon – Facebook – or Microsoft.” Read our post for the full scoop.
What’s the best coding interview course for FAANG interviews?
Here are a few of the best coding interview courses for FAANG interviews. 1. AlgoExpert – learn data structures and algorithms in this video-based course. 2. SystemsExpert – work through 8 systems design interview questions with guided mock interview videos. 3. Grokking the Coding Interview by Educative is designed to prepare students for FAANG-level interviews. 4. Grokking the System Design Interview by Educative helps you prepare for the system design part of technical interviews. 5. Coderust: Hacking the Coding Interview by Educative is another solid course for FAANG interview prep. Check out today’s post for more information.
What are some places for coding interview practice?
Here are some great places for coding interview practice: 1. Cracking the Coding Interview, a book by Gayle Laakmann McDowell. It has 189 coding problems for FAANG interview prep. 2. AlgoExpert.io is a video-based platform filled with problems, interview tips and assessments for coding interview practice. 3. SystemsExpert is a systems design course to prepare you for the systems design portion of interviews. 3. Educative has courses like Grokking the Coding Interview, Grokking the System Design Interview and Coderust: Hacking the Coding Interview. Each of these helps you prepare for different aspects of coding interviews. 4. Other resources include platforms containing hundreds of coding interview practice questions like LeetCode, HackerRank and Codewars. Read our post for more in-depth coding interview practice insight.