A Review of Pramp as a Software Engineer Interview Prep Tool

A Review of Pramp as a Software Engineer Interview Prep Tool

What does Pramp do?

Pramp is a platform where people can get ready for technical and behavioral interviews by participating in mock interview sessions with their peers. They offer questions on the following topics: data structures and algorithms, product management, system design, frontend, data science, and behavioral.

The interviews take place over video chat and include a collaborative code editor. Each question takes about 30 minutes and then the peers switch, so the session takes about 1 hour. They are all bi-directional, so users act as both interviewee and interviewer. Users are matched with peers based on background, availability, preferred languages, and experience. After the interview, you can give and receive feedback. Users can also invite friends to practice with them.

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Who is Pramp for?

Candidates who want to participate in mock interviews to practice for their interviews in software engineering and product management can benefit from Pramp. Those who use this platform need to have background experience and skills necessary to get these jobs. This is because the program only provides mock interviews, not training, solutions, or additional help.

What does Pramp cost? How much work is involved?

Pramp is free for users. When they make an account, they provide information about their background, availability, practice goals, work experience, education, preferred programming languages, selected practicing topics, and other factors.

Ratings and reviews

People who have reviewed Pramp online liked that they could practice on both sides of the table because it gave them a sense of what it feels like to be the interviewer and what to look out for when they are interviewing. And, of course, they like that the program is free.

Some users felt like Pramp was less helpful than practicing technical interview questions on their own. They felt this way because they had to wait for interview sessions to be available. This timing can make it difficult if candidates are preparing on a timeline.

Alternatives to Pramp

For candidates interested in mock interviews and other types of interview prep, there are a number of alternative platforms to utilize.

  • Those looking to participate in mock interviews with software engineers at top tech companies should check out Interviewing.io. Learn more about Interviewing.io in our review.
  • Gainlo and Tech Mock Interview are alternatives that are help software engineers prepare for their upcoming sessions.
  • Another good option is AlgoExpert. This is a platform where software engineers can practice questions that cover a variety of interview topics.
  • Created by a former Google software engineer, Interview Cake is a study tool that teaches people the right way to think about technical questions so they do well in interviews. Read more about Interview Cake in our review.
  • Similarly, Codebasil features questions written by software engineers at top tech companies like Facebook, Apple, and Amazon.
  • Coderbyte offer a mix of free and paid resources and challenges for software engineers looking to practice their skills. Read more about Coderbyte in our review.
  • If you are looking for technical questions directly in your email, Daily Coding Problem is a newsletter that sends 1 problem a day and the solutions for those who subscribe.
  • Similarly, Quastor sends out a daily newsletter with software engineering interview questions. They also have a free online course.
More alternatives to Pramp
  • Leetcode is another alternative to Pramp. Software engineers who are interested in practicing technical interview-type questions can benefit, but they do not provide mock interviews.
  • Similarly, HackerRank is another alternative with software engineering technical interview questions.
  • For people looking to prep with real world problems, CodeKata provides challenges that mimic requests from real tech companies.
  • Software engineers can use the tracks offered by Educative or Skilled.dev to brush up on skills or practice for specific-language interviews.
  • Similarly, Edabit is a study tool that software engineers can use to practice technical questions that will likely come up in interviews.
  • Codewars is a user-generated alternative, where all of the challenges are written by the community and CodinGame makes coding challenges more fun by gamifying them.
  • With exercises in Python and JavaScript for beginners and advanced engineers, CheckiO is a good free resource to check out.

We compiled a list of resources to practice software engineer interview questions that you can use to decide the best one for you. You can also check out our list of 93 software engineering interview questions from top tech companies to practice.

How does Pramp compare to Pathrise?

Pramp gives users the ability to participate in mock interviews, both as the interviewer and interviewee. They give and receive feedback on their peers’ performance, but they do not receive any technical or behavioral help from experts. In addition, they do not receive resume or additional guidance on soft skills.

Pathrise is a full service organization. We work with candidates through all stages of the job search, teaching them to enhance their soft skills and develop strategies that they can continue to use throughout their whole lives. Fellows in the Pathrise program work with their mentors 1-on-1 to optimize their resume and online profiles, find the best possible opportunities, prepare for and practice technical and behavioral interviews, and negotiate to ensure they end up with compensation that is above industry average.

Pathrise is an online program that works with students and professionals 1-on-1 so they can land their dream job in tech. With our tips and guidance, we’ve seen our fellows receive 3x as many responses to their applications and their interview performance scores double.

If you want to work with any of our mentors 1-on-1 to get help with your any aspect of your job search, become a Pathrise fellow.

Apply today.

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Brian Wong

Brian Wong is an experienced senior software engineer and has worked at top bay area startups and organizations. In his free time, Brian works with Pathrise SWE fellows to help them land their dream job and learn insider tips on how to ace technical interviews.

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