Everything you need to know about Interview Kickstart: Is it worth the cost?

Interview Kickstart (also known as IK) is a tech interview prep platform that aims to help tech professionals land their dream jobs in FAANG and other Tier-1 companies. Since there are many tech interview prep courses to choose from, knowing what each offers is crucial for comparison. In this article, we’ll go through some key features of Interview Kickstart, look at some customer reviews, so you can decide if it’s worth your time and resources.

In this review, we’ll look at the following:

• Some interesting statistics associated with Interview Kickstart
• Interview Kickstart’s reviews from various sources like Google, CourseReport, and Yelp
• Pros and cons of choosing Interview Kickstart’s courses according to alums
• Key features of Interview Kickstart’s courses that are unique or less commonly offered
• The curriculum of each of the courses, along with some key insights and differences in course structures
• What a typical week at Interview Kickstart and what it looks like
• A summary of Interview Kickstart’s courses: Whether they are worth it and how to evaluate if this program is for you

Some Interesting Figures

Before we go any further and look at what others have to say about Interview Kickstart, let us look at some statistics:

• Interview Kickstart has 500+ FAANG+ instructors.
• The current record for the highest offer received by an IK student is $1.2 Million.
• In 2021, Interview Kickstart students received an average pay hike of 53%.
• Many Interview Kickstart students received multiple offers from Tier-1 companies. The highest number of offers received is 18.
• IK covers 18 tech roles.
• IK has trained 13,500+ engineers to date.
• The sum of all offers Interview Kickstart alums received in 2021 was ~$113,890,000.

What makes IK stand out from other interview prep courses is that IK takes a very different approach to tech interview prep, with role-tailored courses taught by engineers and experts from FAANG and other big tech companies. It prepares you to succeed at your job, rather than just hacking your way through the interview process.

Our methods have proved to be effective, helping alums receive multiple offers from top tech companies. Let’s look at some ratings and reviews for a better understanding.

Ratings of Interview Kickstart on Google, Yelp, Course Report

When looking at ratings on any website, it is important to consider the profiles of people who usually add reviews, the number of reviews, and how reliable the website is.
Typically, the higher the number of reviews, the more credible the review website is, and the more you can rely on the rating. Take a look at these ratings given to Interview Kickstart on different popular platforms.

Google
Rating: 4.9/5.0
Number of Reviews: 113
Sample Review:

Please note that anyone with access to Google is eligible to write Google reviews. So these Interview Kickstart Google reviews are a mix of reviews from students, employees, etc. These reviews give an idea of the overall experience of those associated with Interview Kickstart in any way.

Course Report
Rating: 4.8/5.0
Number of Reviews: 159
Sample Review:

Please note that only applicants, students, and graduates are permitted to leave reviews on Course Report, making it a reliable source for those considering investing in Interview Kickstart courses.

Yelp
Rating: 4.0/5.0
Number of Reviews: 22
Sample Review:

Yelp also prohibits employees from adding reviews and companies from asking customers to review, making it a reliable source for those planning to join Interview Kickstart courses.
For more, check out detailed reviews on CourseReport, Yelp, and Google. There are quite a few detailed and helpful reviews too long to add here but worth going through.

What Former Students Think

For your convenience, we’ve summarized the common themes among the reviews:

Pros:

• Well-thought-out, well-structured courses
• Instructors are great in skill as well as teaching abilities.
• The IK community is growing, and Interview Kickstart leverages that well.
• You become better at your actual job, not just clearing the interview.
• The active and supportive operations team
• Mock interview feedback is crucial and priceless.
• What is taught is directly relevant to the role and interviews being targeted.
• The people care and want you to succeed.
• Problem-solving through power patterns is a huge help since solving all possible combinations of problems beforehand is impossible and shouldn’t be necessary to solve a given new problem.

Cons:

• The course is intense and requires a great deal of time and effort on the part of the student. 15 hours per week commitment for lectures, tests, and homework and 4 to 8 hrs per week for personal practice. There is no success without it.
• The courses are expensive but worth it if you complete them.

Here are some reviews of Interview Kickstart alumni from their website:

Visit the IK Reviews page for more.

Key Offerings of Interview Kickstart

Here are the key features all the Interview Kickstart’s courses offer:

• 18 Tailored Interview Prep Courses Built by FAANG+ Experts
• Interview prep courses covering the most in-demand domains and roles in tech.
• Courses designed and updated periodically by Hiring Managers, TLs, and Technical Recruiters from FAANG and other Tier-1 tech companies.
• All Interview Kickstart courses aim to prepare you for FAANG+ interviews and help you become a better tech professional.
• Comprehensive Role-Focused Curriculum
• Curriculum covers role- and interview-relevant technical concepts and behavioral and leadership skills training.
• Interview Kickstart’s courses also help develop problem-solving skills, optimize individual career profiles, and position individuals to land high-paying FAANG jobs.
• Live Classes, Mock Interviews, and 1:1 Mentorship by FAANG+ Instructors
• 500+ instructors who drive the hiring process at FAANG and other Tier-1 companies.
• All courses come with multiple mock interviews with TLs and hiring managers from FAANG+ companies. These practice mock interviews and feedback from seasoned industry experts are excellent because they know how to navigate tech interviews to land lucrative offers.
• 1:1 mentorship from FAANG+ instructors is also a key value IK provides.
• Power Patterns and Unmatched Teaching Methods
• IK’s proprietary teaching method, called Power Patterns, helps students identify and use similar patterns to solve unseen coding interview problems.
• IK also helps you boost your problem-solving skills and tackle tricky interview questions with the help of tried-and-tested techniques.
• Designed for Working Professionals
• The courses are fully remote, with classes on weekends and a few weekday evenings.
• All courses offer live classes, self-paced study materials, and weekly assignments.
• 6-months Support Period
• You can also retake any of the live classes during the support period.
• IK will help you optimize and leverage your LinkedIn profile to unlock FAANG interviews, which can boost your chances of getting hired.
• We also provide salary negotiation support from professional career experts, which is crucial for getting the best compensation you can hope for.

Curriculum of Interview Kickstart Courses

The curriculum of the courses Interview Kickstart offers is also designed differently compared to most other tech interview prep courses in the market. Let’s look at the curriculum before we discuss key characteristics:

Interview Kickstart’s Courses

Back-end Engineering Course (16 weeks)

Data Structures and Algorithms, System Design, Database Design, Object Modeling, API Design, Cloud Native Design, and Concurrency (Note: Many of the courses listed below start with the same algorithms and system design modules.)

Front-end Engineering Course (15 weeks)

Data Structures and Algorithms, Scalable System Design, JavaScript Language & Libraries, UI & DOM, Front-end System Design, Patterns, Tools, and Techniques

Full Stack Engineering Course (16 weeks)

Data Structures and Algorithms, Scalable System Design, Databases, API Design and Implementation, Cloud Infrastructure, JavaScript and Web Development, and UI System Design

Data Engineering Course (15 weeks)

Data Structures and Algorithms, System Design, SQL Programming, Data Modeling, ETL & Pipeline Design, and Data Platforms

Android Engineering Course (15 weeks)

Data Structures and Algorithms, System Design, Android UI Programming, Network and Memory Management, Concurrency, Debugging, and Profiling, and Modular Architecture Design

Technical Program Manager Course (18 weeks)

Data Structures and Algorithms, System Design, Program Planning, Program Execution, Program Monitoring & Reporting, Behavioral - Introducing Frameworks, Behavioral - Motivation & Core Values, and Behavioral - Cross Functional Cooperation

iOS Engineering Course (15 weeks)

Data Structures and Algorithms, System Design, UI Programming, Performantly Fetching and Handling Data, Data Persistence, and iOS Systems Design

Test Engineering Course (17 weeks)

Data Structures and Algorithms, System Design, Quality Engineering Foundations, Performance, Stress, and Agile Testing, API Testing, Automation Testing, Test Automation Design Patterns, Cloud Testing

Site Reliability Engineering Course (17 weeks)

Data Structures and Algorithms, System Design, Linux, Containers and Orchestration, Deployment & Configuration Management, Non-Abstract Large System Design, Monitoring and Troubleshooting, and Cloud Computing & AWS Services

Security Engineering Course (16 weeks)

Data Structures and Algorithms, System Design, Applied Cryptography, Network Security, Cloud Security, Application Security, Security Themed Coding, and Code Reviews

Machine Learning Course (16 weeks)

Data Structures and Algorithms, Scalable System Design, Supervised Learning I - Rank Relevant Search Results, Supervised Learning II - Design a YouTube Video Recommendation System, Unsupervised Learning - Detect Fraud Transactions for Airbnb, Deep Learning I - Detect and Process Objects in a Scene, and Deep Learning II - Build a Tech Support Chatbot. (Note: The Machine Learning Course has the general scalable system design and DSA modules.)

Data Science Course (15 weeks)

Data Structures and Algorithms, SQL Programming, Probability, Distributions, Data Science Design: A/B testing, Regression, MLE, EM, and MAP, Supervised Machine Learning, Unsupervised Machine Learning, Deep Learning, and Time Series Analysis (Note: The Data Science Course has the algorithms module, but no system design module.)

Embedded Software Engineering Course (14 weeks)

Data Structures and Algorithms, Designing and Developing Embedded Systems, Programming for Embedded Devices, Microcontroller Units, and Embedded OS. (Note: The Embedded Software Engineering Course has the system design module adapted specifically to embedded needs as the Designing and Developing Embedded Systems module)

AWS Cloud Solutions Architect Course (11 weeks)

System Design, Linux and Networking, Cloud Computing & AWS Services, Cloud Computing Architecture, Cloud Security & Best Practices, and Cloud As a Platform. (Note: AWS Cloud Solutions Architect course does not have the data structures and algorithms module.)

Early Engineering Course (8 weeks)

Data Structures and Algorithms, and Career Coaching (Note: The early engineering course does not have the system design module as it’s not relevant for fresh graduates or software engineers with little experience.)

Product Manager Course (14 weeks)

Scalable Systems, Product Sense, Product Execution, Technical Product, Teamwork & Influence, Communication & Problem Solving, and Adaptability & Handling Conflict. (Note: The product manager course does not have the data structures and algorithms module as it’s often not relevant for that position.)

Engineering Manager Course (18 weeks)

Scalable System Design, Careers Workshop, Leadership Workshop, and Coding & Algorithms (Note: The engineering manager course also does not have the full data structures and algorithms module as it’s not that relevant for the engineering manager position. Although it does have a coding and algorithms module designed specifically for engineering manager roles.)

Business Intelligence Analyst Course (14 weeks)

Probability and Statistics, Business Analytics, Understanding Business Needs and Decision-Making, Visualization Tools (Tableau), Advanced Business Analytics, and Application (Case Studies). (Note: No algorithms or system design course here as that is not relevant to a business analyst.)

There are several noteworthy aspects here:

Early Engineering is the shortest course designed for fresh graduates. It does not include system design and has nine mock interviews instead of the usual 15. This is the most suitable course for freshers and engineers with less than 2 years of experience, as freshers aren’t asked system design questions in interviews.

As you might have also gathered from the modules listed above, each course has a role-specific curriculum that covers DSA and system design to a relevant extent. The courses cover all topics specific to the target role. In the Embedded Software Engineering Course, the usual system design module is not there, but a role-adapted embedded systems design and development module are present.

In essence, whether you take the back-end, front-end, full stack, engineering manager, or technical program manager course, there’s a pattern. The common ground is covered in all courses that involve similar roles, but each curriculum is target role specific.

What Does a Typical Week at Interview Kickstart Looks Like

Here’s what a typical week’s schedule at Interview Kickstart will look like. This will give you an idea of what to expect from the course and the time commitment required.

Thursday is reserved for covering foundational content (videos and course material) for the next week’s class. Thursdays also have tests, assignment review sessions, and instructor-led group discussions for the previous week’s assignments.

Sunday is for online live interactive sessions that cover interview-relevant concepts for the targeted role. These sessions include solving problems live and getting feedback from FAANG+ instructors.

Monday to Wednesday slots are reserved for practice problems and case studies. This period is dedicated to applying concepts learned in classes to solve assignment questions along with doubt-solving with FAANG+ instructors.

Every day, students can have 1-1 access to instructors and get personalized coaching, individualized and detailed attention to questions, and solution walkthroughs from FAANG+ instructors.

What Makes Interview Kickstart Worth It — A Recap

1. Field-focused and role-relevant curriculum designed by professionals from big tech companies
2. FAANG instructors have both skill and teaching ability
3. Problem-solving through power patterns
4. Homework assistance
5. 15+ mock interviews + 1-on-1 mentoring sessions + actionable feedback from HMs, TLs, and software engineers from top tech companies
6. Resume, LinkedIn profile, and personal brand-building training
7. Behavioral and leadership training
8. 6-months support period
9. Salary negotiation support
10. The value you get from Interview Kickstart courses will give you undeniable benefits in the long term:
11. A technical education that lasts a lifetime can help you get promotions in the future and even switch jobs.
12. Connections with FAANG+ instructors and alums can come in handy when you need advice or want to switch to a new job.
13. Knowledge of how salary negotiations work for the rest of your life will help you negotiate whenever you switch jobs or are negotiating a raise.
14. Communication, behavioral, and leadership skills training will enhance your professional and personal life. These skills are vital to maintaining long-term professional relationships that will mark your long-term success.
15. You’ll get yearly increments or promotions on a significantly increased salary post the course.
16. The approach needed to prepare for and clear similar tech interviews in the future will set you up for success in your tech career.

With an average salary hike of 53% in 2021, the course cost will likely cover itself multiple times over with the salary hike. Interview Kickstart is an investment you must make to uplevel your career, if:

• You have the time: Investing time during and after class is important for success, and you should join only if you’re ready to commit to that time.

• You are committed to the process: You must be ready to put in the work and ensure that the course rigor suits you.

In case you have more questions, join the Free Webinar — it covers everything you need to know about the program and ends with a live Q&A session.