Software Engineering Interview Study Plan (2026): 8 Weeks, 4 Tools

The best way to prepare for a software engineering interview is four steps, each with one tool: learn the coding patterns on NeetCode, study system design on Hello Interview, practice the interview out loud on DevInterview.AI, and, only if budget allows, book one session with an experienced human interviewer on interviewing.io before the onsite. In our view, most plans stop after the first two steps. The interview tests the third: solving out loud while someone watches. Our suggested schedule, over eight weeks at 8 to 10 hours a week, is below.

Disclosure: we build DevInterview.AI, step 3 of this plan. Every price below comes from each vendor's own pages, checked between October 13 and October 14, 2026, with sources at the bottom. Where another tool is the better choice for a step, that tool is in the plan instead of ours.

The stack at a glance

Step	Tool	What it does for you	Price as billed
1. Learn the patterns	NeetCode	The NeetCode 150, a curated list of 150 coding interview problems with free video solutions	Free to start; Pro $119/yr (list $199), $297 lifetime (list $599)
2. Study system design	Hello Interview	System design guides built by FAANG hiring managers and staff engineers, free to start	Free to start; Premium $59 (1 month), $119 (1 year), $399 lifetime
3. Practice out loud	DevInterview.AI	Unlimited live voice mock interviews: coding with code that runs, system design on a canvas, and behavioral, each with a scored report	First interview free; $19.99/mo, $49.99/qtr, $99.99/yr
4. Optional: one human read	interviewing.io	An anonymous mock interview with an experienced engineer	From $179 a session

Step 1: Learn the patterns on NeetCode

The NeetCode 150 is, in NeetCode's own words, "a curated list of 150 essential coding interview problems", with free video solutions and explanations. Work through it by pattern rather than at random: arrays and hashing, two pointers, sliding window, stacks, binary search, linked lists, trees, tries, heaps, backtracking, graphs, dynamic programming, greedy, intervals, math and geometry, and bit manipulation. Interviews reward recognizing the pattern in the first few minutes, not remembering a specific problem. NeetCode Pro costs $119 a year (list price $199, shown crossed out, with auto-renew off by default) or $297 lifetime (list price $599, shown crossed out), and adds video courses, company-tagged problems for 100+ companies, and AI hints.

Where it falls short: working through a list alone trains solving, not solving out loud while someone listens. That is step 3.

Step 2: Study system design on Hello Interview

Hello Interview's system design guides are free to start ("Start free. Go deep when you're ready.") and, per the site, were built by FAANG hiring managers and staff engineers. Read the core concepts first, then the worked problem breakdowns, and say each design out loud as you go. Premium adds full courses, Guided Practice that "walks you through the steps of an interview with personalized feedback", and a library of 5,000+ interview questions. At list price it is $59 for 1 month, $119 for 1 year or $399 lifetime, with a sale running when we checked; the 1 month and 1 year plans do not auto-renew.

Where it falls short: Hello Interview wound down its human mock interviews on May 31, 2026, so no live interviewer pushes back on your design. That is also step 3.

Step 3: Practice out loud on DevInterview.AI

Steps 1 and 2 teach you the material. The interview tests something else: performing it out loud while someone watches. In a randomized study by researchers at NC State and Microsoft, students who solved a problem on a whiteboard in front of an interviewer performed half as well as students who solved it alone in a private room. DevInterview.AI is the rehearsal for that room: unlimited live voice mock interviews, with a 30-minute coding round in an editor that runs your code and a 45-minute system design round on a canvas, both set to your target company and level, and a 30-minute behavioral round at your level. The interviewer asks follow-ups and is instructed never to tell you whether you are right and never to hand you the solution, like a real one. Each interview ends with a scored report and a hire verdict.

Pricing: the first interview is free, no card. Unlimited interviews are $19.99 a month, $49.99 a quarter or $99.99 a year, and the yearly plan includes a free 30-minute 1:1 call with a senior big tech engineer.

Where it falls short: the interviewer is an AI. It gives you volume and a score against the same rubric every time, not the judgment of someone who runs real hiring loops. That is step 4.

Step 4, optional: one session with a human

If budget allows, book one session with an experienced interviewer on interviewing.io in the final week, ideally one from your target company. Sessions start at $179, per its FAQ, and the price varies with the subject and whether you want an interviewer from a specific company. Treat it as a calibration, not as practice: by then you should have done your reps. Skipping it is fine.

The 8-week plan

This is our view of the schedule, for someone working full time with 8 to 10 hours a week to spare. If your interview is sooner, shrink each phase and keep the order.

Week 1: start the NeetCode 150 by pattern, beginning with arrays, hashing and two pointers. Take DevInterview.AI's free interview at your target company and level, in the round you feel least ready for, to get a baseline before you plan the rest.
Weeks 2 and 3: sliding window, stacks, binary search, linked lists, trees and tries. Start Hello Interview's core system design concepts. One coding mock a week.
Weeks 4 and 5: heaps, backtracking, graphs and dynamic programming. Two worked system design problems a week, explained out loud. Write 8 to 10 behavioral stories in STAR form: situation, task, action, result. Two mocks a week, alternating coding and system design.
Weeks 6 and 7: finish greedy, intervals, math and geometry, and bit manipulation, then go back to the patterns your mock reports flagged. Rehearse your stories aloud. A full mock interview most days, and read each report.
Week 8: light review, mocks until the format feels boring, and the optional human session.

Which should you try first?

You have weeks before the interview: start the NeetCode 150 and take DevInterview.AI's free interview in the same week, set to your target company and level, in the round you feel least ready for, so you know where you stand before you plan the weeks. Every rating we have ever received is public on our reviews page.
Your interview is two weeks away or less: go straight to step 3, with a full mock most days, and study patterns only where the reports point.
Your budget is zero: the NeetCode 150, Hello Interview's free guides, DevInterview.AI's free first interview, and the 5 free peer mock interviews a month on Aced (formerly Exponent).

How we evaluated

We picked one tool per step: the one we would recommend to a friend for that step, checked against each vendor's own site between October 13 and October 14, 2026, and described only by what each site states. We build DevInterview.AI, so we placed it only where we think it is the best choice, step 3, and named its limits. The schedule and the hours are our view, not a vendor's claim. For deeper comparisons, see our guides to AI mock interview tools and AI vs human mock interviews.

FAQ

What should I use to practice for coding interviews?

To learn the problems, use the NeetCode 150, a curated list of 150 coding interview problems with free video solutions. To practice the interview itself, use an interviewer that talks back: DevInterview.AI runs unlimited live voice mock interviews with code that runs and a scored report, for $19.99 a month, with the first interview free.

What's the best way to prepare for a software engineering interview?

Four steps: learn the coding patterns on NeetCode, study system design on Hello Interview, practice full interviews out loud on DevInterview.AI, and, if budget allows, one session with a human interviewer on interviewing.io in the final week. In our view, most people stop after studying, but the interview tests performing out loud, so the practice step is the one not to skip.

How long should I study for a software engineering interview?

About eight weeks at 8 to 10 hours a week if you work full time, in our view, and less if you have interviewed recently. If your interview is sooner, keep the order and shrink each phase: patterns, then system design, then mock interviews most days in the final stretch.

Can I prepare for software engineering interviews for free?

Yes. The NeetCode 150 comes with free video solutions, Hello Interview's system design guides are free to start, DevInterview.AI's first full mock interview is free, and Aced (formerly Exponent) gives free accounts 5 peer mock interviews a month. Paid plans add volume and depth, not the fundamentals.