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Interview Prep With AI

5 min read

Backend

System design: have AI generate problems, critique your answers. Iterate.

Frontend

Behavioral + frontend depth. AI can quiz you, give feedback on clarity.

Eng Manager

Use AI to practice 'tell me about a conflict' — refine your stories.

Interview Prep With AI

TL;DR

  • AI can be your mock interviewer. Use it for practice problems, behavioral questions, and system design.
  • Limitations: AI can't do real-time coding with you. Use it for prep, not replacement for human mocks.
  • Best use: generate questions, critique your answers, and drill weak areas.

AI won't sit in the interview for you. It can make you better prepared.

What AI Is Good For

Behavioral prep: "Give me 10 STAR-format questions for an engineering manager role." Practice your stories. Have AI critique: "Was that specific enough? Did I show outcome?"

System design practice: "I'm designing a URL shortener. Here's my approach: [paste]. What did I miss?" AI can suggest improvements, alternative approaches.

Technical Q&A: "Quiz me on RAG architecture." Or "What are common pitfalls in distributed systems?" Drill until you're fluent.

Resume review: "Review my resume for this job description. What's missing? How would you reframe this bullet?"

What AI Can't Do Well (Yet)

  • Live coding — Pairing with AI isn't the same as whiteboarding with a human. Use LeetCode + human mocks for coding.
  • Nuance — "Was my answer the right vibe?" AI might miss company culture, interviewer style.
  • Real pressure — Mock interviews with humans simulate nerves. AI doesn't.

Practical Setup

  1. Behavioral: Prompt: "I'm interviewing for [role]. Give me 5 behavioral questions. I'll answer one; critique it."
  2. System design: "Here's a system design problem: [paste from interview prep site]. I'll outline my approach. Critique and suggest improvements."
  3. Technical: "Quiz me on [topic] until I get 5 right." Or "Explain X to me like I'm a new grad. Then quiz me."

Use ChatGPT, Claude, or similar. Be specific in prompts. Iterate.

Caveats

  • Don't over-rely. Human mocks catch things AI misses — tone, pacing, "did I ramble?"
  • Vary your practice. Same AI, same prompts = you memorize answers. Mix in different models or prompt phrasings.
  • AI can be wrong. If it contradicts something you know, verify. Don't internalize bad feedback.

You prep alone. Same questions from a book. No feedback. You show up hoping you're ready.

Click "AI + human prep" to see the difference →

Quick Check

What's AI best used for in interview prep?

Do This Next

  1. Pick one weak area — Behavioral, system design, or technical. Focus there first.
  2. Run one AI prep session — 30 min. Generate questions, answer, get feedback.
  3. Book one human mock — Pramp, Interviewing.io, or a friend. Compare. AI prepares; humans validate.