Interview Kickstart

I joined Interview Kickstart to become a great engineer who takes pride in her work and is confident in solving problems with integrity. Interview Kickstart does provide excellent resources and support to realize that objective.My learning experience at IK has broadened my perspective on software engineering. I am much better at my current job. I can now understand why tier 1 companies have such comprehensive interview processes. If you are willing to do the work, the IK curriculum ensures you will thrive at your new job. I am glad that I chose IK because I would prefer to put in the effort to become a great engineer than try some shortcuts to clear the interviews.In my experience, IK glows in:

• Building fundamentals and solving problems systematically
• Excellent mentors who are ethical and eager to help
• Empathetic student success associates
• The student community of engineers who want to excel and are willing to help
• Mock interviews with senior engineers at tier 1 companies

Some areas that could have been better:

• Set the realistic expectation. Even though IK advertises getting interviews ready in 12 weeks, most students take much longer. Having realistic goals makes it less stressful.
• Foundation videos are very long, a searchable resources index and guides would help to review and retain the information.
• Provide placement assistance.

If I were to start over again (which I am - I joined their new ML switch-up program), I would study Data structures and Algorithms foundations before enrolling. Otherwise, in my experience with a full-time job and family, it is challenging to cope and make the most of the learning opportunity.In summary, it's a lot of hard work. It is not a shortcut but, in my opinion, an approach that can develop a strong foundation and make a lasting change.  Read less

Truly an awesome team, very professional, and I really enjoyed the entire course. More than everything, they have the best support team who are very responsive and are always eager to help. I have been a student for several months now, and no matter what, they care for their students, and I can't thank them enough! Kudos to the support team, without you, no matter how best the content is, IK would not be in the position where it is now. Read less

I loved most of the things about this program. It was very informative and cleared most of the difficulties I faced in FAANG companies, especially with system design and api design. Especially loved Nikhil's system design classes and Omkar's graph videos. If I had landed an interview with FAANG after I completed the program I would definitely have landed it, unfortunately, because of the recession all my interviews with FAANG got canceled, except for my second-tier company which I landed.

Cons - I am not sure why, but there were classes for spring and AWS-specific databases, which weren't all that informative or engaging or structured for that matter. I wish we had more in detail system design and graph classes instead of the above mentioned two. Read less

I joined IK to improve my problem solving skills as an engineer and I must say, the program went beyond my expectation. The pre-class contents are well put together, the live instructors are really great. I also love the fact that I have access to lots of mock interviews which really helped me to gauge my level on different topics and I used it to determine whether I am ready for the real interviews or not. Additionally, I love the fact that I could connect with the instructors, interviewers etc on Linkedin. To have a lifetime access to all the contents on uplevel is a great deal for me because I can reference them anytime I need to refresh my knowledge on the topics. 

I would recommend IK to anyone who is looking to improve their problem solving skills and/or preparing for interviews. Read less

Interview Kickstart has the best instructors in the industry and great interviewers. They helped me get an offer from linkedin in less than a year. Amazing curriculum, they teach you the basis first and then they move to advanced topics that will make medium topics a lot easier. The interviewers are experienced and are willing to share their knowledge and teach you to become a better applicant. Read less

If you are willing to put in the work, Interview Kickstart can be life-changing. At least it was for me. I never studied Computer Science (I studied other STEM field + had some work experience in Analytics), so I always felt I was at a disadvantage as I advanced my career from entry-level Data Science to Machine Learning Engineering. I can confidently say that IK can help you learn the technical background and mindset required to crack tier-1 company interviews. Not only that, but it can also give be a powerful tool to advance your career at your current job (As I've been preparing for a transition, I have been promoted from MLE, to Senior, to Lead MLE and feel more confident at work). All the instructors and mock interviewers I came across were highly experienced professionals in top companies. Not only did they have more than enough background to teach these concepts, but they were empathetic and had excellent teaching skills which is a rare combination to find. On top of all of that, you get the structure and support tools needed to stay on track (Great support staff). I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to invest in their career and their long-term growth.  Read less

I took this interview kickstart course to get an idea of how the things work at big tech companies especially the ones from FAANG. Most of the instructors are currently working in FAANG companies are have previously worked with. One thing that I have learnt is just solving leet code problems is not enough. At Interview Kickstart, they teach you patterns and techniques to clear the tech interviews and the course is definitely laid out well and they also have mock interviews which comes with most of their courses. All in all, I would say its great for someone who is looking to make their careers into these big tech companies but at the end of the day, your own practice will take things to a different level. Special mention to their operations team. Those guys are so responsive. You have any issue regarding the course or anything in general, they just reply in minutes. Read less

I was in finishing my Masters in analytics while working full time as a big data consultant . I hadn’t given any interview for a decade and wanted to get some formal training to get into Tier 1 and Tier 2 companies to start as Data Scientist . I researched and ended up with interview kickstart in Dec2021. From the beginning the experience has been great . Initially the team followed up periodically in the  to check on progress, any struggles with preparation. Instructors are from Tier 1 companies and most of them know what they are talking and was extremely helpful in answering question . I found the coding problems and technical problems challenging and great thing is you can clarify on any problem solving issues with the team during weekly TA sessions . Also they have 1:1 support for coding issues . 

I didn’t use their mock interviews or 1:1 sessions since I changed my focus to different domain in the middle of my graduate curriculum and ended up as consultant  with AWS as Data Architect. But I did use their notion behavioural exercises to prepare and review the behavioral questions with IK team. I found the cost to be little overpriced. If you are someone who is ready to be committed and give maximum for your interview preparation , the program maybe worth it.  Read less

The Interview Kickstart program really helped me get ready to interview. Found the mock interviews very useful, technical coaching sessions were a great way to address technical doubts.
I found the classes engaging. Sometimes they were a bit long, but overall were helpful.
It prepped me very well for behavioral interviews as well and talking to career coaches was a great help.
I highly recommend this program to anyone who wants to level up and land a better paying technical job. Read less

I joined Interview kickstart (IK) in January 2022 in hopes of transitioning into the Machine Learning Engineer profile. I am already a Senior Data Scientist, but wearing the ML Engineer's hat is whole different game. The task ahead was difficult and many told me it would take more time and experience to make the jump. However, I single mindedly focused on what was taught at IK and made it happen. Before the interview process, I wasn't clear as what might get asked during the interview process for the role I was targeting, let alone solve those problems during an actual interview. However, the instructors at IK not only demystified the entire interviewing process but also helped me master each aspect of interviewing to improve my overall problem solving ability.

IK not only covered the the most recent and frequently asked questions during the coding interviews, but the instructors  also taught us techniques which helped me generalize my learning ability to a wide array of problems and apply it during live interviews to solve problems I haven't seen before. IK's section on system design was on a whole different level, the instructors were very experienced and again taught us easily modifiable approaches which we adapted to, based on the problem given during an actual interview. Whatever I learned materialized into measurable results and even during interviews, after solving the problem given out by the interviews, I could also solve every variation of the same interview question with added complexity in the given time frame. I cannot thank Interview Kickstart and the instructors enough for the help they have offered me. Read less

I was very hesitant abt taking IK with the pricing considered. But finally registered for this after looking at the reviews and attending the intro session. I must say it was one of my best decision. The course content is very well structured and the content by Deshpande is next level.
 The weekend classes and mock interviews made huge difference for me in improving my technical expertise in DS& Algos , sys design and also improving my confidence because of the mock interviews. Mock interviews were really worth it and helped me to get confidence and get used to the interviews.  
Yes, it is pricey but definitely worth it considering the content and well-structured format. Best ROI I got. Doubled my CTC Read less

It is a truly amazing program that helps you uplevel your knowledge and increases your interview preparation skills. Omkar's 
foundational videos offered something that can't be found in medium articles or on other online programs. It's a well-designed 
program that prepares you to handle all interview processes, including technical, behavioral, and negotiation. I found the staff 
to be very knowledgeable, and the support team to be very helpful. It is recommended that you devote six to eight months to 
Interview Kickstart and make the most of all of the resources available to you. In addition to helping me get into interviewing shape, Interview Kickstart's program maximized my interview opportunities for success. Definitely worth the money. You will gain confidence from the knowledge you gain. This is an excellent course that I strongly recommend. Read less

I joined IK in July end  and it has been amazing journey so far. All the instructors are from Faang companies and having passion towards helping students in achieving their goals. There are primary goals to join the Faang company itself, but there are many benefits which has secondary benefits but it's more important that the first one. Wherever you join, you become confident leader, engineer with fully equipped to dive deep or to go wide. Contents were choosen very intelligently and all kudos goes to Omkar . He is amazing in explaining  complex thing in simple way and of so humble behaviour, amazing.  Read less

I have several years of professional software development experience and love to solve coding and design problems. So, I constantly attempt new problems whenever I get time. This is true even before I joined IK. However, the interviews are getting tougher and tougher year over year. It's not easy to crack today's technical interviews without proper preparation. A good planning, structured learning, right tutors providing right guidance is extremely useful. I strongly feel IK provided all this. 

They covered many types of topics (DS and algorithms, system design, domain-specific topics as well as behavioral). They also make it interesting by challenging you to solve the problems in a timed environment. The content is really good, and the videos are also available for offline viewing. Often times, I felt they are a bit lengthy but worth going through them at least once. 

Overall, I am satisfied with my journey with them before landing on a new job. Read less

Keeping in mind the companies that I wanted to target, I was extensively looking for a course over the internet and found IK apt for the same.

It has been quite an extensive course, and the thing I like about it is that it's well structured and properly taught (Omkar Deshpande has done a great job breaking down every concept for easy understanding), not just to help you crack the interview but also to help you gain knowledge to get better at your workplace. As I come from a non-CS/IT background, it has helped me bridge the gap in my knowledge related to areas that are needed in the IT industry.
I'd highly recommend this course to all. Read less

I was part of the Early Engineering program and IK helped me landing a job in one of the FAANG companies.

The whole structured program and the content is pretty good and detailed. The course is designed to cover all the major topics with different problem sets. The live classes are very interactive and the instructors are very accommodating to answer all the queries during the live session and if needed, they extend the classes too.

Assignment set and study material are also very helpful and engaging. All the weekly tests are also of very high quality and really helps to practice in timed environments.

For me, other than getting better at interview topics, overcoming the interview anxiety was very important and mock interviews helped me a lot there. The mock interviews feedback was also very thorough.

I would definitely recommend IK to anyone looking to up-level their career. Their preparation material, regular assignments and tests and all the support throughout the course helped me a lot. Read less