StackScholar

Mock Interview

Two modes. A full design session with a six-phase 45-minute timer that keeps you moving through the framework, or a rapid drill over all 71 questions. Both work best out loud, with a pen and paper.

Your prompt

Design a URL shortener like bit.ly

Scale: 100M new URLs/day, 100:1 read:write, global

Before you start

  • Get paper or a whiteboard. Do not type - you will not be typing in the real thing.
  • Speak out loud, the whole time. Record yourself if you can.
  • The timer moves through six phases. Let it push you; do not pause it when you fall behind.

Getting real value out of a mock

  • Record yourself. Play it back at 1.5×. You will hear the filler, the circling, and the decisions you never actually justified.
  • Do not pause the timer when you fall behind. Falling behind is the finding. Note where it happened and study that.
  • Draw on paper, not a screen. You will be drawing on a whiteboard or a shared canvas, and the physical constraint changes how you lay a design out.
  • Start mocks in week 3, not week 10. Mocks surface communication gaps that solo study cannot. Early feedback tells you what to prioritise.