5 Best Mock Coding Interview Platforms For Coding Interviews

Doing mock interviews to prepare for software engineer interviews is a great way to test yourself in a pressuring environment that is most similar to a real coding interview. After all, mock coding interviews are a type of interview that has similar structures and expectations as a real coding interview. 

So, if you’re considering doing mock coding interviews as you’re preparing for software engineer interviews, make sure that you try out the best mock coding interview platforms of Pramp, Interviewing.io, Meetapro, Gainlo, and LeetCode. 

In the rest of this article, we will discuss what a mock coding interview is in detail and elaborate on each of the 5 mock coding interview platforms’ offerings in terms of mock interviews. We will then discuss additional things you can do to be successful in a mock coding interview and a real coding interview.

What Is A Mock Coding Interview?

A mock coding interview is a type of interview that mimics the environment of a real coding interview. This means that mock coding interviews have similar coding questions, expectations, and evaluations that are expected in a real technical interview, and they’re done to prepare interviewees for real coding interviews.

Depending on the mock coding interview platform and your mock interviewer, you’ll also receive verbose feedback for what you can improve on in terms of technical and communication skills. This is beneficial because you don’t receive feedback on your communication skills while practicing on platforms like LeetCode by yourself, and communication is a large contributor to success within a real coding interview. 

Typically a mock coding interview isn’t conducted by the company you’re interviewing for, instead, it’s done with peers and paid tech professionals acting as mock interviewers. You can match with mock interviewers through the internet on various platforms and through services.

What Are The Best Mock Coding Interview Platforms To Practice For Coding Interviews?

The best mock coding interviews to practice for coding interviews are Pramp, Interviewing.io, Meetapro, Gainlo, and LeetCode. Each of these platforms offers its own pros and cons and ranges from service prices of free to almost $200 per interview coaching session. In the sections below, we will discuss each of these mock coding interview platforms in detail by describing the mock interview platform, its associated costs, and its mock interview duration.

1. Pramp

Pramp is a free online platform that you can use for software engineer mock coding interviews. The platform allows you to match with another peer so that you both can perform mock interviews with each other in 1-on-1 video sessions, using Pramp’s collaborative code editor.

Pramp’s coding interview sessions are bi-directional. This means that you and a peer alternate roles between interviewer and interviewee, allowing you both to learn from both interviewees and interviews.

What Is The Cost Of Using Pramp?

The cost of using Pramp for mock coding interviews is free. There is no cost to do mock coding interviews on Pramp.

How Long Is A Pramp Mock Interview?

The duration of a Pramp mock interview is 30 to 40 minutes per partner (60 to 80 minutes total).

2. Interviewing.io

Interviewing.io is a website that offers paid anonymous mock interviewers with experienced software engineers from companies like Amazon, Google, and Facebook. On Interviewing.io, you’re able to book sessions to practice algorithmic and system-design coding interview questions. Many users of the site attribute their recent job offers to the support and mentorship they received through Interviewing.io.

What Is The Cost Of Using Interviewing.io?

The cost of using Interviewing.io for mock coding interviews is approximately $150 to $225 per mock interview depending on the topic. However, there are discounts if you purchase multiple mock interviews.

How Long Is An Interviewing.io Mock Interview?

The duration of an Interviewing.io mock interview is approximately an hour.

3. Meetapro

Meetapro is an online platform that you can use to find and book high-quality virtual mock interviews with experienced professionals from top companies like Google, Meta, Amazon, Apple, Uber, and Microsoft.

After each session, you’ll receive invaluable feedback that includes a “hire” or “no-hire” verdict, to help you improve your approach to doing coding interviews.

What Is The Cost Of Using Meetapro?

The cost of using Meetapro for mock coding interviews is between $40 and $160 per interview. The price depends on the mock interviewer’s rates.

How Long Is A Meetapro Mock Interview?

The duration of a Meetapro mock interview is approximately an hour.

4. Gainlo

Gainlo is a platform that offers to match you with experienced engineers to do mock coding interviews. As a user of the mock interview platform, you can specify your target companies and preferences, and Gainlo will connect you with suitable interviewers for online mock interviews via Skype and code-sharing tools.

What Is The Cost Of Using Gainlo?

The cost of using Gainlo for mock coding interviews is approximately $90 to $180.

How Long Is A Gainlo Mock Interview?

The duration of a Gainlo mock interview is approximately 45 minutes.

5. LeetCode

LeetCode is an online platform that is used to practice coding interview questions. However, you can also use LeetCode to practice mock interview environments by yourself through their “assessments” feature on the website. This is useful if you want to simulate some of the pressure of a real coding interview but aren’t ready to commit to real mock interview settings yet. 

What Is The Cost Of Using LeetCode?

The cost of using LeetCode for mock coding interviews is completely free.

How Long Is A LeetCode Mock Interview?

The duration of a LeetCode mock interview is an hour and 30 minutes (90 minutes).

How Many Mock Interviews Should You Do To Pass Real Coding Interviews?

You should do at least one or two mock coding interviews to be able to pass real coding interviews. While some people don’t do any mock coding interviews, mock coding interviews allow you to understand how you react under the pressure of a realistic interview environment compared to practicing by yourself.

If you’re uncomfortable with doing mock coding interviews through online platforms like Pramp and Meetapro, then you alternatively find a peer that you know and trust to do mock interviews together. 

How Do You Do Well In A Software Engineer Mock Interview?

To do well in a software engineer mock interview you should make sure that you’re comfortable with the fundamentals of programming and computer science. Without an understanding and functional use of programming and computer science concepts, you won’t the have prerequisite knowledge and ability to solve coding interview problems within a mock interview. 

What 2 Main Topics Should You Study To Ace A Mock Coding Interview?

The main 2 topics that you should study to ace a mock coding interview are data structures (like stacks, queues, and arrays) and algorithms (like quick sort and depth-first search). There are hundreds of different types of data structures and algorithms that exist, so that’s why you should focus on studying the 8 most important data structures and the 6 most important algorithms that are used in solving coding interview problems.

How Do You Get Better At Solving Coding Interview Questions?

To get better at solving coding interview problems, you’ll want to make sure that you understand how you should approach coding interview problems for the purpose of passing a coding interview. 

The way you should solve coding interview problems is heavily evaluated by interviewers, so you should make sure that you’re solving the problems in a way that provides your interviewer with the best possible signals for hiring. You can do this by doing various things like asking clarifying questions, determining multiple solutions for a problem before coding, and analyzing your solutions in terms of time and space.