Start here¶
For anyone opening this repo for the first time. When you finish this page you will have a track, a timeline, a weekly hour budget, and your first week of tasks on a calendar.
Step 1: Pick your track¶
| You are | Track | Open first |
|---|---|---|
| A student who wants a summer internship | Intern | How internships work |
| Graduating in the next 12 months, or graduated with under 1 year of full-time work | New grad | What jobs to apply for |
| A working engineer with 0 to 3 years of experience | Experienced | Level mapping |
| On F-1 or any visa that needs sponsorship (any track) | Your track, plus visa checks | International students |
Step 2: Check where you are in the hiring year¶
Big tech reviews applications on a rolling basis. A good application in week one of an opening competes for more interview slots than the same application in week five (Jugal's internship post).
| Track | When applications open (as of Oct 2026) | What to do this week |
|---|---|---|
| Intern, Summer 2027 | Big tech posts July 2026 to Feb 2027. Peak is Sept to Oct 2026. First-round screens Nov to Dec, finals Jan to Feb, most offers Mar to Apr 2027 (Simplify timeline) | You are in peak season. Apply this week and run the 8 or 12 week plan in parallel |
| New grad, 2027 start | Main window Aug to Oct 2026. A second wave runs Jan to Mar 2027 (Simplify 2027 new grad roadmap) | Apply now. Use the 8 week plan so you are ready for the second wave too |
| Experienced, 0 to 3 years | Year-round | Pick the plan that ends when you want to start interviewing |
Watch out: Do not wait until you feel ready to apply. The median search took 82 days from start to first offer in Q2 2026 (Huntr Q2 2026), and rolling review gives the early slots to early applicants. If an interview lands before you feel ready, switch to the 4-week plan below.
Jugal's 30-day plan runs the same way: applications every morning, prep the rest of the day (post).
Step 3: Set your weekly hour budget¶
Use these numbers as your default. Tech Interview Handbook suggests 3 months at 11 hours a week for coding prep (study plan). Grind 75 defaults to 8 weeks at 8 hours a week (Grind 75).
| Your situation | Hours per week | Coding | Applications and outreach | Resume, behavioral, design |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Student with full classes | 10 to 11 | 6 to 7 | 2 | 2 |
| Student on break or summer | 20 to 25 | 15 (about 3 a day) | 3 to 5 | 3 to 5 |
| Working engineer, full-time job | 8 to 10 | 5 | 2 | 2 to 3 (system design if your level needs it) |
| Anyone with an interview in under 4 weeks | 12 to 15 | 8 to 10 | 1 | 3 to 4 |
Sample week: student with classes (about 11 hours)¶
| Day | Time | Do this |
|---|---|---|
| Mon to Fri | 75 min | 10 min: re-solve 1 old problem. 50 min: 1 Medium or 2 Easy from this week's pattern. 15 min: log it in your tracking sheet |
| Sat | 2 h | 90 min: send 10 applications (tailor the skills line and top 3 bullets for each). 30 min: send 5 outreach messages |
| Sun | 2.5 h | 90 min: a past contest or a mock. 60 min: write or rehearse 1 behavioral story |
Sample week: working engineer (about 9 hours)¶
| Day | Time | Do this |
|---|---|---|
| Mon to Thu | 60 min | 1 Medium on a 30 minute timer, then read the best solution and log it |
| Fri | Off | Rest. Consistency beats one long weekend |
| Sat | 3 h | 2 timed problems, then 1 hour of system design (if your target level gets a design round) |
| Sun | 2 h | 1 h: applications and outreach. 1 h: behavioral stories from your real projects |
Jugal's own daily routine during his job hunt was "3 LeetCode problems a day (focus on patterns, not volume)", 1 AI mock interview, and 1 peer mock on weekends (post).
Step 4: Follow the order of operations¶
Do these in order. Steps 5 to 7 run every week once they start.
- Pick 2 role families and your level. Use What jobs to apply for and fill in its profile block.
- Check visa rules if they apply to you. Read International students. Check sponsorship before you tailor anything (Jugal's H-1B check).
- Build one base resume. Follow Resume rules, Writing bullets, and Templates. Run the Final checklist.
- Fix your LinkedIn profile. Work through Optimize your profile in one sitting.
- Start applying in week 1 or 2. Use Where to find jobs and Application strategy. Tailor each one with Resume tailoring.
- Start coding prep the same week. Read How to learn DSA, then pick one list on Problem lists and follow How to practice.
- Send 5 outreach messages a week. Use Outreach strategy, Message templates, and Referrals. "Five a week for a month is 20 conversations started" (post).
- Prepare for online assessments before the first invite. Read How OAs work and OA formats by company.
- Write your story bank by the midpoint of your plan. Use Story bank, then the page for your target company under Behavioral.
- Add system design only if your level needs it. Check Who needs system design. Google L3 and Meta E3 loops have no design round (Hello Interview Meta E3). Amazon SDE I usually includes an object-oriented design round (Hello Interview Amazon L4).
- Do company prep 2 to 3 weeks before each interview. Use your company's page from Companies.
- Negotiate every offer. Follow The negotiation process and use Scripts and emails.
Step 5: Pick a timeline plan¶
If you fall behind, repeat a week instead of skipping it.
4-week plan (interview or OA already scheduled)¶
For you if you already know arrays, hash maps, trees, and recursion, and you have an OA or interview in about a month. Budget: 12 to 15 hours a week.
| Week | Focus | Pages to use | Output by Sunday |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Learn the exact loop. Fix the resume. Start the company list | Your company page in Companies, OA formats by company, Final checklist, The 45-minute interview | Every round written down. Final resume. 15 of the company's most frequent problems done |
| 2 | Weakest patterns, timed | Patterns, How to practice, OA strategy | 15 to 20 Mediums at 30 minutes each, every miss logged for a re-solve |
| 3 | Mocks and behavioral | Mock interviews, Story bank, your company's behavioral page | 3 timed mocks. 8 stories written in STAR form |
| 4 | Drill the pattern that hurt most. Final review | How to practice, Code quality, your company page's reported questions | 10 more problems in your weakest pattern. 2 more mocks. One-page cheat sheet |
This matches the last weeks of Jugal's Amazon roadmap: "What pattern crushed you? Spend these two days drilling ONLY that" (post).
8-week plan (applying this cycle)¶
For you if you know basic data structures and want offers this cycle. Budget: 8 to 10 hours a week.
| Week | Focus | Pages to use | Output by Sunday |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Roles, level, base resume | What jobs to apply for, Resume rules, Writing bullets, Templates | Profile block filled. Resume v1. List of 30 target companies |
| 2 | Finish resume and LinkedIn. Start applying. Arrays and hashing | Final checklist, Optimize your profile, Where to find jobs, Problem lists | Final resume. Updated LinkedIn. 10 applications sent. Tracking sheet started. 10 problems |
| 3 | Outreach. Two pointers, sliding window, stack | Outreach strategy, Finding people, Message templates, Patterns | 5 outreach messages. 10 more applications. 10 problems |
| 4 | OA prep. Binary search, linked lists, trees | Platforms, OA strategy, Patterns | 1 timed practice OA. 10 problems. 10 more applications |
| 5 | Referrals. Graphs and heaps. Start stories | Referrals, Story bank, Patterns | 3 referral asks sent after real conversations. 4 stories. 10 problems |
| 6 | Talk while you code. Dynamic programming and backtracking | The 45-minute interview, Code quality, Story bank | 10 problems solved out loud. 8 stories |
| 7 | Company prep and mocks | Your pages in Companies, your company's behavioral page, Mock interviews | Top 30 most frequent problems for your first company. 2 mocks |
| 8 | Weakest pattern, design check, offer prep | Who needs system design, Comp basics, The negotiation process | 10 problems in your weakest pattern. 2 mocks. Target pay range per company written down |
12-week plan (student with classes)¶
For you if you are taking a full course load. Budget: 10 to 11 hours a week. The coding order follows Topics.
| Week | Focus | Pages to use | Output by Sunday |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Roles and level. Pick one language. Arrays and hashing | What jobs to apply for, How to learn DSA, Topics | Profile block filled. Language picked. Tracking sheet set up. 8 problems |
| 2 | Base resume. Two pointers, sliding window, prefix sums | Resume rules, Writing bullets, Templates, Patterns | Resume v1. 8 problems |
| 3 | Finish resume and LinkedIn. Start applying. Stack and linked lists | Final checklist, Optimize your profile, Finding and applying or Where to find jobs | Final resume. 10 applications sent. 8 problems |
| 4 | Binary search. Outreach starts | Outreach strategy, Message templates, Patterns | 5 outreach messages. 10 applications. 8 problems |
| 5 | Recursion, backtracking, trees. OA prep | Platforms, OA formats by company | 1 timed practice OA. 8 problems |
| 6 | BST, heaps, intervals. First stories | Story bank, Referrals | 4 stories. 2 referral asks. 10 applications. 10 problems |
| 7 | Graphs: DFS, BFS, topological sort | Patterns, OA strategy | 10 problems. 5 outreach messages |
| 8 | Union-find, Dijkstra, tries. Finish stories | Story bank, your company's behavioral page | 8 stories. 10 problems |
| 9 | Dynamic programming, 1D | Patterns, Follow-up and tracking | 10 problems. Follow-ups sent on every open thread |
| 10 | Dynamic programming 2D, greedy, bits. Talk while you code | The 45-minute interview, Code quality | 10 problems solved out loud |
| 11 | Mixed practice and company lists | Your pages in Companies, Mock interviews | 1 past contest. 2 mocks. Top 20 problems for your first company |
| 12 | Mocks, weakest pattern, offer prep | How to practice, The negotiation process | 2 mocks. 10 problems in your weakest pattern. About 120 problems total |
16-week plan (starting from zero)¶
For you if you have never practiced interview-style problems, or you want the full cycle with slack for exams. Budget: about 10 hours a week.
| Week | Focus | Pages to use | Output by Sunday |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | One language, Big-O, setup | How to learn DSA, Topics, How to practice | Language picked. Tracking sheet set up. 10 Easy problems |
| 2 | Arrays, strings, hashing. Roles and level | What jobs to apply for, Patterns | Profile block filled. 8 problems |
| 3 | Two pointers, sliding window, prefix sums. Base resume | Resume rules, Writing bullets, Templates | Resume v1. 8 problems |
| 4 | Stack and monotonic stack. Finish resume and LinkedIn | Final checklist, Optimize your profile | Final resume. Updated LinkedIn. 8 problems |
| 5 | Linked lists, binary search. Start applying | Where to find jobs, Application strategy, Resume tailoring | 10 applications sent. 8 problems |
| 6 | Recursion and backtracking. Outreach starts | Outreach strategy, Finding people, Message templates | 5 outreach messages. 8 problems |
| 7 | Trees and BST. OA prep | How OAs work, Platforms | 1 timed practice OA. 10 applications. 8 problems |
| 8 | Heaps and intervals. Referrals | Referrals, Cold email | 2 referral asks. 5 outreach messages. 8 problems |
| 9 | Graphs: DFS and BFS. First stories | Story bank, OA strategy | 4 stories. 8 problems |
| 10 | Topological sort, union-find, Dijkstra, tries | Patterns, Code quality in OAs | 8 problems. 10 applications |
| 11 | Dynamic programming, 1D. Finish stories | Story bank, your company's behavioral page | 8 stories. 8 problems |
| 12 | Dynamic programming 2D, greedy, bits | Patterns, Follow-up and tracking | 8 problems. Follow-ups sent |
| 13 | Mixed practice. Talk while you code | The 45-minute interview, Code quality | 1 past contest. 8 problems solved out loud |
| 14 | Company lists. Design check | Your pages in Companies, Who needs system design, Low-level design if your target asks for it | Top 20 problems for your first company |
| 15 | Mocks | Mock interviews, Career fairs | 3 mocks. 30-second pitch written |
| 16 | Weakest pattern. Offer prep | How to practice, Comp basics, Scripts and emails | 10 problems in your weakest pattern. About 130 problems total |
Tip: Problem count is not the goal. You are ready when you can solve most Medium problems you have not seen before in 20 to 25 minutes (NeetCode's rule). "I cleared Amazon, Google, and Meta with only 120 LeetCode problems" (post).
Week-by-week plans from Ascend¶
Use one of these inside the plan you picked when you want every day or week spelled out.
| Plan | Length | What it covers | How to use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Only 6-Week Job Search Roadmap | 6 weeks | The whole search: resume and LinkedIn, one clickable project, networking, applications, interview prep, then a final push for offers and referrals | Run it beside the 4 or 8 week plan. Keep its weekly rhythm: Mon plan, Tue to Wed build or tailor, Thu mock, Fri polish, Sat post and apply, Sun review |
| I Cleared Amazon, Google, and Meta With Only 120 LeetCode Problems | 60 days | Jugal's coding plan: 5 pattern blocks, then timed company sprints, then 2 days of mocks only | Use it as the coding track of the 8 or 12 week plan. Move to the next pattern only when you can name it from the problem statement alone |
| Master DSA with patterns | 60 days | A day-by-day coding plan with LeetCode links by company and pattern | Budget 60 to 90 minutes a day. On days 56 and 57, solve 4 problems a day from a target company's list |
| Michael's FAANG 10-Week Roadmap | 10 weeks | 5 to 6 linked LeetCode problems a week, one or two patterns per week, from Jugal's interview with Michael, CEO of Simplify | Do one week's set each week. For 5 more problems per pattern, use Michael's Guide to FAANG DSA |
How to use the interactive roadmap¶
- Open the interactive roadmap.
- Choose your track: Intern, New grad, or Experienced.
- Work through the phases in order. Each task links to the page or resource you need.
- Tick each task when it is done. Progress saves in this browser, and every
- [ ]checklist on the site works the same way. - Use the same browser on the same device. A private window, a different device, or clearing site data starts you from zero. To move your progress, use Export progress, then Import progress on the new device.
How to use company pages¶
- Open Companies and pick 3 to 5 targets. Companies without a full guide have a question list in More companies.
- Read the process and online assessment sections on the day you apply, so the OA does not surprise you.
- Finish a core list from Problem lists first. Company lists are the last part of prep, not the first.
- Start the company list 2 to 3 weeks before the interview. Solve the most frequent problems top to bottom, then the signature problems.
- Treat frequency as a signal, not a promise. The counts come from user-reported LeetCode company tags in two open datasets: liquidslr/leetcode-company-wise-problems and snehasishroy/leetcode-companywise-interview-questions.
- Follow the 4-week plan at the bottom of each full guide. For the five FAANG companies, Jugal's 5-week plans add a linked problem set per week: Meta, Amazon, Google, Apple, Netflix.
- Read the reported questions and the company's behavioral page in the final week.
Your first week checklist¶
- Pick your track in Step 1.
- Pick a timeline plan and block the weekly hours on your calendar.
- Fill in the profile block on What jobs to apply for.
- If you need a visa, read International students.
- Set up an application tracker from Application strategy.
- Set up a problem tracking sheet from How to practice.
- Open the interactive roadmap and tick your first task.
- Optional: subscribe to Ascend for a new guide each week.
Next: What jobs to apply for