Technical Interview Cheat Sheets and Mock Videos Worth Watching
Cheat sheets are for review the night before — Big-O, system design, ML, PM frameworks. They are not a substitute for mocks or a LeetCode habit. Watch a mock so you practise the performance.
A cheat sheet is a short guide that helps you review key information. Use sheets to strengthen technical vocabulary and patterns before interviews — then watch mocks so you practise the performance, not only the facts.
What to Review (Not Memorise Line-by-Line)
- Big-O — common costs for arrays, trees, heaps, graphs
- System design — load balancing, caching, queues, data partitions
- SQL — joins, indexes, explain-plan intuition
- ML (if that is the job) — leakage, metrics, training vs serving
- PM frameworks (if that is the job) — Circles, metrics, trade-off stories
Lists like Array interview questions in Java or AWS database comparisons are useful the night before. They are not a substitute for <a href="/blog/leetcode-habits-that-get-you-hired">a LeetCode habit</a>.
Mock Videos Worth Your Time
From Stack resource rounds, the useful mix is:
- One coding mock (talk while you type)
- One system design mock (structure on a whiteboard)
- One behavioural mock (stories, not slogans)
- One PM or data mock if that is your loop
Watch once for structure. Watch again and pause to answer out loud. Passive binge-watching is entertainment.
How to Use Sheets the Week of the Interview
- One page per topic, handwritten or typed
- Recite the page without looking
- Do two timed problems that use that page
- Sleep
If English is the bottleneck, annotate the sheet with phrases: I would index this column because... The failure mode is... See <a href="/blog/how-to-explain-your-thinking-in-technical-interviews">think out loud</a>.
Cheat sheets reduce panic. Mocks reduce surprise. Together they are a prep system, not a personality.
Frequently asked questions
Are cheat sheets useful for coding interviews?
Yes for last-mile review: complexities, traversal names, common system-design building blocks. No as a replacement for solving problems out loud.
What should I review the night before a tech interview?
The stack in the job post, one pattern you are weak on, and two STAR stories. Sleep beats a third new sheet.
Should I watch mock interview videos?
Yes. You are studying the talking, not only the algorithm. Pause and answer before the candidate does.