IC5+ Interview Training System

This repository is your long-term practice environment for senior software interviews (IC5+), covering:

• Coding interviews
• System design interviews
• AI-focused interview trends

Coding interview implementation language is standardized to C#.

The program is balanced equally across all three tracks and optimized for 5 hours/week over 16 weeks.

Structure

• docs/implementation-plan.md: operating model, cadence, and milestone gates
• docs/16-week-calendar.md: week-by-week schedule
• docs/coding-csharp-standards.md: C# coding interview conventions and checklist
• docs/chapter-practice-workflow.md: chapter-first coaching lifecycle
• templates/session_log.csv: every session outcome and score
• templates/mastery_matrix.csv: topic-level mastery status by track
• templates/trend_watchlist.csv: external trend signals and adaptation decisions
• templates/chapters.csv: chapter goals, entry/exit criteria, and chapter status
• templates/chapter_sessions.csv: per-question chapter practice outcomes
• templates/checklist.md: reusable checklist for every session
• prompts/: starter prompt banks for coding, system design, and AI interviews
• .github/prompts/run-chapter-session.prompt.md: reusable guided chapter practice prompt

Quick Start

1. Open chat and ask: "run a chapter session for 120 minutes".
2. I will recap progress, select the right chapter, ask interview-style questions one by one, then score (0-5) and tag gaps.
3. Log outcomes in:

• templates/chapter_sessions.csv
• templates/session_log.csv
• templates/mastery_matrix.csv

4. After each chapter session, I evaluate mastery:
   • Mastered: rolling average score >= 3.5 out of 5 AND exit criteria met → move to next chapter
   • Needs work: rolling average < 3.5 → redo chapter session or do targeted drills
   • Partial progress: rolling average 3.0-3.5 → one more session before final decision
5. Continue until chapter completion is recommended.
6. Add market/interview signals to templates/trend_watchlist.csv monthly.

For coding sessions, record language=csharp in the session log.

See docs/agent-workflow.md and docs/chapter-practice-workflow.md for the full agent-first lifecycle.

Scoring Model (Equal Weight)

• Coding score: 0-100
• System design score: 0-100
• AI interview score: 0-100
• Composite weekly score:

$$ \text{Composite} = \frac{\text{Coding} + \text{SystemDesign} + \text{AI}}{3} $$

Milestones

• Week 4: baseline established across all tracks
• Week 8: reduce critical errors by at least 30% per track
• Week 12: stable pass-level across all tracks
• Week 16: final readiness decision and next-cycle focus