How to read this. These plans are my opinion. I made them from the order of the site's learning map and from my own sense of what is hard. I have not tested them on other people. I do not know how many hours you have, so each plan comes in three sizes: 2, 5 and 10 hours a week.
1. How the plans work
In short: Each week has one main case, one guide and one tool. The hours decide how much you do with them.
The order follows the learning map. The chat app comes first, because most other pages build on it. The news feed comes second. After that I pick pages from the branches of the map. Start with the five-step method.
You will use three tools:
- The round timer for 45-minute solo rounds.
- The retry explorer, which shows what a lost reply does.
- The pagination race, which shows offset against cursor paging.
Use the mock interview script and the score sheet for rounds with a friend.
2. The three hour sizes
| Size | What I would do each week |
|---|---|
| 2 hours | Read the main case once. Read the guide. Do one timed round alone with the timer |
| 5 hours | Do the 2 hour work, then use the tool, then read the build guide of the main case. Do one round with a friend and the score sheet |
| 10 hours | Do the 5 hour work, then read a second case. Do two timed rounds. Repeat the weakest step the next day |
Pick the size you can keep for every week. A small plan that you finish is better than a big plan that you stop. If you miss a week, repeat it. Do not skip it.
3. The 3-week plan
In short: Three weeks cover the chat app, the news feed and one failure-heavy case. This is the short path before a round.
| Week | Main case | Guide | Tool |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Chat app | Idempotency keys | Retry explorer |
| Week 2 | News feed | Cursor vs offset | Pagination race |
| Week 3 | Photo and file sync | WorkManager vs BGTaskScheduler | Round timer |
- Week 1. The chat app is the base. Learn the five steps and the send path. The guide explains the lost reply that the case uses.
- Week 2. The news feed builds on the chat app. Its hard part is paging and a refresh. The guide and the race show why cursor paging holds up when the data changes.
- Week 3. Photo and file sync is about work that fails halfway. The guide covers background work on both platforms. End the week with a full 45-minute round on a case you have not read, then score it.
4. The 4-week plan
In short: Four weeks add a library case, a payment case and the staff guide. This is the fuller path.
| Week | Main case | Guide | Tool |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Chat app | Idempotency keys | Retry explorer |
| Week 2 | News feed | Cursor vs offset | Pagination race |
| Week 3 | Image loading and photo and file sync | WorkManager vs BGTaskScheduler | Round timer |
| Week 4 | Booking app | Staff loop guide | Mock round and score sheet |
- Weeks 1 and 2. These are the same as the 3-week plan.
- Week 3. Image loading builds on the news feed. Photo and file sync adds work that fails halfway. At 2 hours, read only image loading and do the other case next time.
- Week 4. The booking app uses the lost reply again, with payment. The staff guide shows what changes at senior and staff level. End with a mock round on the chat app and compare the score with week 1.
If you have time for more, read the offline-first hub after week 3. The staff loop guide has its own four-week list, with a different order, in section 5. Use one plan or the other. Do not mix them.
5. Rules that apply to both plans
- Speak aloud in every round. Reading in your head hides gaps.
- Stop at 45 minutes, even if you are not done.
- Say your assumptions at the start and again when you change them.
- After each round, write the one step you skipped.
More in the practice kit
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Written by Manuel Lorenzo. The site is drafted with AI assistance and edited and reviewed by him.