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How to Really Prepare for a System Design Interview

February 21, 2026 · { между скобок }

An interview I took part in about preparing for System Design interviews through architectural thinking, interviewer expectations, and common candidate mistakes rather than memorizing case templates. Below are the conversation focus, the full recording, and a link to System Design Space.

Participant

  • Alexander Polomodov · System Design Space

Conversation focus

  1. 01Why is a book not the best format for System Design interview preparation?
  2. 02How are interview expectations changing, and what is actually being tested?
  3. 03Which mistakes do candidates make most often?
  4. 04How do you tell box drawing from real architectural thinking?
  5. 05Which topics should a senior / staff engineer understand?
  6. 06How do you prepare systematically instead of only solving lists of tasks?