Preparing for interviews in product management is often more stressful than your day job. The first time you go for a FAANG company, it can require 80-100 mock interviews. If you are going for a new role after having done this before, you should do 10-30 mocks. Everyone is different in confidence and skill.

Think about that, if you trying to squeeze that into a month, you have have to do roughly 20 to 25 mocks per week!

Don’t get over confident

As a coach ,who knows this stuff backwards and forwards, I still have to do about 30 mocks with another human being when interviewing again at a Facebook/Meta or Google. For Amazon I need at least 10 mocks and a week or two to write out my 30 story headlines. Practicing on your own really doesn’t help. You need the tension and fear that only comes from knowing someone else is listening for both behavioral and case interviews.

I find mock count as the best way to estimate prep plans for interviews. See below for some high-level estimates. Here is a spreadsheet you can make a copy of to play around with requirements and map out the time. As for where you should focus, see our online courses that provide you with content and advice on mocks per week if going the standard route. Then you can modify accordingly based on the rough number of mocks you think you need.

Avoid Burn Out: Take Breaks

So to avoid burn out, I HIGHLY recommend taking off a week or two throughout the process, the plan below assumes 3+ month plans bake in a week or two off. Do something you love. See someone who makes you smile. Unplug for a bit. When you come back you will be stronger.

How many mocks per week should I do?

Every person is different but the vast majority of people I know who do this for the first time need to complete 80 to 100 mock interviews. If you are doing this for an additional round after getting into a FAANG (or similar company) you can possibly do 10 to 30 mocks. Below we map out some options for the Newbie’s and the Returning Contestant’s options. Note, if going from Amazon to Google, consider yourself a Newbie as far as case questions count.

The Newbie’s Options

If you want to prepare for your interview in say 6 weeks and you need 100 mocks, you need to prepare to do 17 mocks a week! Most people plan for 3 to 4 months. If you only need 80 mocks, like me, you need betwen 5 to 7 mocks a week if you go for the 3 month plan.