FULL Interview Cake Review (2023 New Features)

Interview Cake is one of multiple options of platforms to prepare for your next coding interview.

While it’s not the most expensive choice out there (it’s in the middle of the pack) – you still want to know whether it’s worth investing this money into the course. And more importantly, your time and energy.

• How good is IC’s content really?
• Does it cover the right topics, and teach them with proficiency?
• Will it help you prepare in the shortest amount of time?

Let’s shine a light at Interview Cake from all angles, and determine if it’s right for you.

Quick Pros & Cons

If you’d like just the quick lowdown, then here’s the major advantages & disadvantages I’ve found with the program.

Heard enough already? Sign up for Interview Cake here.

How Interview Cake works & what it offers - 7 best features

Let's dive into IC's features, so you know exactly what you're getting when you join their course to prep for your next coding interview:

1. Select your language of choice

The course is available in 11 coding languages. You can select the one that’s relevant for your interview, and all course contents will be automatically adjusted according to your choice.

2. Cover all relevant topics for cracking coding interviews

If you know the basics of Data Structures & Algorithms, Interview Cake will make you an expert at it, given that you commit to diligently working your way through the course.

You’ll learn all topics asked in coding interviews to a high level. Here’s an overview of what’s covered:

Algorithmic thinking, Arrays & Strings, Hashing, Greedy Algorithms, Sorting Algorithms, Trees & Graphs, Dynamic Programming, Recursion, Queues & Stacks, Linked Lists, System Design, General Programming, Bit Manipulation, Math & Combinatorics, JavaScript problems, Coding Interview Tips

There’s only a few hand-picked questions for every topic. This is so you learn what you need, without being bombarded by endless problems. The questions mirror those frequently asked at FAANG and similar companies.

3. Get high-quality hints and deep explanations

One of the features setting Interview Cake apart from other prep courses is the progressive hints they give you as you’re working on a problem. With other courses, if you’re stuck, you only have the option to reveal the whole solution – which isn’t optimal for your learning.

IC asks you for your answer, and if you can’t give it yet, you can click “Tell me more” to get tips for the next step. This way you can do as much as you can on your own, or tip-toe your way to the optimal solution if at some point you can’t get further.

Then once you’ve come up with an answer, there’s the “Gotcha” bonus feature. It will tell you the common mistakes people make in their solutions to this specific problem, and show you how to avoid doing the same in your own.

Most of the questions inside Interview Cake have a whole page of explanations. Parker did a good job at being thorough, making sure you understand the how of solving each problem in detail.

Taking your time to study these lessons means you’ll be well prepared for your next coding interview.

4. Build your code in real time

You can create and test your code right in IC’s built-in IDE. This is a feature not all prep courses offer. It’s convenient to be able to do this, saving you the stress of switching back & forth between the course and your code editor.

You feel like you have everything you need to be well-prepared right inside the platform. No need to go to other applications to solve the problems (and also no need to Google anything because the instruction is so thorough). But, just in case you do want more input (from other users), there’s the bonus of IC’s community..

5. Join a community

Something that’s been added to Interview Cake recently is the Slack channel, which you can use to get assistance with the course from your peers, as well as network or just chat with other students.

Unlike more expensive programs like Interview Kickstart, IC doesn’t include live group classes or 1:1 mentorship calls. With the Slack channel you get similar benefits of being part of a community without having to spend thousands.

6. Receive career advice

Granted, the “Interview Tips” section of IC isn’t huge – but working through these articles means you’ll know what to expect at your interview, the best way to prepare yourself, and how to act so you avoid common pitfalls.

7. If you don’t like it, get a full refund

Just email Parker Phinney, Interview Cake’s founder. He advertises a 98% success rate for his program. Only 2% of people felt they didn’t get value out of the course and got a refund.

Online reviews by past students

Aside from the numerous testimonials published on IC’s website, such as these –

– past students are also sharing their experience with Interview Cake on sites like Quora, or their personal blogs:

"I'd recommend Interview Cake the most to candidates who have already have experience and want to brush up on algorithms. If you're someone who's familiar with technical interviews and working your way through a problem, Interview Cake is great because it explains problems and logical flow well." - A commenter on Quora

"It’s great for all levels of experience. Whether you’ve been coding for 3 months or 30 years.

They have a high quality set of questions. All questions you’d see at FAANG coding interviews. There’s high overlap with frequently asked questions at Google interviews (like the egg drop question). You'll notice these showing up in the mock interviews at Pramp & interviewing.io. So after going through Interview Cake, you’ll be familiar with these popular questions." - Colorful Codes, programming blogger

Final Verdict - Is it worth it?

Taking into account all pros & cons, its features, price point and the quality of questions, I can recommend Interview Cake as an effective program to prepare for your next coding interview.

It's less intensive than premium-priced courses like Interview Kickstart, but with the whole set of 50+ coding problems for you to complete, you'll get a strong preparation plan at a moderate cost. 

IC's explanations and hints leave nothing to be desired. It's great to get not just single solutions, but learn patterns for approaching any interview problem.

The built-in coding environment is helpful as well.

My verdict:

If you put your head down and diligently go through Interview Cake from start to finish, solving interview questions will have become second nature for you. I doubt you'll have any problems passing coding interviews even at high-profile companies after that.