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Beyond Cracking the Coding Interview: Pass Tough Coding Interviews, Get Noticed, and Negotiate Successfully
644 pages, Paperback
Published January 22, 2025
20 people are currently reading
129 people want to read
About the author
Gayle Laakmann McDowell
17 books310 followersGayle Laakmann McDowell is the founder / CEO of CareerCup, and the author of Cracking the PM Interview, Cracking the Coding Interview, and Cracking the Tech Career.
Gayle has worked for Microsoft, Apple and Google as a software engineer. She holds a bachelor's and master's degree from the University of Pennsylvania in Computer Science, and an MBA from the Wharton School. She currently resides in Palo Alto, CA.
Gayle has worked for Microsoft, Apple and Google as a software engineer. She holds a bachelor's and master's degree from the University of Pennsylvania in Computer Science, and an MBA from the Wharton School. She currently resides in Palo Alto, CA.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 28, 2025
Main content is mostly the same as in previous edition.
But they added a lot of “negotiations” and similar stuff promoting some interview startup, which is of subpar quality.
But they added a lot of “negotiations” and similar stuff promoting some interview startup, which is of subpar quality.
August 17, 2025
Why I Recommend Beyond Cracking the Coding Interview
If you like learning with structure, clarity, and a bit of humor, this book is a gem. It gives you a guided, end-to-end path for DSA and interview prep that actually feels enjoyable.
TL;DR
Style & Tone: Clear, lively, and genuinely funny explanations that make tough DSA ideas stick—nothing like the classic, denser CtCI vibe.
Structured Learning Path: A “full-stack” roadmap—from CV/networking to concise DSA patterns—so you always know what to do next.
Cost & Time Efficient: ~$50 + AI mock interviews on interviewing.io = fast, focused FAANG prep; ~150 curated problems instead of 500+ scattershot grinds.
AI-Interviewer Edge: Mock interviews feel close to the real thing—guiding you through edge cases and hints without spoiling the solution.
Mindset Over Memorization: Teaches you how to think, adapt, and generalize, not just replay a canned solution.
Smart Alternatives: Beats most free playlists on progression; if budget is unlimited, pairing with a coach is great—this book already behaves like one.
The Details
Fresh, engaging, and actually fun
This isn’t a revision of CtCI—it’s a different experience. The authors explain complex ideas with levity and precision, and it shows. In today’s AI-noisy world, this gives you a guided, modern path through the chaos.
Optimized for speed and value
Pair the book with AI interviews on interviewing.io and you get realistic practice plus a tight curriculum for a fraction of the cost. LLM chat “interviews” often leak answers; here, the interviewer nudges you with the right questions and edge cases so you learn to solve, not to guess.
If you love marathon grinds, 500+ LeetCode can work—yet I found ~150 well-chosen problems plus pattern “recipes” got me to confident generalization faster. If money’s no object, a personal coach is great; this combo gets surprisingly close.
Builds transferable problem-solving
Instead of collecting solutions, you develop reusable patterns and the reasoning behind them. That’s what lets you tweak a known idea (say, binary search) to new tasks (like finding transition points) without freezing when the prompt changes.
Progress you can feel
Curated free playlists exist, but many jump in difficulty in ways that stall momentum. This book’s progression feels steadier and more deliberate, so you stack wins and keep going.
P.S. As a researcher, I appreciated the data-driven insights and clean visuals—evidence and charts that add real signal, not fluff.
If you like learning with structure, clarity, and a bit of humor, this book is a gem. It gives you a guided, end-to-end path for DSA and interview prep that actually feels enjoyable.
TL;DR
Style & Tone: Clear, lively, and genuinely funny explanations that make tough DSA ideas stick—nothing like the classic, denser CtCI vibe.
Structured Learning Path: A “full-stack” roadmap—from CV/networking to concise DSA patterns—so you always know what to do next.
Cost & Time Efficient: ~$50 + AI mock interviews on interviewing.io = fast, focused FAANG prep; ~150 curated problems instead of 500+ scattershot grinds.
AI-Interviewer Edge: Mock interviews feel close to the real thing—guiding you through edge cases and hints without spoiling the solution.
Mindset Over Memorization: Teaches you how to think, adapt, and generalize, not just replay a canned solution.
Smart Alternatives: Beats most free playlists on progression; if budget is unlimited, pairing with a coach is great—this book already behaves like one.
The Details
Fresh, engaging, and actually fun
This isn’t a revision of CtCI—it’s a different experience. The authors explain complex ideas with levity and precision, and it shows. In today’s AI-noisy world, this gives you a guided, modern path through the chaos.
Optimized for speed and value
Pair the book with AI interviews on interviewing.io and you get realistic practice plus a tight curriculum for a fraction of the cost. LLM chat “interviews” often leak answers; here, the interviewer nudges you with the right questions and edge cases so you learn to solve, not to guess.
If you love marathon grinds, 500+ LeetCode can work—yet I found ~150 well-chosen problems plus pattern “recipes” got me to confident generalization faster. If money’s no object, a personal coach is great; this combo gets surprisingly close.
Builds transferable problem-solving
Instead of collecting solutions, you develop reusable patterns and the reasoning behind them. That’s what lets you tweak a known idea (say, binary search) to new tasks (like finding transition points) without freezing when the prompt changes.
Progress you can feel
Curated free playlists exist, but many jump in difficulty in ways that stall momentum. This book’s progression feels steadier and more deliberate, so you stack wins and keep going.
P.S. As a researcher, I appreciated the data-driven insights and clean visuals—evidence and charts that add real signal, not fluff.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews