12-Week Prep Plan (Overview)
This folder sits inside the DSA/system-design repo. The canonical week-by-week breakdown, problem phases, and phase outcomes live in the repository roadmap so one source stays accurate as the curriculum changes.
Pointer: 12-week study roadmap
Read that file for full tables (patterns, topics per week, system design days, mock loop). Use the sections below as a compact schedule mental model and daily rhythm.
Weekly themes (high level)
Aligns with 12-week study roadmap phases:
| Week | Theme |
|---|---|
| 1–2 | Pattern foundations and recognition (why each pattern exists; light solving) |
| 3–6 | Easy + Medium volume by topic; weekend review + timed set |
| 7–8 | Hard problems and SDE3-tier depth (DP-2D, advanced graphs, design-style coding) |
| 9 | System design fundamentals (consistency, availability, building blocks) |
| 10–11 | Design practice and depth (end-to-end designs, tradeoffs, failure modes) |
| 12 | Full mock week: coding + design + behavioral polish |
If the roadmap’s week numbers shift, follow the roadmap; treat this table as conceptual ordering.
Daily rhythm (suggested)
Most study days
- Block 1 (60–90 min): one or two problems with full write-up (approach, complexity, edge cases, alternative).
- Block 2 (30–45 min): review a prior problem cold or a pattern cheat sheet from the Pattern recognition cheatsheet when you want a structured triage refresher.
- Block 3 (15–30 min): one behavioral outline or one design section (API sketch, data model, or failure scenario)—not every day, 2–3×/week is enough during heavy coding weeks.
Once a week
- Review block: log mistakes and “false pattern” calls; update a short list of topics to re-drill.
- Timed session: two mediums in a single sitting (or roadmap’s Sunday mock) with strict clock.
System design weeks
- Split days between theory (read templates and notes) and one design thread (requirements → API → storage → scale path) using the System design interview framework (RESHADED) as a checklist.
Balance
- If you fall behind on volume, keep the weekly review and one timed set; they matter more than streaks of easy problems.
Outcomes to check
- You can name the right pattern for a new medium in under a minute.
- You can explain why your solution is correct and what breaks if inputs change.
- You can walk a design with clear tradeoffs and a path to “v1 then iterate.”
- You have real behavioral stories mapped to common buckets (see the Behavioral STAR guide).
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