Interview Kickstart: Our take (review, alternatives, pricing)

Interview Kickstart is a popular interview coaching platform in the US that focuses on technical interview prep. Their comprehensive programs are meant for experienced engineers vying for jobs at high-profile tech companies like Google, Amazon, or Meta. 

If you’re a mid-to-senior level tech professional who’s prepping to interview for your next role, Interview Kickstart is a reasonable place to start. This is especially true if you work in domains like data engineering, machine learning, or cybersecurity. 

But before you decide on where to invest your time and money, let’s take a closer look at everything you need to know about their services. 

In this article, we’ll give you a breakdown of their offerings and pricing, plus the best Interview Kickstart alternatives you can explore. 

Here’s an overview of everything we’ll cover:

1. Interview Kickstart services
2. Interview Kickstart review (pros and cons)
3. Interview Kickstart pricing
4. Interview Kickstart alternatives (top 3)
5. Interview Kickstart alternatives (categorized)
6. Interview Kickstart FAQs

1. Interview Kickstart services ↑

Interview Kickstart offers a suite of resources. However, instead of one-off interview coaching sessions or individual courses, they offer comprehensive programs. 

Each program encompasses a collection of coaching and course materials. These programs are all housed under one primary platform: the UpLevel central learning platform. 

Here’s a breakdown of how it works:

UpLevel: The central learning platform 

UpLevel serves as Interview Kickstart’s unified digital workspace. It’s where you can access everything that’s covered in their programs, such as course materials, coaching sessions, and other various learning tools. 

Within this platform, you’ll find Interview Kickstart’s 4 core programs: StepUp, LevelUp, SwitchUp, and EdgeUp. 

These core programs are structured pathways that you can choose from, depending on your specific career objectives. 

Here’s what each core program offers, from the lowest to the highest level:

As you can see, the core programs get more comprehensive with each level. When choosing among them, consider your personal goals and how much time you can commit to your interview preparation. 

Core program features

Each of Interview Kickstart’s 4 core programs offers a collection of resources. However, the resources you get access to depend on the specific program you choose. They typically include a mix of the following:

Mentor sessions / mock interviews

Interview Kickstart’s mentor sessions and mock interviews simulate real technical and behavioral interviews. They’re conducted by experienced professionals from top tech companies. You get between 10-21 sessions, depending on the program.

Customizable curriculum

Each core program includes a curriculum that can be tailored to the role you’re going for (e.g. backend engineer, data scientist, tech product manager). This allows you to prioritize the most relevant challenges and concepts, rather than follow a generic track.

Placement assistance

This service aims to help you improve your resume, LinkedIn profile, and salary negotiation. They guide you in making strategic decisions when it comes to your career path and navigating your job search.

Unlimited coaching sessions

You get unlimited access to 1-on-1 coaching sessions throughout your chosen program and support period. This covers everything, from technical topics and interview prep to career strategy. These sessions are personalized and flexible, allowing you to get targeted help whenever you need it.

Additional learning courses or projects (for advanced core programs)

For the advanced core programs like SwitchUp and EdgeUp, you get additional learning courses that are designed to help you pivot or upskill. These are specific to topics like Machine Learning and Generative AI.

In the most advanced program (EdgeUp), you even get a capstone project where you can apply the new skills you learned. This may involve designing and implementing a scalable system, tackling advanced algorithmic challenges, or building a portfolio-ready tech solution. These projects can help you demonstrate readiness and technical finesse when interviewing at top tech companies.

2. Interview Kickstart review (pros and cons) ↑

Interview Kickstart is completely legitimate and credible. But whether or not it’s helpful for your specific situation will depend on the services you get. Based on our research in forums like Reddit and Trustpilot, the quality of customer experiences tends to vary. 

2.1 Interview Kickstart pros

Structured curriculum and accountability: Interview Kickstart provides a highly structured and intensive curriculum that many users say helps them stay on track with their interview prep. This structure is particularly valuable for professionals who find it hard to self-study while still working their current full-time jobs, or because they struggle to stay on track without a coach. A Reddit user noted that the framework helped them remain consistent and focused, especially during periods of low motivation. This disciplined environment is often seen as one of Interview Kickstart’s biggest strengths.

Access to coaches from FAANG+ companies: Many of the instructors are current or former employees at top tech firms like Google, Amazon, and Meta, which gives learners real-world insights into what these companies expect. Students often praise the quality of explanations and the relevance of the material. One Reddit commenter pointed out that the instructors provided detailed walkthroughs of problems. This helped them understand deeper patterns, rather than just brute-force solutions.

Comprehensive mock interviews: Mock interviews simulate real interview conditions and offer feedback from seasoned mentors. Some former students have said this helped them get over interview anxiety. It also helped them refine their approach to system design and behavioral questions.

Strategic placement assistance: Interview Kickstart can help you optimize your resume and job search. Users feel this support improves their visibility to recruiters. In this Reddit discussion, a former student mentioned that career coaching helped them better position their experience for machine learning roles, after transitioning from a software engineering background.

2.2 Interview Kickstart cons

High costs and lack of pricing transparency: Interview Kickstart’s programs are comprehensive but expensive. Their website does not currently list specific prices, but reports say they can range from 5,000 USD up to a whopping 12,000 USD. Some students question whether the value matches the cost, especially with plenty of more affordable alternatives. A Reddit user noted that while helpful, their programs may not be worth the premium for everyone.

Inconsistent coaching quality: While some instructors are excellent, others have been described as disengaged or unclear in their explanations. Students have said in this Reddit post that the quality of teaching varies greatly between topics and instructors. This can be frustrating, as you’d be paying quite a lot and would expect consistently high standards.

Aggressive marketing and follow-ups: Multiple people have reported receiving persistent emails, calls, and even text messages after expressing interest in Interview Kickstart. Some people have described these follow-ups as excessive and intrusive. A commenter in this Reddit post advised others to expect continued outreach and upselling, even after declining the program.

Confusing website and program structures: Many users have noted that Interview Kickstart’s website is difficult to navigate and lacks clarity about what exactly each program offers. The distinctions between core programs aren't immediately obvious. Plus, much of the important details are hidden behind webinar registrations or scattered across pages. This lack of clarity makes it difficult to make an informed decision. Several users on Reddit and Trustpilot have voiced similar complaints, suggesting the platform should improve how it communicates its offerings.

3. Interview Kickstart pricing ↑

Interview Kickstart does not list prices on its website. 

Instead, you must speak directly with a Program Advisor or join a free webinar to get information on pricing. This is a major drawback for many people, especially since cost is a major consideration when choosing the best interview prep platform for you.

But as we mentioned earlier, users report prices ranging anywhere between 5,000 USD and 12,000 USD.

Keep in mind that prices will vary widely depending on the specific program you choose.

4. Interview Kickstart alternatives (top 3) ↑

With Interview Kickstart's limitations in mind, we’ve drawn up a shortlist of what we think are the three best interview coaching services available right now. If you’re looking to practice and gain insights from real industry experts, these Interview Kickstart alternatives may better fit your budget and personal goals.

#IGotAnOffer

We may be biased here, but a 4.95 average star rating from over 18k coaching sessions is hard to ignore.

IGotAnOffer is a coaching platform where you can book services similar to what you’ll find in Interview Kickstart’s programs. This includes mock interview sessions, career mentoring, leadership coaching, resume review, and salary negotiation coaching sessions.

While IGotAnOffer does not currently offer curriculum-style training programs like Interview Kickstart, they do provide more flexibility by letting you book specific coaches on a per-session basis. 

There are over 300 coaches on the platform and they’ve all worked at top companies in tech (e.g. Google, Meta, Amazon, etc.). Most of the coaches specialize in product management or engineering interviews, so they will be well-equipped with real-world insights to guide you through the interview process in your chosen role and target company.

Click on a coach’s profile and you can instantly see their hourly availability. Prices are clearly displayed before you book. If you’re not satisfied with your session, you get a full refund.

IGotAnOffer also provides free and comprehensive interview prep guides on the website, with sections specifically for software engineering, data, and product management. On YouTube, you can also find a range of high-quality mock interview videos for software engineers and product managers.

#TryExponent

TryExponent is one of the leading platforms for tech candidates looking to land their dream job. The site is packed full of resources and while it’s mainly known for its courses, it also does interview coaching. You’ll find a good range of software engineer or tech product manager coaches with experience at top FAANG companies. 

However, the price is a bit high. In fact, you can often book a session with the same coaches at IGotAnoffer for 60 USD less.

If you’re committed to improving your interviewing skills and have the budget for it, some of their coaches offer an Ace the Interview package. This package goes for 1,499 USD and includes a 1-hour readiness assessment, 5 prep or mock sessions, 1-year access to all courses and their community, and 20% off for future coaching sessions. 

For free practice, you can also join their scheduled mock sessions with other candidates in their Practice section.

Check out our article on Exponent to learn more about its services and alternatives.

#Tech Mock Interview

Tech Mock Interview offers mock interviews for tech candidates, among other job application services. Browsing their mock interviews page, you’ll find that interview coaches offer different rates based on their years of experience, expertise, and session duration, so there’s a price range for every budget.

The Tech Mock Interview coach page itself is very straightforward. You can immediately filter your coach options based on the coaching service you need. You can also filter based on the subject matter expertise that you need coaching for: coding, system design, software development management, technical program management, behavioral skills, machine learning, and data science. However, its selection of coaches is limited. You can find a wider selection of experts who can coach you on the same subjects on IGotAnOffer.

5. Interview Kickstart alternatives (categorized) ↑

5.1 Best for budget-friendly options

#MeetAPro

MeetAPro is a relatively new mock interview website. Based on its profile, it intends to be a platform for different professional virtual services. But for now, it mainly hosts mock interviews in information technology, finance, and medical industries.

What makes it unique is that you can browse the mock interview sessions based on subject matter and level. So if you’re a fresh graduate or intern-level, you can easily find specific sessions tailored to your requirements. Usually, sessions aimed at fresh graduates will be at a lower price point. 

#TechInterviewCoach

TechInterviewCoach is a relatively small company and judging from the reviews it seems that there is a good chance that Andrea, the founder, will be your coach.

We’ve included it as one of our alternatives to Exponent because Andrea has a strong coaching profile and the pricing is hard to beat. But be prepared to sacrifice some of the immediacy and easy booking features you get on other platforms, as well as coach options. It does offer a 100% money-back guarantee. If you’re not satisfied, you can get a refund, no questions asked.

5.2 Best for engineer-specific coaching

#IGotAnOffer

IGotAnOffer has hundreds of engineering coaches from FAANG and other top tech companies. They represent many engineering roles: software engineers, data engineers, site reliability engineers, and more. If you’re an engineer transitioning into a managerial role, you’ll find expert coaches who’ve been on that track as well.

These experts can give you inside insights into how to get and then ace your interviews at your target role and companies. They’ll help you familiarize yourself with the format of interviews so there won’t be surprises on your actual interview. 

You can also find at least one of Interview Kickstart’s coaches on IGotAnOffer: Rajya Vardhan Mishra. Rajya is an engineering manager at Google and previously worked as a software engineer at Amazon. 

At Interview Kickstart, he has served as a system design instructor and has taught over 300 students. He even developed their system design curriculum. You can book him for a 1-on-1 coaching session on IGotAnOffer.

More of their coaches may join IGotAnOffer in the future. It’s good practice to double-check if you’re eyeing someone specific.

#Interviewing.io

Interviewing.io offers total anonymity for its mock interview sessions. Also, some of their interview guides are superbly written and go into excellent detail. 

If you’ve got the budget to spare and you’re focused on getting hired at Amazon, Google, or Meta, their multi-session dedicated coaching might be a good investment. This package pairs you with a senior interviewer from your target company who can tailor a lesson plan for you.

Check out our article on Interviewing.io alternatives to read our review and learn more about its services.

6. Interview Kickstart FAQs ↑

If we did a good job writing this article, you should have found something in the list above that suits your needs better than Interview Kickstart.

If you didn’t, it might be that Interview Kickstart is the best fit for you after all, particularly if you’re looking for an engineer-focused website that offers comprehensive interview prep courses, intensive long-term training, and additional resources that help you upskill. 

To help you make an informed final decision, let’s cover the most asked questions about Interview Kickstart.

6.1 Who is the founder of Interview Kickstart?

Interview Kickstart was co-founded by Soham Mehta and Ryan Valles. Soham Mehta, who serves as Chief Product & Technology Officer, previously held engineering leadership roles at Microsoft, eBay, and Box. Ryan Valles, the company's CEO, brings over two decades of experience in business and technology. Their combined backgrounds in tech and entrepreneurship shaped the foundation of Interview Kickstart’s industry-focused interview prep programs.

6.2 Is Interview Kickstart worth it?

Whether Interview Kickstart is worth it depends on your budget, time, and personal goals. While it provides an intensive and high-quality learning experience, the high costs and long-term time commitments may make it a less viable option for some people.

6.3 Is Interview Kickstart good for interview prep?

Interview Kickstart is considered a strong option for interview prep, especially for experienced software engineers aiming for roles at top tech companies. It offers a structured curriculum, realistic mock interviews with FAANG engineers, and personalized coaching. These all help simulate real interview environments and improve performance. 

However, it’s expensive and may be overwhelming for less experienced professionals. 

6.4 How do I cancel my Interview Kickstart subscription?

To cancel your Interview Kickstart subscription, you need to email either operations@interviewkickstart.com or start@interviewkickstart.com, including your full name, the email used for enrollment, and the specific program you're canceling. 

If you enrolled through a third-party payment platform like PayKickstart, you should contact support@paykickstart.com at least three days before your next billing cycle. 

6.5 Does Interview Kickstart offer a full refund for cancellations?

Refund eligibility varies by program. Some programs may offer a 50% refund if strict conditions are met, while others like StepUp are non-refundable once started. Always review the terms and conditions before canceling or even purchasing a program.

7. Conclusion ↑

Interview Kickstart is a solid platform for those looking to prepare for technical interviews at top tech companies, especially for experienced engineers who can afford the price.

But is it the best option for you? Only you can decide and hopefully, this article has helped you make a more informed decision.

If you want to know more about mock interviews in general, read our deep dive What is a Mock Interview?, where you'll find tips, sample questions, and videos to help you maximize your session.

If you want to learn more about other tech job prep services (interview, mentoring, resume review), check out some of our other reviews:

• Interviewing.io review
• Pathrise review
• MentorCruise review
• Prepfully review
• Pramp review
• Exponent review
• HelloInterview review
• TopResume review

For mock interviews with industry experts, IGotAnOffer is a great choice. You’ll find over 300 interview coaches on our platform, and you can search by industry, role, or company to get the right match for you. You can see our coaches' hourly availability and book your online session in just a few clicks.