# How to Prepare for a Technical Interview

> What each round of a technical interview is testing, from the screening call to the panel, how to talk about projects you built, and how to practise answers out loud before the day.

Most technical interviews are not a test of how much you know. They test whether you can explain what you know clearly, reason through something new, and show that you have built real things. All three can be practised.

## What each round is testing

| Round | What they want to learn | How to prepare |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Screening | Can you communicate, and do you roughly fit the role? | A one-minute answer to "Tell me about yourself", and why this job |
| Technical | Can you reason through a problem and explain it? | Think out loud; state assumptions; test your own answer |
| Project deep dive | Did you really build what your CV says? | Know every decision in one project and what you would change |
| Panel | How do you work with people and handle pressure? | Two or three short stories: a problem, a disagreement, a mistake |

> The first round is often screened by software or a recruiter before a person on the team sees you. Clear, specific answers matter from the start.

## A two-week plan

1. **Days 1 to 2: read the job.** List the skills it names. Mark the ones you can show with a project, and the ones you can only talk about.
2. **Days 3 to 5: one project, in depth.** Pick the project closest to the job. Be ready to explain its structure, one hard bug and one trade-off.
3. **Days 6 to 9: fundamentals.** Revise the core topics for the role with active recall, not re-reading. See [Active recall and flashcards](/learn/active-recall-flashcards/).
4. **Days 10 to 12: say your answers out loud.** Practise the common questions spoken, not written, and time them. Aim for about a minute each.
5. **Days 13 to 14: a full mock.** Run a complete interview under time, then fix the single weakest answer.

## Talking about your projects

The strongest answer to almost any technical question is a real example. Use this shape: what the project does, what you built yourself, one problem you hit, how you found the cause, and what you would do differently. If you used AI to write parts of it, be ready to explain those parts too. An interviewer who finds code you cannot explain will assume the rest is the same.

If you inherited or generated much of your code, [How to understand AI-generated code](/learn/understand-ai-generated-code/) is worth reading before the interview.

## Practising with LoWisa

**Interview practice** in the LoWisa app asks real questions, lets you answer out loud, and gives a score, a verdict and one fix with a better sentence to say instead. Level 1 is free and includes a screening round and a panel. It sits beside **Jobs** and **Résumé**, so you can practise for a specific listing. The app is on Google Play and the App Store; see [Jobs, résumé and interview practice](/help/jobs-resume-interviews/).

## Frequently asked questions

### How long should I prepare for a technical interview?

Two focused weeks is enough for most roles if you already know the fundamentals: study the job, prepare one project in depth, revise core topics and practise answers out loud.

### How do I answer "Tell me about yourself" in a technical interview?

In about a minute: what you do now, one project or result that fits the role, and why this job is the next step.

### How should I talk about a project in an interview?

Say what it does, what you built yourself, one problem you hit and how you found the cause, and what you would change. Be ready to explain any part of the code.

### Can I practise interview questions out loud with an app?

Yes. LoWisa interview practice lets you answer spoken questions and gives a score, a verdict and one fix. Level 1 is free.

## Practise your interview out loud

Level 1 of interview practice is free, with a screening round and a panel.

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Source: https://lowisa.dev/learn/technical-interview-prep/ · Updated 2026-09-27