Is Algoexpert Good Enough? My Honest Review
This is our in-depth review of the coding interview preparation program, Algo Expert.
In the review, we will cover;
- What Algo Expert is
- What’s inside the program
- The pros and cons
- Whether it can help you ace coding interviews and get a tech job
- Is there a better alternative?
And much more.
So without further ado, let’s dive into the review!
What is Algo Expert?
Algo Expert is a website where software engineers can practice various coding interview questions, before taking real-life interviews in tech companies like Google, Facebook, Amazon, Netflix, etc.
The exercises on the platform are focused on data structure, algorithm, and problem-solving, which are the aspects of programming that are mostly used to test software engineers in coding interviews.
It is believed that if users can master the coding questions, they can ace any technical interview they partake in.
Founders Of Algo Expert
Algo Expert was founded in 2017 by ex-Google and ex-Facebook software engineer Clement Mihailescu.
He co-founded the platform with Antoine Pourchet (Ex-Uber software engineer) to help developers overcome the frustrations he faced during his technical interviews.
Clement runs a coding YouTube channel with over 400k subscribers, which alone boosts the credibility of the platform.
Who is Algo Expert For?
Algo Expert is for software engineers preparing for technical interviews.
As an experienced developer will tell you, a great portfolio is not enough to land a tech job.
They might get you into the interview, however, your fate depends on how well you can answer questions related to data structures, algorithms, and problem-solving.
The platform is targeted to developers in web development(front-end, backend, or full-stack), mobile app development, and computer software.
The platform is not for beginners who want to learn to program, instead, it is designed to help developers seeking employment level up fast and be job ready.
Algo Expert Features(What’s Inside?)
There are incredibly tons of helpful resources in Algo Expert.
To begin with, there is an in-built code editor where users can conveniently practice up to 9 different programming languages which include JavaScript, Python, Swift, Kotlin, Java, C#, C++, Typescript, and Go.
With any of these languages, users can explore the following features on Algo Expert;
#1 Programming Questions
Algo Expert has over 110 programming questions users can solve.
The questions are classified into four difficulty levels – Easy, Medium, Hard, and Very Hard.
These programming questions are based on various programming concepts, to help users become more efficient in data structures and algorithms.
Some of these questions are on topics like; Binary Trees, Recursion, Sorting, Graphs, Strings, Array, Linked List, Stacks, Searching, Dynamic Programming, etc.
As well as some classic algorithm questions.
However, while practicing these questions, coders might get stuck. Fortunately, there is a feature to help users get unstuck.
Which is the…
#2 Explainer Videos
Algo Expert has tons of explainer videos created for each programming question, no matter the difficulty level.
There are over 72 hours of videos explaining coding problems in an easy-to-digest manner.
The video explanations can be classified into two categories;
- Problem Run-through
- Solution Walk-through
Problem Run-through
The first part of the video explains the coding question at hand thoroughly.
It talks about the concept behind the algorithm, the best practices for tackling the questions, and the implementation guide.
The video also examines the space-time complexity related to the questions, which aims at teaching the user how to optimize their algorithm to be memory efficient in various environments.
The space-time complexity guide is usually the most important part, as it helps the developer write algorithms that don’t take up much space and run faster.
In Algo Expert, learning space-time complexity is usually emphasized.
Solution Walk-through
In this part of the video, the problem is actually being solved.
The video walks through how the algorithms will be implemented using an actual programming language, majorly Python.
Using this method, the user learns how to arrive at any coding solution in multiple ways even before attempting a line of code.
#3 Courses On Data Structures
In addition to helping you master algorithms and space-time complexity programming questions, Algo Expert has prepared tons of Data Structure crash courses to help the user get a good grasp of the concept.
In this Algo Expert crash course, users will learn about some core data structure concepts like strings, Big O Notation, Binary search trees, linked lists, complexity analysis, and much more.
By understanding data structure, the developer will have the ability to prove the most efficient way of organizing information(or data) in a database – a skill that will surely be tested in coding interviews.
This feature is especially good for developers not familiar with DS&A, or developers who need a refresher on those basic concepts.
#4 Mock Interview With Fellow Algo User
AlgoExpert also has a mock coding interview feature that pairs two Algo Expert users to practice the coding skills they’ve gotten, and act as they’ll do in a real interview.
Generally, we’ll give this a good – and very much needed – feature, as it’s capable of boosting the confidence of the interviewee, as well as pointing out their weaknesses.
#5 Behavioral Interview Prep
This is another awesome feature in the Algo Expert package.
This behavioral interview section is a crash course led by the founder Clement Mihailescu on some of the best answers to give during behavioral-based interviews.
In this section, the user will learn how to answer questions like;
- What would you do if you failed?
- How will you react when there is a disagreement on your team?
- What’s a big challenge you’ve overcome?
And much more!
Algo Expert Benefits and Pros
Here are some of the benefits attached to using Algo Expert;
- Hands-on coding experience solving over 160 programming questions, which will help you think like a programmer and build mastery.
- Solve coding challenges in 9 different languages, making it a personalized coding experience
- You gain familiarity with most of the questions asked in interviews, as you’d have already worked on them.
- Interactive built-in code editor with features like switching between light or dark mode, customizing syntax highlighting, changing fonts, split layouts or timing your speed with the built-in stopwatch.
Finally, Algo Expert offers a certificate of Coding Interview Preparedness when you ace all your programming questions and mock interviews.
Algo Expert Downsides and Cons
- Users will have to learn python as all the walk-through video explainers are filmed in python.
- It’s not beginner friendly, as you must have already known how to code.
- Limited lessons on the core soft skills (communication, leadership, teamwork, etc) aside from the behavioral interview section.
And above all, Algo Expert doesn’t have a community where you can interact with fellow users to share questions and answers.
In addition, you don’t have access to the instructors on the platform to ask personalized questions and coding problems other than making use of your video explanation.
So…
Is Algo Expert Good For Getting A Job?
Not really.
While a great resource, Algo Expert is not enough to get you a job, especially in top tech companies like Google, Amazon, Facebook, Microsoft, Netflix, etc.
Although there are review testimonials from users who’ve used Algo Expert and landed a tech job in the aforementioned tech giants, we can’t say for sure that Algo Expert was all that did it.
Maybe good for getting an intern or juniors developer job in some tech companies, but not beyond that.
You Need Soft Skills
For starters, the data structure and algorithms you’d have just mastered are only half of the battle when it comes to tech interview preparation.
You need to know how to tackle questions on soft skills like leadership, teamwork, communication, etc.
As popular research has shown, 85% of job success comes from having a well-developed soft and peoples skill, while only 15% comes from technical skills.
This crucial fact comes into play in tech interviews, especially when you are applying for a senior developer job.
So Algo Expert has not done a good job in this aspect.
Although their Behavioural interview course tries to tackle this, unfortunately, it only scratches the surface of what you’ll encounter.
Algo Expert Premium Cost (Pricing)
Algo Expert has various pricing offers.
There are 4 major packages;
- Algo Expert
- System Expert
- ML Expert, and
- Frontend Expert
which are classified under 3 major price bundles.
#Tech Interview Bundles
The Tech bundle cost $62 for 1year of access and offers the following;
Everything in Algo Expert | Everything in System Expert | Extensive Interview Guide
#Full Stack Interview Bundle
The Full-stack bundle cost $81 for 1 year of access and offers the following;
Everything in Algo Expert | Everything in Frontend Expert | Everything in System Expert | Extensive Guide on Full Stack Interviews
#ML Interview Bundle
The ML bundle cost $81 as well for 1 year of access and offers the following;
Everything Algo Expert offers | Everything ML Expert offers | Everything System Expert offers | Extensive Guide on ML Interview.
Finally, The Algo Expert Premium costs $93, as it offers everything on Algo Expert, System Expert, ML Expert, and Frontend Expert, in one package.
Is Algo Expert Good Enough For an Interview?
No. Also Expert is not enough to ace a tech interview.
You might ace the coding sections of the interview, like whiteboard questions, if your communication skills are poor, your recruiter might not get back to you.
In other words, No. Job. Offer!
The common misconception that practicing 100s of programming questions like strings, Big O notation, recursion, graphs, stack, etc is all you need to pass a tech interview is a very costly one.
For instance, in Google interviews, after you’ve passed the technical aspects, you’ll have to go through the “googliness” test, which is like a personality test to assess if you can be a good team player.
Alternative
In fact, you can learn everything on Algo Expert online for free on various platforms.
You can use LeetCode to practice programming questions, YouTube for explainer videos, FreeCodeCamp for the crash course, and more!
The only upside for Algo Expert is that you are getting all these various resources on one platform.
So is there a better alternative to Algo Expert?
Algo Expert Better Alternative – Tech Interview Pro Review
Tech Interview Pro is an online training program and professional community designed by Ex-Google/ Ex-Facebook Tech veteran Patrick Shyu, popularly known as “Tech Lead”.
In Tech Interview Pro, Tech Lead who has conducted over 100 interviews at Google condensed all he has learned into the platform.
According to Tech Lead,
” within one or two minutes of meeting a candidate, I already know whether I would be giving the candidate a recommendation to move on or a rejection”
The crucial skill that can get you the job even before you answer any coding question has been done justice to in TIP.
So without further ado let’s go through some beneficial features of Tech Interview Pro;
#1 Online Courses
Practicing code is important.
So in Tech Interview Pro, you have access to over 150 episodes of premium video courses, which include over 100+ video-coding sessions in data structures algorithms, and Big O time-space complexity analysis.
That way users can practice and ace coding interviews very easily.
#2 Live Questions and Answer Session
Unlike Algo Expert, Tech Interview Pro gives you access to Tech Lead himself and fellow students in a live Q&A session where you can ask personal questions and receive immediate answers.
These sessions happen every 2 weeks and are hugely beneficial to getting access to the burning questions you have, connecting with fellow programmers, and developing your communication skills.
#3 Special Access to Private Facebook Groups
Every user has Lifetime Access to the professional Facebook group led by Tech Lead, where you can talk about code, gain access to bonus content, make new friends, and not walk the get-a-job-journey alone.
#4 Resume Review
In the TIP community, you can share your resume with the community to review, get valuable feedback, and criticisms to make your resume stand out and get your foot in the door.
#5 Additional Content
Like Algo Expert, Tech Interview Pro also keeps updating its content and lessons, which include tips and tricks, career mentorship, and jobs update.
And the best part is that, unlike Algo Expert, TIP has a money-back refund policy and up to 14 days of Free Trial, so if you’re not satisfied with the platform, you can get a full refund.
Tech Interview Pro Pricing
Tech Interview Pro cost $197, with an installment plan of 6 months.
The best part?
Unlike Algo Expert, this is a Lifetime access deal, no renewal is needed and you’ll have access to all the aforementioned features including the over 150+ episodes of premium videos.
Bottom Line
Algo Expert is a great resource for preparing for coding interviews. It has all you’ll ever need in one place.
But it doesn’t really prepare you for the soft skill aspect, which is usually a greater determinant for whether you’ll get the job or not.
However, if you want a place where you’ll not only learn how to pass coding interviews but also ace soft-skill tests, then you should give Tech Interview Pro a trial.
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