Question 1

What is a System Design (HLD) interview?

Accepted Answer

A System Design interview, also known as High Level Design (HLD) interview, tests your ability to design large-scale distributed systems. You will be asked to design systems like WhatsApp, Netflix, Uber, or Twitter. The interview evaluates your understanding of scalability, availability, consistency, databases, caching, load balancing, and microservices architecture.

Question 2

What System Design questions are asked at FAANG?

Accepted Answer

Common FAANG system design questions include: Design WhatsApp/Messenger, Design Netflix/YouTube, Design Uber/Lyft, Design Twitter/Instagram, Design URL Shortener, Design Rate Limiter, Design Notification System, Design Payment System, Design Dropbox/Google Drive, Design News Feed, and Design Search Autocomplete.

Question 3

How to prepare for System Design interviews?

Accepted Answer

To prepare: 1) Learn fundamental concepts like CAP theorem, load balancing, caching, database sharding, and microservices. 2) Practice designing 15-20 popular systems. 3) Understand trade-offs between architectural choices. 4) Practice with AI mock interviews on InstaMock to get real-time feedback. 5) Follow a structured approach: Requirements → High-Level Design → Deep Dive → Scaling.

Question 4

How long is a System Design interview?

Accepted Answer

A typical system design interview is 45-60 minutes. The breakdown is: Requirements gathering (5-10 min), High-level design (15-20 min), Deep dive into components (15-20 min), and Scaling/Trade-offs discussion (5-10 min). InstaMock simulates this exact format with 45-minute AI mock interviews.

Question 5

What level requires System Design interviews?

Accepted Answer

System Design interviews are typically required for senior roles (3+ years experience). At Google this is L4+, at Meta E4+, at Amazon SDE-2+, at Microsoft L61+. However, strong system design skills can help you stand out even at junior levels. Start practicing early to build strong foundations.