How to prepare for product-based companies in 6–7 months?

Placement Preparation
1

I’m aiming to crack a product-based company within the next 6–7 months. I have basic coding knowledge but I’m not sure how to structure my preparation or what to prioritize (DSA, projects, system design, etc.). What would be a realistic roadmap and things I should focus on during this time?

2

Welcome to the community!
–7 Month Roadmap (Step-by-Step)

:small_blue_diamond: Month 1–2: Strong DSA Foundations

Focus on one language only (Java / Python / C++).

Topics to cover:

  • Arrays & Strings

  • Recursion & Backtracking

  • Searching & Sorting

  • Hashing

  • Two Pointers & Sliding Window

  • Basic Math & Bit Manipulation

Practice:

  • 2–3 problems/day

  • Platforms: LeetCode / GeeksforGeeks

  • Start with Easy → Medium

:pushpin: Goal: 150–200 problems

:small_blue_diamond: Month 3–4: Advanced DSA + Interview Patterns

Topics:

  • Stack & Queue

  • Linked List

  • Trees (Binary Tree, BST)

  • Heaps & Priority Queue

  • Graphs (BFS, DFS)

  • Greedy

  • Dynamic Programming (very important)

Focus:

  • Recognize patterns, not just solutions

  • Write clean, optimized code

  • Time & space complexity analysis

:pushpin: Goal: 300+ total problems

:small_blue_diamond: Month 5: Projects + CS Fundamentals

Projects (2 strong projects):

  • One backend / full-stack

  • One problem-solving or system-related

Examples:

  • Job portal

  • Expense tracker

  • Chat app

  • URL shortener

  • E-commerce mini app

Tech stack:

  • Frontend: React / HTML-CSS-JS

  • Backend: Node / Java Spring / Django

  • DB: MySQL / MongoDB

CS Fundamentals:

  • OOPS

  • DBMS (indexes, normalization, SQL)

  • OS (process vs thread, deadlock)

  • Basics of CN (HTTP, TCP)

:small_blue_diamond: Month 6: System Design (Fresher Level) + Revision

System Design (basic):

  • Scalability basics

  • Load balancer, cache

  • Database choices

  • Design: URL Shortener, Chat App (high level)

Revision:

  • Revise all DSA topics

  • Re-solve previously done problems

  • Mock interviews

:small_blue_diamond: Month 7: Interview Readiness

  • Daily mock interviews

  • Timed problem solving

  • Resume polishing

  • Company-specific prep (Amazon, Microsoft, etc.)

:pushpin: Weekly Study Plan (Simple & Effective)

  • DSA: 2–3 hrs/day

  • Projects / CS: 1–2 hrs/day

  • Revision: Weekend

Consistency > intensity :fire:

:books: Best Resources

  • DSA:

    • Striver A2Z / NeetCode / GFG

  • System Design:

    • Gaurav Sen (YouTube)

  • CS Fundamentals:

    • Love Babbar notes / InterviewBit

  • Practice:

    • LeetCode, CodeStudio

:rocket: Final Advice

  • Don’t jump between resources

  • Don’t chase too many projects

  • DSA + consistency = selection

  • Even 1% improvement daily compounds massively

Many people crack product-based companies from service-based or zero background—you can too :flexed_biceps:

3

You can crack a product-based company in 6 months if you already know one programming language at a basic to medium level.

Month 1–3:
Study DSA topic-wise and solve easy to medium problems.
Cover arrays, strings, recursion, linked list, stack, queue, heap, BST, graphs.
Learn core algorithms like sorting, searching, bit manipulation, Kadane’s, BFS, DFS.
At the same time, revise OOP concepts of your language.
With 3–4 hours daily, this phase is enough to build strong fundamentals.

Month 4–5:
Practice medium to hard problems on LeetCode, regularly solve problems on PlacementPreparation.io, and participate in CodeChef contests.
Focus on consistency, pattern recognition, and improving your problem-solving speed.

Month 6:
Solve company-specific previous questions, including coding, aptitude, and puzzles.

Final note:
Don’t get discouraged by rejections. Apply to multiple companies and keep giving interviews — you only need one opportunity to crack it.