The 12-hour map
FOUNDATION"] --> H2["Hrs 2-4
TECHNICAL CORE"] H2 --> H3["Hrs 4-6
SYSTEMS & APIs"] H3 --> H4["Hrs 6-7
AI TOOLS"] H4 --> H5["Hrs 7-8
PROJECT STORY"] H5 --> H6["Hrs 8-10
Q&A DRILLS"] H6 --> H7["Hrs 10-11
MOCK"] H7 --> H8["Hrs 11-12
FINAL EXAM + CHEAT SHEET"]
Hour by hour
- HR 0–1
Foundation — Overview page
Read Overview. Memorise the Build / Connect / Operate frame. Write your 60-second pitch with YOUR project in the bracket. Say it out loud 5 times, record once. End: Module 0 test ≥ 70%.
- HR 1–2
Foundation — skim everything
Fast-skim every page's headings + every diagram (Figures 1–12). You're building the map before filling it. Note your 3 weakest topics on paper.
- HR 2–4
Technical Core (deep)
Technical page: LLM call, prompting, structured output, RAG, evals. Draw Figures 2–4 from memory. Run the code mentally line by line. End: Module 1 test ≥ 70%. Weak spot? Re-read only the missed concept.
- HR 4–6
Systems & APIs (deep) — highest interview weight
Systems page: status codes, auth, webhooks, idempotency, queues. Draw Figure 5 (webhook sequence) and Figure 7 (ticket system) from memory until clean. End: Module 2 test ≥ 70%.
- HR 6–7
AI Tools & Automation
Tools page: agent loop (Figure 8), n8n vs code, monitoring, SOPs. Prepare your Claude Code/Codex story with a real diff. End: Module 3 test.
- HR 7–8
Project story — don't build from scratch now
With 12 hours, do NOT start a big build. Take your best existing project (or Project A's design) and master its story: flow diagram, LLM role, validation, numbers, trade-offs, 'what I'd improve'. If you have no project, spend this hour building the smallest ticket-classifier demo with an AI coding tool — endpoint + classify + store — and screenshot it.
- HR 8–10
Q&A drills (out loud, timed)
Q&A Bank: all 20 questions, 2 minutes each, out loud. Flashcards until zero misses. Then Behavioral: 4 STAR stories written + recorded. End: Module 4 test.
- HR 10–11
Full mock interview
Mock page with timer: 45 minutes out loud (friend/partner or record yourself). Score honestly. Fix the single weakest block immediately after.
- HR 11–12
Final Exam + Cheat Sheet + logistics
Final Exam (pass = 70%+). Re-read the Cheat Sheet. Day-of tech check: mic, camera, internet, backup. Lay out your US-hours schedule answer. Stop studying 1 hour before sleep/interview.
Rules for fast learners (read once)
- Diagram first, text second — you learn visually, so anchor every concept to its figure number
- Never read a module twice in a row. Read → say aloud → quiz → then re-read only what you missed
- Out loud beats silent after Hour 4. If you can't say it in 2 minutes, you don't own it yet
- Write answers by hand for: webhook flow, ticket system, STAR stories. Handwriting locks memory
- Breaks are part of the plan: 50/10. No phone scrolling inside a block — walk, water, look far away