Built by engineers, for engineers.
Most interview prep tools give you a list of problems and leave you to figure out the rest. grip. was built from the frustration of forgetting topics days after studying them. The idea is simple: if you review the right material at the right time, you retain more with less effort. That's spaced repetition — the same system medical students use to memorize thousands of facts, applied to DSA, system design, and behavioral interview prep.
grip. uses the SM-2 algorithm to schedule when each flashcard reappears. Get a question right and it surfaces less often. Get it wrong and it comes back sooner. Over time, your weakest topics get the most attention automatically — no manual planning required.
Every topic you practice (Arrays, Dynamic Programming, System Design, etc.) has its own ELO rating. As you answer questions, your rating adjusts — correct answers increase it, wrong answers decrease it. The system uses your ELO to match you with questions at the right difficulty level, so you're always challenged but never overwhelmed. Your overall ELO is a weighted average across all topics.
Coding drills are hands-on problems where you write and run real code. Before coding, you discuss your approach with an AI coach using the Socratic method — it asks guiding questions rather than giving answers. Your code runs in a sandboxed environment against test cases. After submitting, an AI debrief analyzes your solution, identifies strengths and gaps, and tags specific weaknesses that feed back into your flashcard sessions.
grip. covers the core areas tested in software engineering interviews: data structures and algorithms (arrays, linked lists, trees, graphs, dynamic programming, hash maps, sorting, and more), system design (load balancers, caching, databases, distributed systems), and behavioral patterns (STAR method, leadership principles, conflict resolution). Questions range from easy to hard, matched to your skill level.
grip. was built by Chirag Jhawar, a software engineer who went through the interview grind firsthand. It is an independent project, not affiliated with any employer, recruiting platform, or bootcamp. The goal is straightforward: build the prep tool that actually works, backed by proven learning science.
grip. is built with Next.js and hosted on Vercel. User data is stored in Supabase. Code execution is powered by Judge0. AI feedback is provided by Anthropic's Claude. The entire stack is designed for speed and reliability — sessions load fast, code executes in seconds, and your progress syncs instantly.