Case Study - Ace your technical interviews with course-driven learning

Overview

Interview AC was conceived as a comprehensive alternative to existing technical interview preparation platforms, with a unique focus on structured, course-driven learning. The vision was to create a platform that not only provides coding challenges but also teaches the underlying concepts through carefully crafted courses and detailed explanations.

Toshi Labs took on the challenge of building the entire platform from scratch. The core technical challenge was implementing a robust code execution system that could handle multiple programming languages while enforcing strict time and memory limits to simulate real interview conditions. We integrated Monaco Editor, the same editor that powers VS Code, to provide users with a familiar and powerful coding environment complete with syntax highlighting, IntelliSense, and multi-cursor support.

The content management system was built around Markdown, allowing course creators to easily write and format problems, explanations, and solutions. We implemented a sophisticated parsing system that could handle code blocks, mathematical formulas, and interactive elements within the Markdown content. The platform supports multiple programming languages including Python, JavaScript, Java, C++, and Go, with isolated execution environments for each.

The execution engine was designed with security and performance in mind. We implemented sandboxed environments with precise resource controls, measuring both time complexity and memory usage for each solution. The system provides detailed feedback on test case results, including edge cases and performance metrics, helping users understand not just if their solution works, but how efficient it is compared to optimal solutions.

What we did