Standardizing a personal glossary of technical interview terms

Introduction

In the realm of technical interviews, you’ll encounter a broad array of terms, acronyms, and concepts. From data structures and algorithmic paradigms to system design patterns and distributed systems jargon, the sheer volume of vocabulary can be overwhelming. By standardizing a personal glossary of technical interview terms, you build a reliable reference that clarifies definitions, ensures consistent usage, and streamlines your preparation. A well-structured glossary not only helps you internalize concepts but also prepares you to communicate them confidently and accurately during interviews.

In this guide, we’ll discuss strategies for compiling, organizing, and maintaining your glossary. We’ll also highlight how this resource can become a valuable tool for revisiting, reinforcing, and expanding your technical vocabulary over time.

Why Maintain a Personal Glossary?

1. Clarity and Consistency:
   Defining terms in your own words ensures you truly understand them. By referencing these standardized definitions, you avoid confusion and mixed interpretations during interviews.

2. Confidence in Communication:
   Having a glossary helps you recall definitions swiftly. When asked about “backpressure” or “eventual consistency” in a system design conversation, you can respond precisely without hesitation.

3. Long-Term Retention:
   Writing down and periodically reviewing terms cements them in your memory. Over time, you’ll rely less on the glossary and more on your ingrained understanding—essential for high-pressure interview scenarios.

Strategies for Building Your Glossary

1. Start with Core Topics:
   Begin by capturing fundamental data structures (arrays, linked lists, stacks, queues), key algorithms (binary search, BFS/DFS, sorting), and frequently encountered patterns (two pointers, sliding window, dynamic programming).

   Consider using resources like Grokking the Coding Interview: Patterns for Coding Questions to identify which patterns and terms recur most often.

2. Expand to System Design and Distributed Systems:
   Once you cover the basics, add terms from system design: load balancing, sharding, replication, caching, message queues, and CAP theorem concepts.
   Grokking System Design Fundamentals or Grokking the System Design Interview can guide you on which terms matter.

3. Include Business and Product Context Terms:
   Engineers who understand business impact stand out. Define terms like SLA (Service Level Agreement), KPI (Key Performance Indicator), and TCO (Total Cost of Ownership). Knowing these terms enriches conversations about trade-offs and priorities.

4. Keep Definitions Concise and Clear:
   Aim for short, digestible definitions. For example:

   • Sharding: A horizontal partitioning strategy where large data sets are split into smaller, more manageable pieces called shards, distributed across multiple servers.
   • Eventual Consistency: A consistency model in distributed systems where updates may not be immediately visible to all nodes, but eventually, all nodes will reflect the latest state.

   Brevity ensures that when you review your glossary, you aren’t bogged down by long explanations.

5. Use Layman’s Analogies (If Helpful):
   Occasionally, associate complex terms with simple metaphors:

   • Load Balancer: Like a traffic cop directing cars (requests) into different lanes (servers) to prevent congestion.
   • CDN (Content Delivery Network): A worldwide network of servers like mini-warehouses storing products close to customers for faster delivery.

   These analogies can help you remember terms and explain them to others if needed.

Organizing Your Glossary

1. Categorization by Domain:
   Group terms into categories like Data Structures, Algorithms, System Design, Distributed Systems, Databases, Performance Engineering, and Business/Strategy. This structure makes it easier to find terms when you need them.

2. Alphabetical Index or Searchable Document:
   Maintain your glossary in a searchable digital document or tool. Alphabetical ordering or tags can help you quickly locate a definition before an interview or mock session.

3. Version Control and Notes:
   Keep your glossary in a version-controlled environment (like a private Git repository or a cloud note-taking app). Add notes or references for each term—like a link to a blog post, a course, or a practice problem that exemplifies its usage.

4. Periodic Reviews:
   Schedule time to review your glossary. You might do a quick scan before a mock interview or the night before a big interview. Regular reinforcement helps shift terms from short-term recall to long-term memory.

Integrating the Glossary into Your Preparation

1. Mock Interviews and Drills:
   After a Coding Mock Interview or System Design Mock Interview, review terms from the glossary that were relevant but you struggled to explain. Update or refine definitions as needed.

2. Apply Terms in Practice Problems:
   As you solve coding challenges, identify which terms from your glossary apply. For example, if you tackle a graph shortest path problem, reference your definitions of BFS, Dijkstra’s Algorithm, or A* search to ensure you understand their nuances fully.

3. Company-Specific Focus:
   If you’re targeting a specific company known for certain technologies, include relevant terms. For example, for Amazon, ensure you have definitions for DynamoDB concepts. For Google, maybe emphasize indexing and search algorithms.

4. Expand as You Learn More:
   Each new concept you encounter—be it from a Grokking Data Structures & Algorithms for Coding Interviews resource, a tech blog, or a company’s engineering guide—add it to your glossary. Over time, your glossary becomes a comprehensive personal dictionary.

Maintaining Accuracy and Relevance

1. Verify Definitions with Reliable Sources:
   Double-check that your definitions are accurate. Use authoritative references like official documentation, reputable tech blogs, or educational platforms.

2. Remove Outdated or Irrelevant Terms:
   As you advance, some terms may no longer be relevant, or you may have mastered them so well they’re second nature. Update, refine, or remove entries to keep your glossary lean and focused.

3. Keep Evolving with the Industry:
   The tech landscape changes quickly. If new paradigms emerge (e.g., microfrontends, edge computing, new database technologies), add them to stay current. This ensures your glossary remains a living document that grows with your career.

Long-Term Benefits of a Personal Glossary

A personal glossary isn’t just a short-term tool for passing interviews. It’s a long-term asset:

• Accelerated Learning:
  Quickly understanding new technologies or concepts is easier when you have a strong baseline of established terms.

• Better Communication on the Job:
  Discussing solutions with teammates or explaining designs to stakeholders is smoother when you have crystal-clear definitions at hand.

• Ongoing Professional Development:
  As you keep refining your glossary, you maintain a habit of continuous learning and upskilling, which benefits your career growth.

Final Thoughts

Standardizing a personal glossary of technical interview terms helps you build a strong conceptual foundation. By carefully curating, organizing, and regularly revisiting these definitions, you’ll internalize core concepts, improve your communication skills, and present yourself as a knowledgeable, confident candidate in interviews.

Over time, this glossary becomes a powerful resource, ensuring that no matter how complex a question or scenario, you can draw from a deep well of clearly defined terms—ready to be deployed in both interview and professional contexts.