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TECHNICAL PROGRAM MANAGEment COURSE
Tpm course

Nail the Technical Program Manager Interview

4.7
Tpm reviews

Learn with TPMs from FAANG and Tier-1 tech companies.  Master the Program management, technical, behavioral skills you need to uplevel your TPM career.

Students who chose to uplevel with IK got placed at

enginner
Abhishek Gupta
Technical Program Manager
engg-cmpny
enginner
Srini K
Engineering Leader 
engg-cmpny
enginner
Sujay Ghosh
Software Development Manager
engg-cmpny
enginner
Ajay Pathak
Technical Lead
engg-cmpny
enginner
Ajay Eppili
Sr. Engineering Manager
engg-cmpny
enginner
Rajat Roy 
Senior Software Engineering Manager 
engg-cmpny
enginner
Pratik Agarwal
Software Development Engineer ll
engg-cmpny
enginner
Kishore Periassamy
Software Development Engineer
engg-cmpny
enginner
Anshul Bansal
Software Engineer
engg-cmpny
enginner
Suat Mercan
Senior Software Engineer
engg-cmpny
arrowarrow
13,500+
Tech professionals trained
$1.267M
Highest offer received by an IK alum
65.6%
Average salary hike in 2021 for TPM course alums

Overview of what you will learn

1
Introductory and Advanced Concepts of Scalable Systems
2
Program Planning and Execution
3
Program Monitoring and Reporting
4
Frameworks for Answering Interview Questions
5
Motivation and Core Values of FAANG+ Companies
6
Cross-Functional Cooperation
7
Interview Success Strategy and Professional Branding
8
Relevant Technical Domain Course
Best suited for
Inclusions
Why choose this course?

A typical week at Interview Kickstart

This is how we structure and organize your interview prep. Our learners devote 10 to 12 hours per week to this course.

Thu

Foundational content
Get high-quality videos and course material for next week’s topics
Consists of fundamentals, interview-relevant topics, and case studies
Assignment review session
Solve questions and case studies from the previous week's assignment
Discuss solutions with Tier-1 instructors, get feedback from them and your peers, and learn alternate solutions

Sun

Online live sessions
Attend 4-hour sessions that cover interview applications of TPM concepts
Each class has mini mock interviews
Live feedback from a Tier-1 TPM instructor

Mon-Wed

Practice problems & case studies
Apply the concepts taught in live sessions to solve assignment questions
In class, discuss case studies' solutions and practice answering frameworks
Live doubt-solving with FAANG+ TPM instructors

Every day

1:1 access to instructors
Personalized coaching from FAANG+ TPM IK instructors
Individualized and detailed attention to your questions
Solution walkthroughs
Learn about the different types of TPMs and their responsibilities
Receive guidance on transitioning into a TPM role
Contact for Pricing

Technical Program Manager Course details and curriculum

System Design
3 weeks
3 live classes
1

Online Processing Systems

Common Scalable Concepts like DBs, Cache, Messaging Queue, etc., and Common Design Problems
2

Batch Processing Systems

Batch Processing Concepts in-depth and Common Design Problems for FAANG+ interviews
3

Stream Processing Systems

  • Case Studies: on APM, Social Connections, Netflix, Google Maps, Trending Topics, YouTube
Design real-time data-intensive applications like Google Maps, Netflix, etc.
Technical Program Management
calender
6 weeks
Air-play
6 live classes
1

Program Planning

  • FAANG TPM competencies: What to expect in a TPM interview at FAANG+ companies? Company-specific aspects. 
  • Define goals and success metrics for a company envisioning a world free from video ads. Apply SMART and STAR framework. Interesting follow-up questions and mini-mocks.
  • Prepare a program for expanding technology to a region without access to the internet: Defining its scope, aligning with stakeholders, and adapting to changes in scope. 
  • Learn to give concise and complete answers to challenging situational questions such as: Talk about an instance when your team missed a deadline. How did you react? What was the result?
  • Learn to think, act, and articulate like a seasoned TPM while answering questions on past projects.
  • Questions on risk management: Identifying, quantifying, managing, and mitigating various types of risks using some standard methods like The Delphi technique, SWOT analysis, etc.
  • Comprehensive coverage of FAANG interview question patterns such as:
  • Handling ambiguity in a project.
  • Aligning requirements with stakeholders.
  • Quantifying and mitigating risks in projects.
2

Program Execution

  • Questions on working with leadership: How to influence and drive forward your program? 
  • How to deal with conflicts as a TPM? (A frequently asked question in FAANG interviews).
  • How and when to prioritize activities based on significant parameters using Stack ranking, MoSCoW, relative weighting, Kano method, etc. 
  • Understanding various Product Development Processes (Including CI/CD).
  • How to respond to changes (regulations, scope creep, changing budgets)?
  • Challenging case studies: You’re leading the development of an app to identify individual users on a shared device within a family. Market testing found that the app is unable to distinguish between users that are identical twins. How would you determine if the market testing results will delay the launch or not?
  • Comprehensive coverage of FAANG interview question patterns such as:
  • Analyzing peer and stakeholder suggestions and their relevance in current projects.
  • Handling an unexpected event or emergency in the project flow.
  • Dealing with major changes in ongoing program launch/projects.
3

Program Monitoring & Reporting

  • What is the importance of communication in programs? Learn about various communication strategies.
  • How to come up with/choose the right metrics and dashboards to monitor projects/programs? 
  • What are Leadership and Ownership in a project? When and how to escalate? Demonstrate these concepts in an interview setting.
  • Post-launch iterations to make enhancements, troubleshoot, and remediate product defects.
  • What are technical, leadership, and program management deliverables? Relevant interview questions and frameworks to answer them.
  • Comprehensive coverage of FAANG interview question patterns such as:
  • Handling risk for not meeting a critical deadline.
  • Re-prioritizing short-term strategy and gain for the long-term.
  • Addressing questions and defining debugging strategies for drops in key metrics. 
4

Behavioral — Introducing Frameworks

  • TPM behavioral interview in FAANG+ companies: Overview of the interview process and similarities/differences between different companies and roles. 
  • What level and role are you interviewing for? How will expectations change? (L5 TPM vs. L6 TPM)
  • How is a behavioral interview scored? How to bring out the best in your answers to match these scores?
  • Introducing answering frameworks (STAR, PAR, and more) with Live interview answers from instructors in the form of mini-mocks in class.
  • Identify role-specific traits and fit them into your own experiences. 
  • Comprehensive coverage of FAANG interview question patterns such as:
  • Tell me about a project that you are proud of.
  • Managing stakeholder expectations and deriving value from them.
  • Tackling challenges with cross-functional or external partners.
  • Dealing with delay in project delivery timelines and adjustment strategies. 
5

Behavioral — Motivation and Core Values

  • Frame your answers to target the 3 WHYs: Why this company? Why now? Why this role? 
  • Companies’ Core Values: FAANG+ companies’ core values, connecting to interview practice questions and strategies to inherit these in your interview responses.
  • Learn to link your experiences to company core values: Strategies for presenting the good, the bad, and the ugly in an honest and professional light.
  • Simulated interview situations: How to navigate in the right direction in case of a mistake and reframing the answer into a good solution.
  • Present conflict resolution and collaboration experiences. Answering techniques for interview questions on these aspects. 
  • How to express motivation for joining a target company as a TPM. Templates for these common FAANG interview questions. 
  • Comprehensive coverage of FAANG interview question patterns such as:
  • Using customer feedback to drive innovation.
  • Responding immediately to a situation and discerning facts and key issues.
  • Achieving a great outcome with extra effort than required.
  • Setting specific targets to improve critical areas.
6

Behavioral — Cross-Functional Cooperation

  • Structuring interviews: Learn what companies are looking for in different interview settings along with how an interview is scored.
  • Surfacing Stories: Best practices for communicating work experiences in FAANG interviews. Practice framing answers with an instructor in the live class along with peer feedback.
  • Discussion around leadership experience and team-level aspects in behavioral interviews and what companies look for in leaders. 
  • Questions on presenting cross-functional requirements and management experience. Detailed class discussion and live feedback from FAANG instructors.
  • Comprehensive coverage of FAANG interview question patterns such as:
  • Delivering projects with insufficient budget and/or resources.
  • Managing extra help on a project.
  • Keeping cross-functional team members accountable.
  • Dealing with an underperforming team member and work impact.
Relevant Technical Domain Course
calender
4-6 weeks
airplay
4-6 live classes
Candidates can choose from:
  • Data Engineering
  • Machine Learning
  • Data Science
  • Front-end
  • Back-end
  • Full-stack
  • Test Engineering
  • SRE
  • Cloud
  • Android
  • iOS
  • Security
  • Embedded Software
Career Coaching
calender
3 weeks
airplay
3 live classes
1

Interview Preparation

Interview Questions
Interview Strategy
Behavioral Coaching
2

Resume & LinkedIn Masterclass

3

Salary Negotiation Masterclass

Support Period
calender
6 months
1

15 mock interviews

2

Take classes you missed/retake classes/tests

3

1:1 technical/career coaching

4

Interview strategy and salary negotiation support

Practice and track progress on UpLevel

UpLevel will be your all-in-one learning platform to get you FAANG-ready, with 10,000+ interview questions, timed tests, videos, mock interviews suite, and more.
users
Mock interviews suite
clipboard
On-demand timed tests
desktop
In-browser online judge
help circle
10,000 interview questions
videos
100,000 hours of video explanations
bell
Class schedules & activity alerts
clock
Real-time progress update
terminal
11 programming languages

Meet your instructors

Our highly experienced instructors are active hiring managers and employees at FAANG+ companies and know exactly what it takes to ace tech and managerial interviews.
instructor

Danielle Class

Senior Technical Program Manager
15+ years experience
FAANG Company
Linkedin
instructor

Kyle Hicks

Technical Product Manager
9+ years experience
FAANG Company
Linkedin
instructor

Yura Kostiukevych

Technical Product Manager
15+ years experience
Instructor-cmpny
Linkedin

Get upto 15 mock interviews with                      hiring managers

What makes our 15 mock interviews the best:

Hiring managers from Tier-1 companies like Google & Apple

Interview with the best. No one will prepare you better!

Domain-specific Interviews

Practice for your target domain - Technical Program Management

Detailed personalized feedback

Identify and work on your improvement areas

Transparent, non-anonymous interviews

Get the most realistic experience possible

Career impact

Our engineers land high-paying and rewarding offers from the biggest tech companies, including Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, Tesla, and Netflix.
engineer

Rahul Cherekar

Senior Technical Program Manager
Placed at:
amazon
The curriculum is planned very well and covers all the basics of programming, algorithms, and system design. Omkar's foundational videos are especially world-class and provide a good foundation before the live problem-solving sessions. Also, technical and career coaching are available during the support period, which is a good value-add. Overall, very satisfied with the program and the learning.
engineer

Abhishek Gupta

Technical Program Manager
Placed at:
meta blue
This course is very helpful for anyone who is looking for deep technical knowledge for System Design interviews. The Instructors are very knowledgeable and covered all Technical topics in detail."
engineer

Amol Kanitkar

Senior Engineering Manager
Placed at:
meta blue
After a few unsuccessful attempts, at a couple of FAANG companies, I realized that I needed some help in building a structured approach towards preparing for interviews, specifically for the technical rounds.
Overall, I would recommend this course for anyone who is serious about preparing for technical interviews. 
engineer

Srini K

Software Development Manager (SDM)
Placed at:
amazon
IK course boosted my confidence significantly and got a couple of offers at FAANG companies in just 4 months. The course is very rigorous and well-structured, with a lot of support throughout the journey, in terms of mock interviews for Technical and Leadership and Behavioral rounds, foundational videos, online classes and practice sessions, technical and career coaching, and offer negotiations. 
arrowarrow

How to enroll for the TPM course?

Learn more about Interview Kickstart and the TPM course by joining the free webinar hosted by Ryan Valles, co-founder of Interview Kickstart.
enroll-course
Already preparing or want a sneak peek? Try the TPM Interview Prep 7-day email course

A Free Guide to Kickstart Your TPM Career at FAANG+

From the interview process and career path to interview questions and salary details — learn everything you need to know about Technical Program Manager careers at top tech companies.
Register for webinar
It's Free

What to Expect at Technical Program Manager Interviews?

It’s important to prepare for Technical Program Manager interviews based on company-specific requirements. The Technical Program Manager interview process for companies like Google, Facebook, etc., differs slightly or significantly based on the company's requirements.
For example, at Facebook, you’ll be evaluated on your technical acumen, leadership qualities, and program management abilities, and at Google, you’ll be evaluated on general cognitive ability, leadership skills, the type of projects you’ve worked on, and how much of a cultural fit you’d be at Google.
That said, the Technical Program Manager interview process generally has 3-5 rounds.
1
Phone screen
It starts with a recruiter phone screen that addresses your area of expertise and professional background and is heavy on behavioral questions.
2
Technical phone screen
Next, there’s either a technical phone interview that focuses on technical questions and technical eligibility or a phone interview where the two phone interviews are combined.
3
Writing assignment
Some companies like Amazon also do a writing exercise to test your communication skills before the on-site interview.
4
On-site interview
Finally, there’s the on-site interview, which usually has 4-6 rounds, including one-on-one interviews and panel discussions. You can expect these rounds:
2-3 Technical Program Manager hard skills rounds
Expect questions on program management, metrics, hypothetical and situational process design, program sense, planning and execution of projects, and risk management.
1 technical system design/scenario round
Expect a focus on technical skills, system design principles/scenarios, discussion on common structures used in Agile projects (e.g., epics, stories, themes), the difference between Kanban and Scrum, etc., basic software domain familiarity, what happens when a request is made via an API
1-2 soft skill or behavioral rounds
These rounds focus on criteria like leadership and collaboration skills to lead cross-functional teams, conflict management, delivering results, etc. You can expect questions related to job experience, discussions on past projects, and open-ended questions to gauge whether you're a "good fit."
In some cases, if they’re unsure about an aspect or think you’re a good fit for some other team/role, they may call you again for one more interview.

Technical Program Manager Interview Questions

Technical Program Manager interview questions are challenging given the high expectations and impact associated with the role. Our Technical Program Management Course trains you to answer them all confidently. Do you want to check your current Technical Program Manager interview preparation?
Try answering these Technical Program Management interview questions:
1
TPM Interview Questions on Technical Experience and System Design
Create a technical design of an automated parking solution.
Build a service to handle hundreds of transactions to be executed at specific times of the day.
Design an automation system to download messages from a repository in the cloud and put them in suitable buckets after assessing them.
Design Google Drive.
Design a code deployment software.
Design Whatsapp.
Reverse a string without using any built-in functions.
Design an anti-virus application.
Design a stock trading application.
Design a database for URL shortening.
Design a Cache Controller.
2
Domain-Specific Technical Program Manager Interview Questions
Distinguish between heap and stack memory structure in an operating system?
Differentiate between UDP and TCP. When would you choose TCP over UDP and vice versa?
Describe the computational complexity of hash tables.
What are the tools primarily used for improving the process activities?
What will you do if there’s a fire in a data center?
What is RAID in Project Management?
Differentiate between a router and a switch.
How would you decide (and improve upon) on a KPI (Key Performance Indicator) when building a system?
What will you do if your project goes over the fixed budget?
What would you do if a resource indicates that they do not have time to work on an important project?
How would you implement a GDPR program for Google Services?
What steps would you take to open a restaurant on a business campus?
3
Technical Program Manager Interview Questions on Behavioral Skills
Why our company and why this role?
Describe your most complex project.
Tell me about a time when you had to deal with competing priorities.
Describe a conflict you had with your manager or team member.
Describe an instance when you solved a conflict at work.
Which of our company’s principles is your greatest strength?
If stakeholders want one thing done one way, but you don't think that is the right way to do it, how do you move forward?
Why are you opting for the technical wing of program management?
How would you approach a situation where a team member works less than their full potential?
How would you prioritize tasks in a program?
How can a Technical Program Manager earn the trust of a team?
How would you handle dependencies in cross-functional teams?
You’ll learn how to answer these questions in our Technical Program Management Course. For more such content and Senior Technical Program Management interview questions, read our articles on Amazon Technical Program Manager interview questions and Google Technical Program Manager interview questions. You can also check our post on sample Technical Program Manager interview questions and answers.

Technical Program Manager Career

Before you sign up for any role, it’s crucial to understand what you’re signing up for and the expectations from that role. A Google Technical Program Manager interview preparation would differ from Facebook Technical Program Manager interview preparation and Technical Program Manager interview preparation for other tier-1 companies.
Still, there’s a common theme of expectations from a Technical Program Manager.
1
Technical Program Manager Job Requirements: Roles and Responsibilities
The qualifications for being considered for Technical Program Manager vary based on the company and the role you’re applying for. Technical Program Manager job requirements generally include some or all of the following:
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience.
Proven experience independently identifying and delivering operational improvement projects.
Experience going through a complete product lifecycle, integrating customer feedback into product requirements, driving prioritization, and pre/post-launch execution.
Experience driving product vision, go-to-market strategy, and design discussions.
Proven history of converting learnings from customer insights into tangible product features that customers love.
Ability to solve complex and ambiguous problems, including identifying and completing the relevant data analysis.
Ability to think and act both strategically and tactically.
Some technical product management experience like creating strategic product roadmaps and working with cross-functional teams.
Communication skills and experience working with highly technical teams and communicating with non-technical partners.
Problem-solving skills, attention to detail, organizational skills, and a focus on continuous improvement.
Interpersonal skills, including relationship building and collaboration within diverse, cross-functional teams.
Experience operating autonomously across multiple teams.
Don’t forget to thoroughly read the Technical Program Manager job description for the specific role you’re applying for. The Technical Program Manager job description differs depending on the position, level, and the company.
2
Preferred qualifications for Technical Program Manager jobs, especially Senior Technical Program Manager jobs:
MBA/MS and 3+ years’ relevant experience, including program or product management experience.
Strong resourcefulness and ability to find or develop compelling data given limited resources and time.
Self-motivation with the ability to multi-task and prioritize in demanding situations and meet deadlines.
Effective working in a cross-functional environment with technical, business operations, and product management teams.
Check our article on Facebook TPM roles and responsibilities for more details.
3
Career Roadmap for a Technical Program Manager
For a Technical Program Manager in a tier-1 company, the career progression is as follows:
Technical Program Manager 1 → Technical Program Manager 2 → Senior Technical Program Manager → Principal Technical Program Manager

Technical Program Manager Salary and Levels at FAANG

A Technical Program Manager can exist at different levels in a company. For this reason, the Technical Program Manager's salary varies significantly on that basis. We’ve curated FAANG Technical Program Manager salary data by level for your convenience:
facebook
Facebook Technical Program Manager Salary
A Facebook Technical Program Manager can earn a total annual salary (Base+Stock+Bonus) anywhere between $137k (IC3) to $376k (IC6), depending on the level of the Technical Program Manager.
For an IC6 with a $376k total salary, the split looks like $212k as the base, $119k as stocks, and $44k as a bonus.
Technical Program Managers at Apple, Netflix, and Google tend to have a higher Technical Program Manager salary than Facebook.
Facebook’s Technical Program Manager salary structure is most similar to Amazon’s among the FAANG companies.
Technical Program Manager at Facebook
Average compensation by level
Level name
Total
Base
Stock (/yr)
Bonus
IC3
$137K
$107K
$21K
$11K
IC4
$204K
$212K
$37K
$18K
IC5
$289K
$212K
$72K
$32K
IC6
$376K
$212K
$119K
$18K
amazon
Amazon Technical Program Manager Salary
An Amazon Technical Program Manager can earn a total annual salary anywhere between $136k (L4) to $398k (L7), depending on the job level.
For a level 7 with a $398k per annum salary, the split is around $182k as the base, $198k as stocks, and $ 36k as a bonus.
Compared to Facebook, Amazon Technical Program Managers may earn a slightly higher salary and tend to have heavier stock options.
Technical Program Manager at Amazon
Average compensation by level
Level name
Total
Base
Stock (/yr)
Bonus
L4
$136K
$104K
$26K
$9K
L5
$187K
$137K
$34K
$18K
L6
$256K
$159K
$78K
$22K
L7
$398K
$182K
$198K
$36K
apple
Apple Technical Program Manager Salary
An Apple Technical Program Manager can earn a total annual salary anywhere between $213k (ICT3) to $390k (ICT5), depending on the level of the Technical Program Manager.
For an ICT5 with a $390k per annum salary, the split is around $210k as the base, $147k as stocks, and $ 33k as a bonus.
For an ICT5 with a $390k per annum salary, the split is around $210k as the base, $147k as stocks, and $ 33k as a bonus.
Apple’s lowest Technical Program Manager salary tends to be higher than the lowest Technical Program Manager salary at other FAANG companies.
Technical Program Manager at Apple
Average compensation by level
Level name
Total
Base
Stock (/yr)
Bonus
ICT3
$213K
$151K
$43K
$19K
ICT4
$276K
$179K
$74K
$24K
ICT5
$390K
$210K
$147K
$33K
netflix
Netflix Technical Program Manager Salary
Unlike other FAANG companies, there’s only one level on the ladder for software engineer career progression at Netflix called the senior software engineer level. This is because Netflix strictly hires experienced professionals.
The median package for a senior software engineer is $305k, where $275k is the base salary, $14k is in stocks, and $16k is in bonuses.
The base Technical Program Manager salary at Netflix tends to be the highest among all FAANG companies, while their total salary is in line with the FAANG standards.
The base Technical Program Manager salary at Netflix tends to be the highest among all FAANG companies, while their total salary is in line with the FAANG standards.
Technical Program Manager at Netflix
Average compensation by level
Level name
Total
Base
Stock (/yr)
Bonus
Sr. SW. Engineer
$305K
$275K
$14K
$13K
google
Google Technical Program Manager Salary
A Google Technical Program Manager can earn a total annual salary anywhere between $173k (L3) to $389k (L6), depending on the level of the Technical Program Manager.
For an L6 with a $389k per annum salary, the split is around $200k as the base, $139k as stocks, and $ 50k as a bonus.
Google Technical Program Manager's salary and base-stock-bonus split align with most FAANG companies.
The lowest Technical Program Manager salary at Google tends to be higher than the lowest Technical Program Manager salary at Apple, Amazon, and Facebook.
The highest Technical Program Manager salary at Google aligns with the highest Technical Program Manager salary in FAANG companies.
Technical Program Manager at Google
Average compensation by level
Level name
Total
Base
Stock (/yr)
Bonus
L3
$173K
$121K
$38K
$17K
L4
$230K
$143K
$62K
$25K
L5
$297K
$170K
$94K
$32K
L6
$389K
$200K
$139K
$50K
You can learn more about more related topics on our companies page.

FAQs on Technical Program Manager Interview Course

1
How technical should a Technical Program Manager be?
2
What makes a good Technical Program Manager?
3
What skills are required for a Technical Program Manager?
4
What does an average workday for a Technical Program Manager look like?
5
How many rounds can we expect for a Technical Program Manager interview?
6
Who is this Technical Program Manager Course best suited for?

How to enroll for the TPM course?

Learn more about Interview Kickstart and the TPM course by joining the free webinar hosted by Ryan Valles, co-founder of Interview Kickstart.
enroll course
Already preparing or want a sneak peek? Try the TPM Interview Prep 7-day email course