For backend engineers · mid-senior · active search
Interview prep that compounds.
Voice-scored on four dimensions. Memory across every session. A graduation when you're ready. Built for mid-senior backend engineers running their own prep loop — for when ChatGPT, LeetCode, and friend mocks don't add up.
Built by Valerii Hurachek. Eight years backend. Laid off Q4 2023. I built Aria because I was running five tools that didn't compound and I needed one that did.
Why your stack doesn't compound
You're running five tools, and none of them remember the last session.
The mid-senior backend engineer prepping for an interview in 2026 already runs a stack: ChatGPT for behaviorals, LeetCode for coding, friend mocks for system design, Loom for self-review, a Notion of stories. Every tool starts from zero on each new session. That's the leak.
| What you use today | What it does well | Why it doesn't compound |
|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT for behaviorals | Generates rough story drafts | No fixed rubric. Praises everything. Forgets you between conversations. Same gap, three weeks later, same generic feedback. |
| LeetCode Premium | Algorithm reps | Mid-senior rounds aren't algorithm-only. No voice. No scoring on Structure / Completeness / Clarity / Conciseness — the rubric an evaluator actually uses. |
| Friend mocks | Real conversation pressure | Quality varies by friend. No consistent rubric. They forget last session's gaps too. Hard to schedule in week six of search. |
| interviewing.io / one-off mocks | Single high-quality session | $350 per session. No data carries forward. Each booking is a fresh start with a stranger. |
| Loom + Notion + spreadsheet | Your own self-review | Your time. No external rubric. No scoring trajectory. The Loom never gets graded; the Notion rots after week three. |
The pattern. Every tool above is shaped to give value inside a session. None is shaped to carry value across sessions. The same interview gap shows up in week three that you flagged in week one — and the tool wouldn't know.
How Aria compounds
Three mechanics. One claim: every session builds on the last.
Voice, scored on 4 dimensions
Speak your answer. Aria scores 1–10 on Structure, Completeness, Clarity, and Conciseness — the dimensions a trained evaluator actually grades. One specific correction. Then retry.
Memory across every session
Aria knows what you struggled with three weeks ago. Patterns, weak spots, vocabulary tics, closed gaps. The model sees your trajectory; the feedback leads with what moved, not with absolute scores.
A plan that ends
Set your interview date. Aria builds the program backward from it, adapts after every session, and graduates you when you're ready. Not "practice forever" — a finish line.
Session 7 · feedback after a behavioral answer
"Three weeks ago you missed idempotency on retry questions; today, unprompted, you led with it. That's the closed gap I was waiting to see.
You said: 'we just retried until it worked.' The remaining gap is the failure-mode classification — at-least-once vs at-most-once vs exactly-once. Senior interviewer is going to push on that next. Try once more, lead with the delivery semantic."
Structure
08/10
+1 vs session 6
Completeness
07/10
flat
Clarity
09/10
+2 vs session 1
Conciseness
06/10
tracked across 4 sessions
Trajectory headlines the feedback. Dimension scores show what moved. Composite score is hidden — single numbers degrade scoring under pressure (Behroozi/Parnin, FSE 2020).
How the feedback reads
Aria quotes your actual answer back. Other tools quote a template.
The cohort pattern-matches generic LLM feedback in two seconds and disengages. Aria's prompt is engineered to refuse it.
What ChatGPT says
"Great point about retries! Consider adding more detail about edge cases and quantified impact. Strong structure overall."
Generic. Could apply to any answer. No text from your actual response.
What Aria says
"You said 'we just retried until it worked.' That's the gap — senior interviewers want delivery semantics named (at-least-once, at-most-once, exactly-once). Same conciseness pattern as session 4: opening with mechanics before context."
Cites your words. Names the gap. References past session.
The 90-day offer
The 90-Day Reset.
A complete prep system, priced for engineers without a paycheck.
What's included
- Aria interview prep, full 90 days. Voice sessions, 4-dimension scoring, memory, plan with finish line.
- Six core round types. Behavioral, hiring-manager, system-design, technical coding, take-home, phone-screen — the rounds Series B–D / mid-market shops actually run.
- Cross-session memory + 5-year retention. Read-only access to every session, score, pattern, and closed gap for 5 years after your program ends.
- Cohort field-notes (full blog cluster). Mid-Level Squeeze, Got Replit'd, Invisible Unemployment — the 2026-specific structural diagnoses.
- First session free. No card. Decide after you've used it.
Anchored against
- ChatGPT Plus — $20/mo · no fixed scoring, no memory across conversations
- LeetCode Premium — $35/mo · question bank only, no voice, no rubric
- AlgoExpert — $149 lifetime · recorded courses, no voice, no scoring
- interviewing.io — $350/session · single mock, no continuity
- Your Notion + Loom + spreadsheet — your time, no external rubric, no compounding
Your price
$99 · 90 days
Or $49/month if you want flex. Effective rate on the 90-day plan: $33/month.
30-day money-back on the 90-day plan. No exit interview, no questionnaire, no dark patterns. Email and you get refunded the same day.
Pricing
Pick what fits your search runway.
Both plans start with the first session free. No card. Cancel any time.
Flex
$49 / month
Cancel any month. All features.
- Voice scoring on every answer (4 dimensions)
- Memory across every session
- Plan with a graduation
- Six core round types covered
Best when you're early in the search.
90-Day Reset
$99 · 90 days
Single payment. Effective $33/month. 30-day refund.
- Everything in Flex
- 5-year session memory + retention
- Full cohort field-notes blog cluster
- Trajectory dashboard across all sessions
Best when you have an interview window and want to commit.
Anchored against: ChatGPT Plus ($20/mo, no rubric/memory), LeetCode Premium ($35/mo, no voice), AlgoExpert ($149 lifetime, no voice), interviewing.io ($350/session, no continuity).
FAQ
Things people ask before they sign up.
Who is Aria for?
Mid-senior backend engineers (4–8 YOE, non-FAANG, targeting Series B–D startups, mid-market SaaS, fintech, devtools, infra) in active job search. Specifically: those who are already running a prep stack — ChatGPT, LeetCode, mock interviews, friend mocks — and have noticed the leak: their tools don't compound between sessions.
What does "compounds" actually mean?
Every Aria session builds on the last. The product remembers your patterns, weak spots, vocabulary tics, and closed gaps across all your sessions — not just inside one chat. ChatGPT forgets you between conversations. Aria does not.
Should I try this if I haven't started prep yet?
Probably not yet. Aria is built to consolidate the prep loop you're already running. If you haven't opened ChatGPT, done a friend mock, or sat in front of a LeetCode editor in the last month, you're earlier in the journey than this product helps with. Come back when your duct-tape stack starts feeling like a leak.
What rounds does Aria cover?
Behavioral, hiring-manager, system-design, technical coding, take-home, phone-screen, and debugging. The rounds mid-senior backend engineers actually face at Series B–D / mid-market / fintech / devtools / infra companies. Not generic FAANG-bound prep, not vendor-specific voice screens (those are F500 high-volume hiring funnels — different cohort).
How does the 4-dimension scoring work?
Every voice answer is scored 1–10 on Structure, Completeness, Clarity, and Conciseness. These map to what trained evaluators actually grade. You get one specific correction with your own answer text quoted back, then retry. Trajectory across sessions headlines the feedback, not the absolute score.
Is my voice data stored?
No. Audio is deleted immediately after transcription. We keep the transcript and scores, not the recording. Sessions are never used to train models.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes — cancel from settings. No retention questionnaire, no email guilt-trip. Access continues to the end of the billing period.
Your prep should compound. Most tools don't. Aria does.
First session free. No card. 30-day refund on the 90-day plan.