Next.js ⚡ Recently updatedUpdated on Jun 30, 2026 — this content may still be evolving.

Next.js: Mock Interview (45 Minutes)

Section 1: Warm-up (5 min)

1. “Tell me about your Next.js project.”
2. “App Router or Pages Router — why?”
3. “How did you deploy it?”

Section 2: Rendering (12 min)

1. “Explain SSR, SSG, CSR, and ISR.”
   • Follow-up: “When would you pick each?”
2. “What’s hydration?”
3. “Blog vs dashboard — different rendering?”
4. Scenario: “E-commerce with 5000 products, prices change hourly.”
   • Expected: ISR with revalidate

Section 3: App Router (10 min)

1. “Server Components vs Client Components?”
2. “How fetch data in App Router?”
3. “What is layout.tsx?”
4. “Dynamic route [id] — how access the id?”

Section 4: Live Discussion / Pseudo-code (10 min)

Pick ONE:

Option A: Route design

“Design folder structure for: home, blog list, blog post, dashboard (auth), API for comments.”

Option B: Rendering choice

“Given these 4 pages [marketing, blog, profile, admin], assign SSR/SSG/ISR/CSR and justify.”

Option C: Middleware

“Write pseudocode for middleware that redirects unauthenticated users from /dashboard to /login.”

Section 5: Performance & SEO (5 min)

1. “Why next/image?”
2. “How set page title and meta description?”
3. “What is loading.tsx?”

Section 6: Project (3 min)

1. “For each route in your app — what rendering strategy and why?”
2. “What would you change if you rebuilt it?”

Rubric

Debrief

Re-read rendering-patterns.md decision flowchart. Re-answer Section 2 without notes.

Homework: Label every route in your project with its rendering strategy in a comment or doc.