Cracking the PM Interview
Gayle McDowell
Focus: General prep
Decode and Conquer
Lewis Lin
Focus: Frameworks
Swipe to Unlock
Aditya Agashe
Focus: Tech concepts
The Product Book
Product School
Focus: PM fundamentals
How to Use This Guide
Use this guide to pick the right PM interview books for your timeline and experience level. We have curated 12+ books based on what actually helps candidates succeed at top tech companies, organized by category with recommended reading plans for 2-week and 4-week prep timelines.
The books are organized into four categories: interview-specific books that teach you how to answer PM interview questions, product management fundamentals that build your product sense, strategy and business books that sharpen your strategic thinking, and technical books that build your engineering literacy.
You don't need to read every book on this list. Use the reading plans at the bottom to choose the right books for your timeline and experience level. Quality of understanding matters far more than quantity: deeply reading 2-3 books will serve you better than skimming 10.
Interview-Specific Books
These books are written specifically for PM interview preparation. They teach you the frameworks, question types, and answer structures that interviewers expect. Start here if your interview is within the next few weeks.
Cracking the PM Interview
by Gayle Laakmann McDowell & Jackie Bavaro
The gold standard for PM interview preparation, covering every question type with sample answers.
Best For:
All PM candidates, especially those preparing for FAANG interviews
Key Takeaways:
- Complete coverage of behavioral, product design, estimation, and technical questions
- Company-specific interview guides for Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Meta, and Apple
- Sample answers with detailed explanations of what makes them strong
- Practical tips on resume preparation and the PM hiring process
Decode and Conquer
by Lewis C. Lin
A framework-heavy approach to PM interviews with structured methods for every question type.
Best For:
Candidates who want rigorous, repeatable frameworks for structured answers
Key Takeaways:
- Step-by-step frameworks for product design, metrics, and estimation questions
- The CIRCLES method for product design questions explained in depth
- Practice scorecards for self-evaluating your answers
- Detailed examples showing how to apply frameworks to real questions
The Product Manager Interview
by Lewis C. Lin
164 real PM interview questions with detailed answers for hands-on practice.
Best For:
Candidates who learn best through extensive practice and repetition
Key Takeaways:
- 164 actual interview questions with thoroughly worked-out answers
- Questions organized by type: behavioral, product design, estimation, metrics
- Useful for both solo practice and mock interview preparation
- Covers questions from top tech companies and startups
Swipe to Unlock
by Neel Mehta, Aditya Agashe & Parth Detroja
Essential technology concepts explained for non-technical product managers.
Best For:
Non-technical PMs, career transitioners, and APM candidates
Key Takeaways:
- Clear explanations of how tech products work behind the scenes (search, ads, recommendations)
- Business model analysis of major tech companies and their revenue strategies
- Technology concepts (APIs, cloud, machine learning) explained without jargon
- Perfect preparation for technical PM questions and estimation problems
Product Management Fundamentals
These books build your core product management knowledge. They'll help you answer "how do you approach product management?" questions and demonstrate genuine product sense that goes beyond memorized frameworks.
Inspired
by Marty Cagan
The definitive guide to how top tech companies create products customers love.
Best For:
All PMs, especially those wanting to understand modern product practices
Key Takeaways:
- How product teams work at the best tech companies (product discovery and delivery)
- The difference between feature teams and empowered product teams
- Techniques for product discovery, prototyping, and user validation
- Insights on hiring, coaching, and building a product culture
Escaping the Build Trap
by Melissa Perri
How to shift from output-driven to outcome-driven product management.
Best For:
Mid-to-senior PMs and candidates interviewing at product-led companies
Key Takeaways:
- Why companies get stuck in the "build trap" of shipping features without measuring outcomes
- How to create a product strategy that connects company vision to team execution
- Frameworks for identifying and validating the right opportunities
- How to communicate product decisions to stakeholders using data
The Lean Product Playbook
by Dan Olsen
A step-by-step guide for applying lean startup principles to product development.
Best For:
New PMs, career transitioners, and startup PM candidates
Key Takeaways:
- The Product-Market Fit Pyramid: a clear model for achieving product-market fit
- How to define your target customer, identify underserved needs, and craft a value proposition
- Practical techniques for MVP design, prototyping, and iterative testing
- Metrics frameworks for measuring product success at every stage
Continuous Discovery Habits
by Teresa Torres
How to build a sustainable practice of customer-centric product thinking.
Best For:
PMs focused on product discovery and user research practices
Key Takeaways:
- The Opportunity Solution Tree: a visual framework for connecting outcomes to opportunities
- How to conduct weekly customer interviews that produce actionable insights
- Techniques for assumption mapping and rapid experimentation
- How to balance customer needs with business goals in prioritization
Strategy & Business
These books sharpen your strategic thinking and business acumen. They're especially valuable for senior PM interviews where you'll face questions about market analysis, competitive strategy, and connecting product decisions to business outcomes.
Good Strategy Bad Strategy
by Richard Rumelt
The foundational book on what makes strategy actually work (and what makes it fail).
Best For:
Senior PM candidates and anyone facing strategy interview questions
Key Takeaways:
- The kernel of good strategy: diagnosis, guiding policy, and coherent actions
- How to identify and avoid common "bad strategy" patterns (fluff, failure to choose, etc.)
- Real-world examples of strategic thinking from business, military, and technology
- How to apply strategic diagnosis to product and market analysis
Competing Against Luck
by Clayton Christensen
The Jobs-to-be-Done theory explained by its creator, with practical applications.
Best For:
PMs focused on customer insight, innovation, and product-market fit
Key Takeaways:
- Jobs-to-be-Done theory: understanding why customers "hire" and "fire" products
- How to identify unmet jobs through customer research and observation
- Frameworks for organizing product development around customer jobs
- How innovation becomes predictable when you focus on the job, not the customer
Measure What Matters
by John Doerr
The definitive guide to OKRs and how to use them to drive product outcomes.
Best For:
All PMs, especially those at companies using OKRs or preparing for metrics questions
Key Takeaways:
- How to write effective OKRs that connect team work to company goals
- Real examples from Google, Intel, Bono, and the Gates Foundation
- The difference between aspirational and committed OKRs and when to use each
- How OKRs drive alignment, accountability, and focus across organizations
Technical Knowledge
These books build your technical literacy, helping you communicate with engineers and answer technical PM questions. Not every PM needs deep technical knowledge, but understanding system design concepts is increasingly important at all levels.
System Design Interview
by Alex Xu
Practical system design concepts that every PM should understand to collaborate with engineering.
Best For:
Technical PM candidates and PMs at engineering-heavy companies
Key Takeaways:
- How to reason about scalability, reliability, and performance trade-offs
- Real-world design examples: URL shortener, news feed, chat system, search autocomplete
- Understanding databases, caching, load balancing, and API design at a conceptual level
- How to communicate with engineers using a shared vocabulary of system concepts
Designing Data-Intensive Applications
by Martin Kleppmann
A deep dive into the architecture of modern data systems for technically curious PMs.
Best For:
Data-focused PMs, platform PMs, and candidates at data-heavy companies
Key Takeaways:
- How modern data storage, processing, and streaming systems work under the hood
- Trade-offs between different database types (relational, document, graph, time-series)
- Concepts like replication, partitioning, and consistency that affect product decisions
- Understanding data pipelines and event-driven architectures at a conceptual level
Reading Plans
Choose the reading plan that matches your prep timeline. Focus on depth over breadth: it's better to deeply understand two books than to skim five.
4-Week Reading Plan
Comprehensive preparation for thorough interview prep
Week 1: Foundation
Read Cracking the PM Interview cover to cover. Take notes on the frameworks and practice answering 2-3 sample questions per chapter.
Week 2: Product Sense
Read Inspired by Marty Cagan. Focus on product discovery techniques and how top teams work. Start mock interviews.
Week 3: Strategy & Frameworks
Read Decode and Conquer for framework mastery. Supplement with chapters from Good Strategy Bad Strategy.
Week 4: Practice & Polish
Use The Product Manager Interview for intensive question practice. Skim Swipe to Unlock for technical concepts. Do 3-5 full mock interviews.
2-Week Reading Plan
Focused preparation when time is limited
Week 1: Core Interview Prep
Read Cracking the PM Interview focusing on the question types relevant to your target company. Practice 3-5 questions per day out loud.
Week 2: Depth & Practice
Read key chapters from Decode and Conquer for frameworks. Skim relevant sections of Inspired. Do 4-5 full mock interviews.
Priority Focus: With limited time, prioritize practice over reading. One deeply understood book plus 10+ mock interviews beats reading four books with no practice.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the single best book for PM interview prep?
If you can only read one book, start with "Cracking the PM Interview" by Gayle Laakmann McDowell and Jackie Bavaro. It covers the complete PM interview process: behavioral, product design, estimation, and technical questions with sample answers. It's the most comprehensive single resource and has helped thousands of PMs land offers at top tech companies.
How many books should I read before my PM interview?
For a typical 4-week prep timeline, aim to read 2-3 books deeply rather than skimming many. Start with one interview-specific book (like Cracking the PM Interview), one fundamentals book (like Inspired), and supplement with framework practice. Quality of understanding matters more than quantity. If you have more time, add a strategy book and a technical book.
Are PM interview books still relevant in 2026?
Yes, the core frameworks and thinking patterns taught in these books remain highly relevant. While specific company processes may evolve, the fundamental skills tested in PM interviews (structured thinking, product sense, metrics reasoning, and strategic thinking) are timeless. Supplement books with recent blog posts and mock interviews for the latest company-specific trends.
Should non-technical PMs read technical books?
Yes, having basic technical literacy is increasingly important for all PM roles. You don't need to code, but understanding system design concepts, APIs, databases, and architecture helps you collaborate with engineers and answer technical PM questions. "Swipe to Unlock" is perfect for non-technical PMs, while "System Design Interview" by Alex Xu offers deeper coverage.
What books are best for transitioning into product management?
If you're transitioning from another role, start with "Inspired" by Marty Cagan to understand what PMs actually do, then read "Cracking the PM Interview" for interview-specific prep. "The Lean Product Playbook" by Dan Olsen is excellent for learning the product development process. Also consider "Swipe to Unlock" if you're coming from a non-technical background.
Do I need different books for different PM levels?
Yes, the emphasis shifts by level. For APM/entry-level roles, focus on "Cracking the PM Interview" and "Decode and Conquer" for framework mastery. For senior PM roles, add "Good Strategy Bad Strategy" and "Inspired" for strategic depth. For Director/VP-level interviews, "Escaping the Build Trap" and "Measure What Matters" cover organizational thinking and leadership that senior interviews test heavily.
About the Author
Aditi Chaturvedi
·Founder, Best PM JobsAditi is the founder of Best PM Jobs, helping product managers find their dream roles at top tech companies. With experience in product management and recruiting, she creates resources to help PMs level up their careers.