1 min lesson
Final readiness rubric
Put this idea into your own words: "Treat the rubric as a gap finder, not a score to admire."
Step 1 of 4
This is the gate. You rate yourself 1–5 across every dimension the loop tests and anything under 4 becomes a targeted drill before you book the real thing.
Treat the rubric as a gap finder, not a score to admire. Mark the weakest proof, turn it into one practice rep and keep the artifact you would show an interviewer.
Be honest to the point of discomfort. The loop is graded on your floor, not your ceiling, so an inflated self-score just hides the stage that will actually sink you.
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Advanced table
Dimension
- Dimension
- No-AI coding
- What a 5 looks like
- An accessible component flows from a blank file in under an hour, autocomplete only
- Drill if under 4
- Re-run the no-AI drill (s1) on a fresh problem until it's fluent
- Dimension
- SolidJS fluency
- What a 5 looks like
- You reason about signals and fine-grained reactivity without reaching for React habits
- Drill if under 4
- The reactivity deep-dive; build the same component in both frameworks
- Dimension
- CSS / layout
- What a 5 looks like
- Grid, container queries and stacking contexts are reflexes, not lookups
- Drill if under 4
- The modern-CSS module; rebuild a real layout from a screenshot cold
- Dimension
- Motion / polish
- What a 5 looks like
- Compositor-only animations, deliberate easing, focus and empty states by default
- Drill if under 4
- The web-animation module; A/B your easing against a reference app
- Dimension
- Component architecture
- What a 5 looks like
- Composable, headless-leaning primitives with a clean variant API
- Drill if under 4
- The design-system module; refactor a config-heavy component to slots
| Dimension | What a 5 looks like | Drill if under 4 |
|---|---|---|
| No-AI coding | An accessible component flows from a blank file in under an hour, autocomplete only | Re-run the no-AI drill (s1) on a fresh problem until it's fluent |
| SolidJS fluency | You reason about signals and fine-grained reactivity without reaching for React habits | The reactivity deep-dive; build the same component in both frameworks |
| CSS / layout | Grid, container queries and stacking contexts are reflexes, not lookups | The modern-CSS module; rebuild a real layout from a screenshot cold |
| Motion / polish | Compositor-only animations, deliberate easing, focus and empty states by default | The web-animation module; A/B your easing against a reference app |
| Component architecture | Composable, headless-leaning primitives with a clean variant API | The design-system module; refactor a config-heavy component to slots |
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Advanced table
Narrative and values readiness
Narrative and values readinessRate 1–5
- Dimension
- Portfolio narration
- What a 5 looks like
- Three pieces, timed, each leading with a why that draws no follow-up
- Drill if under 4
- Re-run the dry run (s4) and rewrite every answer that drew a question
- Dimension
- Live critique
- What a 5 looks like
- You take pushback and your own weak spots calmly, even pre-empting them
- Drill if under 4
- Have a friend run hostile pushback until defensiveness disappears
- Dimension
- Why-Cursor
- What a 5 looks like
- Specific to an interaction you'd build, impossible to mistake for a generic answer
- Drill if under 4
- Rewrite it around one real Cursor surface plus proof of daily use
- Dimension
- Behavioral stories
- What a 5 looks like
- Three STAR stories in first person, each hitting a real values theme
- Drill if under 4
- Map each story to truth-seeking, ownership or craft; cut team-credit fog
| Dimension | What a 5 looks like | Drill if under 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Portfolio narration | Three pieces, timed, each leading with a why that draws no follow-up | Re-run the dry run (s4) and rewrite every answer that drew a question |
| Live critique | You take pushback and your own weak spots calmly, even pre-empting them | Have a friend run hostile pushback until defensiveness disappears |
| Why-Cursor | Specific to an interaction you'd build, impossible to mistake for a generic answer | Rewrite it around one real Cursor surface plus proof of daily use |
| Behavioral stories | Three STAR stories in first person, each hitting a real values theme | Map each story to truth-seeking, ownership or craft; cut team-credit fog |