How to Use LeetCode Effectively

PIRATE KING

21 Jan 202304:30

Summary

TLDRThis video provides a six-step strategy for effectively preparing for coding interviews using LeetCode. The speaker emphasizes starting with the top 100 most upvoted questions, focusing on topics to identify patterns, and ordering problems by acceptance rate for a smoother learning experience. They also recommend learning from solutions, revisiting problems to ensure mastery, and tackling company-specific questions once comfortable. These steps help first-time lead coders build confidence and develop essential problem-solving techniques. Additional resources and career advice are shared to further support users on their coding journey.

Takeaways

💡 Start with the top 100 most upvoted LeetCode questions, as they are considered clear and practical by the community.
📝 Focus on solving easy and medium-level problems first to build confidence and avoid unnecessary complexity.
📚 Tackle questions by specific topics to recognize patterns and build a foundation in algorithms and data structures.
📊 Prioritize questions based on their acceptance rate, which indicates how others found them, rather than just difficulty labels.
⏳ Don't spend more than 45 minutes on a single problem; if stuck, look up the solution and learn from it.
📘 Revisit problems you needed help with until you're confident in solving them independently.
🔄 Practice solving problems repeatedly until you're proficient with the pattern and the solution.
🏢 Once confident, tackle company-specific LeetCode problems, filtering by the most relevant ones for your target companies.
🎯 Use premium features on LeetCode to access company-specific problem sets, as they closely mirror interview questions.
💪 The overall goal is to build a strong coding interview foundation through structured learning, revisiting problems, and focusing on key topics.

Q & A

What is the main challenge many first-time lead coders face with LeetCode?
-Many first-time lead coders find it daunting to go through more than 2500 problems on LeetCode, which can be overwhelming.
What is the first step in effectively preparing for LeetCode according to the strategy in the video?
-The first step is to start with the top 100 upvoted questions, which are recommended by the LeetCode community for their clarity and practicality.
Why should hard problems be avoided in the early stages of LeetCode preparation?
-Hard problems should be avoided early on because the initial focus should be on learning the basics of data structures and algorithms, rather than struggling with overly complex edge cases.
Why is solving questions by topic more effective than solving random problems?
-Solving questions by topic allows you to recognize patterns and algorithms within each topic, which helps in mastering the underlying techniques faster.
What does the video suggest about using the acceptance rate of questions when choosing problems to solve?
-The video suggests ordering questions from the highest to lowest acceptance rate because the acceptance rate reflects the community's difficulty experience, which is more reliable than the platform's difficulty labels.
What should you do if you're stuck on a problem for more than 45 minutes?
-If you're stuck on a problem for more than 45 minutes, you should look up the solution and move on, ensuring you learn from the solution to identify the pattern or technique used.
How can revisiting problems help in improving coding skills?
-Revisiting problems, especially those where you had to look up the solution, ensures that you can solve them independently later, building long-term competence.
Why is solving company-specific questions recommended later in your preparation?
-Solving company-specific questions is recommended once you are ready for the challenge, as it helps tailor your preparation to the types of problems asked in actual interviews by specific companies.
What additional resource does the video mention for structured help and mentorship?
-The video mentions Pathrise, a career accelerator offering one-on-one mentorship, personalized coaching, and workshops, as an additional resource for professional help.
What is the overall goal of the six-step strategy outlined in the video?
-The overall goal of the six-step strategy is to build a strong foundation in coding interview skills as quickly and efficiently as possible, by focusing on high-quality, strategically selected problems.

Outlines

00:00

💻 Preparing for Coding Interviews on LeetCode

The paragraph introduces a strategy for preparing for coding interviews using LeetCode, a platform known for its extensive problem set used to test coding skills. The presenter acknowledges the intimidation factor of the over 2500 problems and proposes a six-step strategy to build a strong foundation in coding interview skills efficiently. The first step is to start with the top 100 liked questions that are clear, helpful, and practical, avoiding those that are unclear or overly complex. The focus is on learning the interview process rather than getting bogged down in difficult problems.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡LeetCode

LeetCode is an online platform that offers coding challenges designed to test and improve algorithm and data structure skills. In the video, it is described as the 'unofficial standard' for coding interviews, though many find the vast number of problems (over 2500) daunting. The video provides a structured approach to tackle these challenges effectively.

💡Top 100 questions

The 'Top 100 questions' on LeetCode refers to problems that are highly upvoted by the community for their clarity, practicality, and relevance to coding interviews. The video suggests starting with these community-endorsed questions to build a solid foundation, focusing on straightforward problems that reinforce fundamental concepts.

💡Acceptance rate

The acceptance rate is a metric on LeetCode that shows the percentage of users who successfully solve a problem. The video recommends ordering questions by acceptance rate rather than difficulty, as some medium-level questions may have higher acceptance rates than easy ones, indicating they might actually be easier for many users.

💡Pattern recognition

Pattern recognition refers to identifying recurring strategies or techniques when solving coding problems. In the video, the speaker emphasizes how solving multiple questions from the same topic helps to recognize patterns, which can then be applied to similar problems, significantly boosting problem-solving efficiency.

💡Data structures and algorithms

Data structures and algorithms are fundamental concepts in computer science, crucial for solving coding problems. The video mentions these as the backbone of LeetCode problems and recommends focusing on specific topics in these areas to master coding interview questions.

💡Solutions

In the context of the video, 'solutions' refers to the answer explanations provided for each problem on LeetCode. The video suggests looking up solutions after 45 minutes if stuck on a problem, but emphasizes the importance of learning from these solutions to recognize patterns and improve one’s problem-solving skills.

💡Company-specific questions

LeetCode offers the ability to filter problems by specific companies, helping users prepare for interviews at certain tech firms. The video advises using this feature once a user feels confident with the basics, as it provides insight into the types of questions that might be asked during real-world interviews at specific companies.

💡Revisit problems

The strategy of revisiting problems means attempting a previously solved or studied problem again to ensure full comprehension. The video suggests this step for problems where the user had to look up the solution, as consistent review helps cement understanding and increases confidence.

💡Topic-based focus

A topic-based focus means practicing coding problems grouped by specific topics (e.g., arrays, linked lists, dynamic programming). The video stresses the importance of this strategy for learning, as it allows users to concentrate on mastering one concept or data structure at a time, leading to better retention and recognition of patterns.

💡Hard problems

Hard problems on LeetCode are those marked with a higher difficulty level and often involve more complex algorithms or intricate data structures. The video advises avoiding hard problems initially, as they can be overwhelming for beginners, and suggests focusing on easy and medium questions until a solid foundation is built.

Highlights

LeetCode is the unofficial standard for testing coding skills, but many first-time users find it daunting due to the large number of problems (over 2500).

The video presents a strategy for preparing for LeetCode, broken into six steps to help users build a strong coding interview foundation efficiently.

Step 1: Start with the top 100 upvoted LeetCode questions. These are selected by the community based on clarity, usefulness, and practical application.

Avoid difficult problems early on. Focus on 50 easy and medium questions to learn the fundamentals of data structures and algorithms.

Step 2: Focus on solving questions by topic, not randomly. This helps to recognize patterns and common algorithms in specific problem categories.

Identify the algorithm or pattern after solving questions in a specific topic. Solving at least 20 questions per topic is recommended.

Step 3: Order questions by acceptance rate, not by LeetCode’s difficulty rating. Acceptance rate provides a more objective view of problem difficulty.

Some medium-level questions may have a higher acceptance rate than easy ones, so leverage acceptance stats to find easier-to-solve problems.

Step 4: Learn from solutions if you're stuck for more than 45 minutes. It’s important to understand the pattern and technique used in the solution.

Looking at solutions is an effective way to learn from the community’s expertise and can significantly speed up your learning process.

Step 5: Revisit problems regularly until you can solve them on your own, especially if you had to look up the solution previously.

Step 6: When you're ready, move on to solving company-specific problems. LeetCode Premium allows you to filter and sort by specific companies.

There’s no guarantee that these company-specific problems will appear in interviews, but they are generally accurate based on frequency.

The speaker also recommends using external resources like books and courses for further help with data structures and algorithms.

Pathrise is suggested as a career accelerator that offers one-on-one mentorship and coaching, with free access for the first two weeks.