How to Use LeetCode Effectively

Summary

This 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.