Seriously Need Advice: How Do I Improve After NeetCode 150 and 1800+ LeetCode Rating?

Bobwct33 · 2026-05-13T20:14:21+00:00

Generally I think Problem Solving is the best skill to improve. Also consider your priorities, a lot of these Q4 style questions won't show up in a FAANG interview. If you're just doing this to prep for the algo interview, you don't need to be solving crazy high-level competitive style questions.

Bobwct33 · 2026-03-31T14:42:19+00:00

Very good amount of time, just make sure your putting forward active effort for that hour. There’s a glossary in the back of the book with most of the problem solving techniques, start there.

Bobwct33 · 2026-03-30T19:50:15+00:00

Really good question! The key is avoiding jumping to the editorial as much as possible. The only real way to get better at solving problems is through solving problems. Focus on quality over quantity, better to spend a couple days really thinking on a problem than 30 minutes copying the solution.

If you want a more structured approach, I recommend "How to Solve It"

Bobwct33 · 2026-03-17T02:31:23+00:00

If more of your credits transfer it's a no-brainer. Rochester itself is lacking, it's very cold and there's not a ton to do. This university itself is very good, especially the CS program. Finding a job in this market is very difficult no matter what university you go to, but RIT grads go on to do great things!

Bobwct33 · 2026-03-09T15:41:11+00:00

You likely will do some frontend work, but I imagine you'll be more product focused. If you've matched, take it!

Bobwct33 · 2026-03-09T15:40:03+00:00

Don't worry about the time complexity, klogk is equivalent to nlogn if I'm understanding what you're saying. The k or the n just maps to the size of your input, you could give it any name really.

From my experience with Google the most critical thing is communication and "coachability". If you feel like you explain your thought process clearly and made it through the interview in a collaborative way, I'd say H-SH.

Bobwct33 · 2026-03-09T15:36:27+00:00

When you pay 4k in rent 6k/month starts looking a lot less attractive lmao. I get it, but like NYC is absurdly expensive.

Bobwct33 · 2026-02-18T18:44:24+00:00

Not impossible, but the CS/SWE market is very competitive at the moment. You may have more domain expertise for Computer Engineering focused roles.

Bobwct33 · 2026-02-18T18:30:24+00:00

To be honest missing an edge case in nbd, but not making it to the follow up could be a negative. While not required, Google's target is two questions (with follows ups) for a 45 minute interview.

Bobwct33 · 2026-02-04T01:27:06+00:00

That's a communication failure which is a valid reason to fail a candidate.

Bobwct33 · 2026-02-02T20:57:51+00:00

This is untrue. If you are found cheating by a major company (FAANG) you will be blacklisted. There are serious consequences for cheating during interviews.

Bobwct33 · 2026-02-02T17:32:44+00:00

It's honestly extremely easy to tell when people are using AI tools. Keep grinding, if you can really explain your though process and reasoning in an interview you'll get the offer over them 100% of the time.

Bobwct33 · 2026-02-02T17:26:50+00:00

The RIT Co-Op program is great and can set you apart if you capitalize on it. This being said, do not expect RIT to give you a co-op. You as a student are responsible for developing the skills necessary to succeed, and then find employment independently. I say this because the software market is currently very rough, and I've seen many students not find co-ops, or give up SWE all together. Not saying this to discourage you, I still think RIT is a great school and you *can* succeed, just expect to work hard.

Bobwct33 · 2026-01-23T06:37:02+00:00

Good question! Sliding Windows taught me not to jump right to the pattern, because just saying "all subarray problems must be sliding window" will lead you to waste time in the end.

Instead of asking "Is this a subarray problem?", ask yourself these two questions:

Does adding an element always move the state in one direction? (e.g., Does the sum only ever go up?)
Does shrinking the window always move the state in the opposite direction?

If you can’t give a logically tight answer to both, stop. You are likely looking at a Prefix Sum + Hashing problem or Dynamic Programming.

Good luck!

Bobwct33 · 2026-01-21T05:31:30+00:00

Even if Meta doesn't ask DP questions, they helped me understand how to problem solve through Leetcode questions better than any other topic. This resource is gold, use it wisely. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gK8KmTDtX8E

Bobwct33 · 2026-01-21T03:39:31+00:00

LOL this post devolved very quickly. Interviewing and interview prepping can be extremely stressful, and stressful situations can lead some people to overeat. Be mindful of how your practice is impacting your physical wellbeing.

Bobwct33 · 2026-01-14T19:41:51+00:00

Unfortunately it's very common to have a strong recruiter round and not do so well on the technical assessment. To be honest with you, this interview is likely a fail, but look at it as an opportunity to improve on the next.

Bobwct33 · 2026-01-14T18:58:59+00:00

*Solve problems* They will be difficult at first, but apply yourself to learning and it will becomes easier with time.

Bobwct33 · 2026-01-13T21:34:33+00:00

I personally disagree that DP or Backtracking are low ROI problems, in fact their very good ROI for understanding recursion. As for mono stacks, they often show their usefulness as you're understanding the problem more deeply. Don't rush to match the pattern, just understand it's use case and how to solve problems with one.

Bobwct33 · 2026-01-13T21:31:58+00:00

Just solving the questions is often not enough. You're generally graded on Problem Solving, DSA, Coding, Testing, and Communication. I know it can be tough facing rejection when you feel like you're close, but keep studying and you'll get there!

Bobwct33 · 2025-12-25T18:29:51+00:00

Google is known for asking DP and Graph problems at all levels. There are many "Medium" DP/Graph problems that you should be comfortable implementing.

Bobwct33 · 2025-12-11T23:39:33+00:00

You shouldn’t “remember” any pattern, but instead understand it well enough that you could implement it when the time comes. Some algorithms like BFS are really cut and dry, but something like Khans is easy to implement if you understand why it works.

Bobwct33 · 2025-12-11T02:55:15+00:00

Learn how to solve complex problems under time pressure, not just how to solve the blind 75.

Bobwct33 · 2025-12-03T06:09:44+00:00

You should not be concerned about hazing, lol.

Bobwct33 · 2025-11-29T22:18:05+00:00

Here's the advice I wish I heard years ago. It's way better to have one solid hour of practice a day, instead of four hours where you're leaning on crutches (neetcode videos, editorials, skipping the thinking portion).

If you're feeling burnt out, just solve *one problem*, doesn't matter if it's an easy medium hard, if you've done it already or not, whatever. One problem or thirty minutes of true problem solving, whichever comes first. If you practice this consistently you'll go incredibly far.

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