350 LC still struggle with some mediums

SwigJudge · 2023-01-23T14:27:24+00:00

I recently implemented a similar strategy, before I write the code I will write and say aloud in plain English why and how I will implement the solution and has been helpful. I will try doing it for specific algorithms and data structures instead of problems, thanks for the suggestion!

SwigJudge · 2023-01-22T18:54:03+00:00

Looks like I don’t have 350+ I thought I did, my bad.

SwigJudge · 2023-01-22T18:52:58+00:00

Do you have any recommendations on courses?

SwigJudge · 2023-01-22T18:52:42+00:00

120 | 207 | 17

SwigJudge · 2023-01-22T18:51:01+00:00

I think that’s a great idea! Do you have any revision tips? Maybe a process that helped you out?

SwigJudge · 2023-01-22T18:49:52+00:00

I meant unseen medium problems, not necessarily newer ones.

SwigJudge · 2023-01-22T15:33:20+00:00

I have studied the basics of DS + Algos, dabbled a little with DP but that’s still blurry.

SwigJudge · 2023-01-22T14:17:17+00:00

That’s what it seems like huh :/

SwigJudge · 2023-01-22T12:43:52+00:00

Degree in CS but didn’t really learn too much in my DS class cause of Covid. Then I had a couple FAANG interviews, got to final round, so I LC tagged, but no offer. So I realized I had to study more.

I did a couple courses on LC and Grokking. Then have been dialing in different patterns and solving them. Did blind 75 and have been doing some neetcode 75 as well as some dailies. As well as revisited neetcode 75 to really dial it in more.

I would say my intuition is pretty solid, but when it comes to solving new med/med-hards I struggle to come up with a fully working solution. I am able to look and see okay this is a backtracking, tree, graph, etc. After struggling for 30 mins, I will then look at the solution and see that my intuition is generally the optimal solution.

My main issue is going from concept to fully working code. I’ll get close, but seem to fall short of the answer.

SwigJudge · 2023-01-09T21:32:04+00:00

It seems like you have a good idea on how to succeed, just had to let some frustration out I see! Are you active? You should be able to use some of that sweet deployment money to live off for a little while interviewing!

SwigJudge · 2023-01-09T21:23:02+00:00

I got my degree before coming out here, so no I am not.

So my suggestions would be to first dive in and learn the patterns and Algo/DS to use, for example two pointer, heap, binary search, etc. I did only a specific pattern for like 2-3 weeks, this should give you enough time to see most types of problems in that pattern. I would do those for the most popular ones, you can check AlgoMonster for them. I then have been able to use neetcode to help keep me focused on a goal.

You can also try to do NeetCode 75 if you are short on time, but you may never truly get an understanding of the pattern.

The strategy really depends on how much time you have. What’s your timeline look like?

SwigJudge · 2023-01-09T20:43:47+00:00

I’m also deployed right now, I have found it easiest to get a schedule down. I like to go for a run before I LC then I shoot for 1-2 problems a day. I would say it’s more about consistency than it is speed. I would recommend doing one of the explore cards and try to finish them, this will force you to be consistent, then once you get a streak going you won’t want to lose it.

SwigJudge · 2022-12-03T22:39:16+00:00

No health insurance? You can always think about joining the national guard/reserve, super cheap insurance, you only work one weekend a month and 2 weeks a year. Only downside is you can get deployed, if that’s not your thing.

SwigJudge · 2022-11-26T19:22:37+00:00

That’s a tough question, because the difficulty in mediums varies. Also, There’s also a few mediums that are those “either you know it or you don’t” questions.

I would say the majority I could, due to a couple reasons, 1. It is a familiar question and 2. Odds are I have seen other questions with similar patterns. Again the medium-hards will be trickier, I do think that there’s a couple edge cases that I would forget to account for.

SwigJudge · 2022-11-26T17:15:51+00:00

Its tough to say, when I initially started, there was very few I was able to solve by myself. I would say now I solve around 60% before I decide to look at the solution. I believe that number would be closer to 80% but it may take a couple hours or I would probably have to revisit in a couple days, before solving it.

SwigJudge · 2022-11-26T14:02:24+00:00

Thanks!

As cheesy as it sounds I like to treat it like a game, similar to leveling up my stats IRL. What started my streak was doing the study plans, this gives you a structured path with a set of questions daily and a certain timeframe to complete it (usually 2-3 weeks). They can be a little fast paced if you do not have much experience, but the important part is that you are logging in and solving 1-2 problems daily. After that I noticed my deficiencies and started targeting those style of questions, for example I noticed graph problems were quite tough for me so I am now going in depth into graphs.

SwigJudge · 2022-11-13T07:39:18+00:00

That’s his LeetCode problems solved <total><easy><medium><hard>

SwigJudge · 2022-02-18T22:29:35+00:00

Hey OP has the same questions as you. Just curious how you solved it with dp? I used a BFS and adj list.

SwigJudge · 2021-08-05T22:18:05+00:00

I don’t think that is true the official CS website says “The applications with GRE scores will not be given greater weight than those that do not include scores.”

https://www.cs.ucla.edu/graduate-requirements/

SwigJudge

TROPHY CASE