As someone who has been grinding on Leetcode and other platforms for some time, I have to admit that it burns me out a little. It’s exhausting going through as many problems as possible, wondering if this is all going to stick. Mind you, nothing beats practice.

Practicing is the best advice I’ve gotten and will abide by, but I wanted to be a little more effective in studying for interviews. Instead of just going through all the problems my greedy hands can work on, I decided to see how I can get the most out of each problem.

Since the Leetcode community has been extremely open and helpful I thought I would share my new approach or feedback as well as some motivation if there are any takers out there.

Firstly, I decided to review the basics. I reviewed my data structures and algorithms course material. I used Youtube for a deeper understanding and/or refresher for the areas my notes were light on. This leetcode post is the holy grail for all topics.

Secondly, this may be a bit controversial, I decided to use ANKI which is a flash card app to help me remember key concepts and techniques. ANKI is a free and proven app that helps you memorize concepts for the long term. When it comes to learning and not forgetting it gets the job done.

Thirdly, over the past week this tool turned out to have the most impact. I started using a chrome extension Coding Interview Timer. This timer not only times your progression but also breaks down the stages/process in solving the problem.

Stages:
1) Understanding the Question
2) Formulating an Algorithm
3) Code a Solution
4) Review & Time Analysis.

One of the hurdles I had to get over was pressing the submit button TOO EARLY.
After just a few days of using it, I can’t help but have the correct approach to solving problems ingrained in me. Instead of just plowing through problems, I feel like I’m getting better prepared for interviews by practicing the process in a timed manner, as well as getting better in allocating the appropriate time for each step.

And one thing I noticed about interviews (from my experience and reading about others) is that confidently showing your problem-solving approach can at times be more important than the right solution during an interview.

Anyways, I just thought I would share some tips with my fellow Leetcoders. This site has been very helpful and I figure these suggestions could help someone out. We’re all working hard and trying to land our dream jobs. And some of us are close, and sometimes that one little tip/advice can help us get over the hump.

Good luck and keep coding.

TLDR Resources for Practice:
1. Anki App
2. Coding Interview Timer