The Best Way To Use LeetCode In 2023
Leetcode best usage to crack the coding interview
In the world of tech interviews, there are a few things that are certain: you’ll need to know your algorithms and data structures, and you’ll need to be able to code. This is where LeetCode comes in.
LeetCode is an online platform that offers a wide range of programming challenges, ranging from easy to hard, along with detailed solutions, editorials, and discussion forums. In this article, we’ll take a deep dive into how to effectively use LeetCode to crack a coding interview.
LeetCode offers two types of subscriptions: free and premium. While the free subscription gives you access to a limited number of problems and solutions, the premium subscription offers a wealth of resources that can help you prepare for a coding interview.
The premium subscription offers over 2,000 problems, more than 100 mock interviews, and access to a private discussion forum where you can interact with other premium members.
One of the biggest advantages of the premium subscription is that it allows you to filter problems by company.
This means that you can focus on practising the types of problems that are commonly asked by the companies you’re interested in. For example, if you’re interviewing with Google, you can filter by Google and practice problems that are similar to those asked by Google.
Another great feature of the premium subscription is the ability to sort problems by difficulty. This can be incredibly helpful when you’re first starting out and want to practice easy problems before moving on to more challenging ones.
You can also sort by acceptance rate, which can give you an idea of how difficult a problem is relative to other problems on the site.
In addition to filtering and sorting, the premium subscription also offers access to a variety of study programs. These programs are designed to help you focus your practice on specific topics and provide you with a structured learning experience.
For example, the “30-Day LeetCoding Challenge” is a program that provides you with a daily problem to solve for 30 days, along with a solution and explanation.
The premium subscription also includes access to mock interviews. Mock interviews are a great way to simulate the experience of a real interview and get feedback on your performance. LeetCode offers more than 100 mock interviews, including both technical and behavioural interviews. You can also customize your mock interview by selecting the company and position you’re interviewing for.
Now that we’ve covered some of the benefits of the premium subscription, let’s take a closer look at the types of problems you’ll find on LeetCode. LeetCode offers a wide variety of problems, including string manipulation, dynamic programming, graph theory, and more.
Each problem is accompanied by a detailed description, input/output examples, and a solution. The solution can be viewed in a variety of languages, including Java, Python, and C++.
One of the challenges of using LeetCode is figuring out which problems to practice. With over 2,000 problems to choose from, it can be overwhelming to decide where to start.
One approach is to focus on problems that are commonly asked in interviews. LeetCode has a “Top Interview Questions” section that provides a list of frequently asked questions.
Another approach is to focus on problems that cover a particular topic. For example, if you’re weak in dynamic programming, you can filter by dynamic programming and practice problems in that area. Additionally, you can use the “Explore” section to browse problems by category, tag, or difficulty level.
Once you’ve selected a problem to practice, it’s important to spend time understanding the problem before you start coding. This includes reading the problem description carefully, understanding the input/output format, and coming up with test cases to verify your solution.
It’s also important to think about the time and space complexity of your solution and how it can be optimized.
When you’re ready to start coding, LeetCode provides an online code editor that allows you to write, test, and debug your code. The editor includes features like syntax highlighting, automatic indentation, and a run button that lets you quickly test your code against the provided test cases. Once you’ve written a solution, you can submit it to see if it passes all the test cases.
One thing to keep in mind when using LeetCode is that it’s important to not just focus on getting the right answer, but also to understand why the answer is correct. This means taking the time to read through the provided solution and understand the thought process behind it. This can help you develop a deeper understanding of the underlying concepts and improve your problem-solving skills.
Another thing to keep in mind is that while LeetCode can be a great tool for practising coding problems, it’s important to not rely solely on it for interview preparation. It’s also important to practice your communication skills and to be comfortable explaining your thought process and solution to an interviewer. This means practising whiteboarding, mock interviews, and working on your presentation skills.
Conclusions
In conclusion, LeetCode is an incredibly powerful tool for preparing for coding interviews. With its extensive collection of problems, study programs, and mock interviews, it offers a comprehensive platform for improving your coding skills and preparing for interviews. However, it’s important to approach it strategically, focusing on the types of problems that are commonly asked in interviews and taking the time to understand the underlying concepts. By doing so, you’ll be well-equipped to tackle any coding challenge that comes your way.
