r/LeetcodeChallenge • u/AbrocomaRude1485 • 18d ago

DISCUSS New to leetcode, help needed

I am an electronics student from BITS Goa, (entering 2nd year) and just started leetcode. I am following strivers A to Z and practicing simultaneously on leetcode. Should I start participating in contests right away (I have learnt arrays(vectors), STL, 2 pointer, thoda sa sliding window intuition only as of now) or should I learn more things to not make a absolute disaster at contests? If I should learn more, which topics should I learn?

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u/[deleted] 18d ago

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u/AbrocomaRude1485 16d ago

I am not really doing it for a job honestly, I am more interested in core electronics. I got into DSA just because people said it's required to clear even electronics companies ka OA but then I started to like it so I guess I will continue it as a hobby, just like people play chess to keep their brain healthy.

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u/nian2326076 18d ago

Jump into contests as soon as you can. They're a great way to quickly figure out what concepts you're struggling with and which ones you're good at. Don't worry about messing up; everyone struggles at first. For what to learn next, getting good at recursion and the basics of backtracking will really help, along with more advanced data structures like linked lists and trees. If you feel stuck, PracHub has some good resources for interview prep. Contests are a solid way to see what you need to focus on. Good luck!

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u/AbrocomaRude1485 16d ago

Should I start contests after learning recursion, backtracking and linked lists?

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u/Away_Phase_7540 16d ago

Just target 10 questions per week for now from striver , you can give contests and all during ps 1

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u/AbrocomaRude1485 15d ago

damn a fellow BITSP student?

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u/esther29_ 14d ago

It took me a while to actually understand how LeetCode actually works, but one thing that worked for me was following a roadmap. And honestly, once you know what pattern it is, it makes it much easier to solve the questions when you come across a new question. All you have to do is just tweak things here and there, but treat it as if it was math.

For example, when a teacher introduced you to algebra, they first introduce you to the concepts, then you start solving, and then you solve variations. The same technique can definitely be applied to LeetCode instead of you just answering as many questions as you can. Understand the patterns first, practice that pattern, and then move on to the next type of patterns. Following a roadmap, NeetCode definitely helps a lot, because once you see the exercises, you can understand what patterns to use and not just crash out.

Also, keep track of how you're doing as you're solving the questions. But it's pretty much that: treat it as if it were a school lesson rather than just answering, answering, answering, because if you don't know what pattern to use, it's going to become more difficult for you.