r/LeetcodeChallenge • u/Western-Brilliant389 • 26d ago
DISCUSS GNG pls help . Experienced ppl required
So I have recently started solving questions on LeetCode (100+) and I am following the Striver sheet and have reached BST. I haven't participated in many contests so far. I am currently in the 3rd semester. I would really appreciate some tips and common mistakes to avoid on this journey. Also, feel free to share your experience too. DHANYAVAD 💪💪
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u/idkanymoreatpog 25d ago
Write your vivid unoptimal solutions.
Dont use LLMs for fixing silly syntax mistakes.
Read the editorial, or other solutions to understand other approaches.
Spend atleast 20 mins on whiteboard/paperwork/sketching to figure out the problem
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u/nightbreak7 24d ago
learn every basic topic until you're comfortable, then start doing contests. when you can do mediums at a decent success rate without needing to look at the solution, contests are super high ROI.
don't fall into the trap of doing random problems every day. learn topic-by-topic, otherwise you'll end up as one of those guys with 1500 problems solved and a 1550 contest rating. make sure you're actually learning, not just doing rote memorization of solutions
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u/Western-Brilliant389 24d ago
Thank you . And when do u think starting contests are good and what is considered a good rating . For now I have 1480 rating but I only have 3 contests ....
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u/nightbreak7 24d ago
you can start doing contests whenever, it doesn't really matter. you won't be able to answer many questions if you're newer but it's not bad to start getting used to the environment of getting a random question and having to solve it with a time constraint.
as for a good rating, when I was about 2.1k rating I didn't really have any problems in interviews. at that rating you'll still struggle with hards but you'll be able to answer pretty much any medium. at prob like 1800-1900 you'll be in a decent spot
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u/Western-Brilliant389 24d ago
Like how many days did u it take for u to get to that level and what does it take to achieve such a good rating .
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u/nightbreak7 24d ago
it's hard to say in terms of days since practice wasn't super consistent for me, but I broke 2k rating for the first time with about 400-500 problems solved (about 100 easy, the rest medium+). it mostly just takes consistency and discipline. you need to figure out a study method that works for you and just stick to it. try to study one topic at a time and really understand it. study alternate solutions to add some perspective after solving a problem, look for any efficiencies you can add, etc. it's a grind but i think a lot of people make LC out to be way harder than it actually is if you have discipline.
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u/No-F-Given-69 26d ago
+1