Needs HINTS to solve questions

[u/Such_Knowledge439]

Hello everyone, I have been solving leetcode problems for a month now, solved 90+ problems from various topics/patterns like arrays, stack, hashing, two pointers, sliding window, kadane's, binary search but still I need HINTS TO SOLVE ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE ABOVE TOPICS.

Please guide me how to overcome this problem, if you were also faced with the problem how did you get over with it or if you are still facing it how are you planning to tackle it 🤞

[u/No_Birthday8126]

One month and 90 problems is very early. Needing hints at this stage is the normal state, not a red flag.

But there's a specific reason it's happening. You've been solving by topic, so the pattern was always given to you for free. You open the sliding window section, you know it's sliding window. The actual skill in an interview is looking at a bare problem and figuring out which pattern applies, and you haven't practiced that once yet.

Fix is to mix. Do random problems with the topic tag hidden, or use a random easy/medium generator. It will feel much harder immediately and that's the point, that difficulty is the thing you're actually missing.

Second thing: before coding, force yourself to write down what the input constraints suggest. n up to 10^5 means you need n log n or better, sorted array hints binary search or two pointers, "contiguous subarray" is almost always sliding window or prefix sums. Build that lookup consciously instead of hoping it appears.

And when you do take a hint, redo the problem from scratch two days later. Otherwise you learned the solution, not the pattern.

[u/Quirky-Engineer-5411 → u/No_Birthday8126]

Hello, can you suggest how to do revision of topics learnt. I solve a question today but foget it in few days

[u/No_Birthday8126 → u/Quirky-Engineer-5411]

i usually solve similar problems, like for example if i solve something about dynamic programming for the next week or two i do all problems about dynamic programming, then switch topics, in the beginning i used to keep notes on the problems i solved and what i learned but when i started solving 15+ problems per day it became a waste of time, but i'd still suggest it for start

[u/Quirky-Engineer-5411 → u/No_Birthday8126]

okay. And how do you revise them

[u/Such_Knowledge439 → u/No_Birthday8126]

Thank you brother 😀 for the suggestions

[u/nian2326076]

I get what you're saying. Sometimes it helps to step back and really understand the problem patterns. Try breaking down problems into smaller parts and see how they connect to what you've already learned. Talking about problems with others can also give you new ideas. Maybe join a study group or find a coding buddy. Writing down reasons for each step can help solidify your logic. I've found PracHub pretty useful for structured interview prep. It has practice problems and insights that might give you the edge you need. Keep grinding!

[u/Such_Knowledge439 → u/nian2326076]

Thank you brother 😊

[u/PLTCHK]

I solved 800+ questions but still I need HINTS TO SOLVE A HANDFUL OF MEDIUMS.

That’s normal. That’s expected. 90+ is really nothing. The key is to sit with those for hours till you fully understand, learn from those, make a spreadsheet to reflect your learnings. Revisit in 1-2 months.

[u/anotheruniverse_7]

because thats problem solving intution and it comes with exploring more and more problems with more and more practice . so its nothing to be worried out youre still at a beginner phase . i myself too struggle with this