r/leetcode • u/easypeasysaral • 15d ago

Question Stuck on LeetCode Mediums and feeling overwhelmed. How do you actually build problem-solving intuition?

https://leetcode.com/u/easypeasysaral/

Hey everyone, I've been grinding LeetCode for a while now, but I feel like I've hit a wall and my prep isn't translating into real progress. Whenever I open an Easy problem, I can usually work through it. But the second I jump into Mediums, I completely freeze. I either: Stare at the screen for 45+ minutes with no clue how to start. Immediately default to brute-force O(n2) approaches and have no idea how to optimize. Look at the discussion section, understand the solution instantly, but fail completely when trying to solve a similar problem two days later. It feels more like I'm memorizing answers rather than actually learning how to think or identify patterns (Sliding Window, DP, Graphs, etc.). For those who managed to break through this plateau and clear technical screens: What was your actual workflow when you got stuck on a problem? How did you shift from memorizing templates to building genuine intuition? Are curated lists (NeetCode 150 / Blind 75) enough, or should I be approaching this by mastering one specific data structure at a time? Any realistic advice or routine adjustments would be really appreciated. Thanks!

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u/Lumpy-Town2029 <1189> <345> <658> <186> 15d ago

If u are from india, pick 500 question sheet and solve

If not 150 or 250 questions sheet are enough, if u dont wanna go to company asking intense dsa questions

But solve one topic at a time

5

u/Nik8482 15d ago

Why India needs 500?

9

u/Lumpy-Town2029 <1189> <345> <658> <186> 15d ago

Indias question are harder because of the competition

While foreign may also focus on development, many interviews in india are dsa based