Hey there! 👋 Hope you’re doing well 🙂
As software engineers, we know that landing an SDE role at a multinational company or a startup means one thing — mastering Data Structures and Algorithms (aka DSA) is key. And with that in mind (and maybe a little obsessed 😅), I’ve solved 1600 DSA problems! 🤯
In this blog, I’ll share how tackling this many DSA problems has impacted me and whether solving that many is really necessary.
So, let’s dive in! 🔥
My DSA Journey: Solving 1600 Problems and What I Learned Along the Way
I started my DSA journey back in 2021, during my second year of college. I gathered all the resources I could find and explored every platform where I could practice problems.
I began with basic array problems on Leetcode, tagged as “Easy.” But as I worked through them, I noticed various tags like Prefix Sum, Hash Table, Greedy, etc., and my curiosity grew! Soon, I was diving into concepts like binary search, prefix sums, and hashing, learning how to implement them based on the problem’s requirements.
But… it wasn’t as easy as it seemed. 🤯 Many problems needed slight tweaks in the concepts, and understanding the core requirement of each problem was tough. To tackle this, I started breaking down the sub-concepts, like applying Binary Search to find an answer or combining Prefix Sum with a Hash Table to solve certain subarray problems.
Still, things didn’t fully click. Every time I encountered a new twist in a problem, I got puzzled again. 😅 That’s when I realized the importance of recognizing patterns. And this was a game-changer! 🎯 I started noticing that some problems consistently required Binary Search on the answer, while others needed Prefix Sum + Hash Table combos. By recognizing and applying these patterns, I found myself ahead of the curve! 🚀
I applied the same approach to intermediate and advanced DSA concepts too. But here’s where it gets interesting — how solving DSA problems, recognizing patterns, and implementing concepts has impacted me.
Now, I’m able to tackle almost any new problem that comes my way! 💪 Sure, some problems still stump me at first, but that’s usually because I’m not yet familiar with a particular pattern or concept.
Solving this many DSA problems has given me deeper insights into how other technologies work, especially on the backend. It’s also sharpened my overall problem-solving skills since DSA is all about finding the most optimal way to solve a problem using the right data structures. And let’s be honest — big tech companies focus more on our problem-solving abilities rather than just subject matter expertise. 🧠
I know I’ve solved more problems than most would consider necessary, but once I developed the problem-solver mindset, it was like I became possessed! 😂 Every time a problem came up, my brain would go into autopilot mode, and all I could think about was how to solve it in the most optimal way.
So yes solving DSA with proper trick was truly a game changer for me 😃
Is Solving 1600 DSA Problems Really Necessary?
Now, let’s get real — do you really need to solve 1600 DSA problems to succeed? The short answer is, not necessarily. 🤔
While solving a large number of problems definitely helped me develop strong problem-solving skills and recognize patterns more quickly, it’s not about hitting a specific number. What’s most important is understanding the concepts deeply and being able to apply them effectively in different scenarios.
For some people, solving 500 well-chosen problems might be enough to build the intuition they need. For others (like me 😅), solving a higher number just reinforces that problem-solver mindset. The key is to focus on quality — understanding how and why a solution works — rather than just aiming for a high number.
At the end of the day, what truly matters is the ability to approach problems methodically and solve them optimally. Whether you do that by solving 200 or 1600 problems is up to you!
Here is my Leetcode profile link 👉https://leetcode.com/u/akshat0610/
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Thankyou 💙
Top comments (3)
people usually cross 2000 rating in leetcode earning knight badge after 1600 questions and some 60 odd contests. I sincerely do not understand why there is such huge gap between hard work you put in and the results. 1600 questions is very hard to achieve
even after solving 1600 questions, why could'nt you land a job as sde even after graduation and your linkedin looks dry with not much connections. Some of my friends landed job by just solving less than 300 questions. Asking out of sincere concern and doubt.
I appreciate your concern. Not taking a job is my choice here.