ArcticCanopy

How much DSA preparation is enough?

I'm a backend engineer with 6+ YoE.

I have never had interest in solving DSA problems. I started off as being very bad at it- I did understand the technical details behind various data structures and algorithms, but never had that passion about applying it to various leetcode problems. Over time, I have got better with DSA, but I still can't say I am at a great level- I still often struggle with Leetcode-medium problems.

I am confident of being a decent engineer- with a nice mix of tech and soft skills and an interest in building things. I also have some aspiration of joining a Faang company (or other such top-level company); but I feel overwhelmed at how "good" it requires you to be in DSA.

So, I wish to know- how good do I need to be at DSA before I can realistically apply at such companies, given my YoE. And, how may I possibly gauge how far away I still am from that "required level"?

6mo ago

Uchihaneji

Paytm6mo

Same levels as yours . Companies are not asking standard questions now . They started asking dp hard . Given 4 interviews recently.

ArcticCanopy

Gojek6mo

That doesn't sound good 😔

Uchihaneji

Paytm6mo

I have practised standard dp questions but this came as a surprise

tenxengineer

PhonePe6mo

My suggestion is to start with the Blind75 list on Neetcode.io, then start with Striver's SDE sheet.

Once you finish that, then go with either Striver's A2Z sheet or target specific companies (https://github.com/xizhengszhang/Leetcode_company_frequency).

After a while, you should be good to start doing daily challenges in Leetcode.

ArcticCanopy

Gojek6mo

Thanks for sharing these resources! Having a specific list of questions to go through is definitely better than just sifting through endlessly on Leetcode