Blind 75 vs. LeetCode patterns: Best Prep for TikTok interviews

Scrolling on TikTok can feel endless. There is always one more video that catches your attention. Preparing for TikTok interviews can feel the same way. There is always one more problem to practice. The trick is knowing which problems matter most, and that is what will make you stand out as a well-prepared candidate in TikTok’s coding interviews.

TikTok turned 15-second videos into a cultural phenomenon, redefining how people consume content and how recommendation systems shape user behavior. Behind this shift lies one of the most advanced engineering ecosystems, where algorithms, scalability, and real-time data pipelines all work together seamlessly.

TikTok’s interviewers look for candidates who can not only code but also adapt, optimize, and solve problems that mirror the company’s real-world challenges. So how can you meet those expectations? Or, how should you prepare for such an interview?

In this blog, I will put Blind 75 and TikTok’s Top 75 side by side with the 28 LeetCode patterns from the Grokking the Coding Interview Patterns course. The goal is not just comparison but also helping you build a preparation strategy that goes beyond problem lists and trains you to think in patterns. 

A quick recap: Blind 75, TikTok Top 75, and LeetCode patterns#

Blind 75 is a curated list of 75 LeetCode problems that cover the most common data structures and algorithms. It gives candidates a foundation across topics like arrays, strings, linked lists, trees, graphs, and dynamic programming. 

TikTok Top 75 consists of the most frequently asked coding questions in TikTok interviews. This set gives you direct relevance by reflecting the company’s unique challenges, such as large-scale graph problems, optimization tasks, and streaming-related scenarios. 

LeetCode patterns are 28 reusable strategies that help you break down and solve nearly every type of coding interview problem. Instead of memorizing solutions, patterns like sliding window, two pointers, dynamic programming, graph traversal, and backtracking train you to recognize the underlying structure of problems. This pattern-based approach gives you adaptability, which is essential when facing new or unexpected questions in TikTok interviews.

Can Blind 75 alone get you ready for TikTok?#

TikTok thrives on constantly adapting to user preferences and trends, and a similar approach might also be reflected in their interviews. It would not be surprising if interviewers take a familiar problem, add a small twist, and present it as something new. With AI tools and years of experience at their disposal, designing fresh variations is easier than ever.

This means the underlying pattern might be the same, but the problem you see in the interview will likely feel different. Relying only on a static list like Blind 75 leaves gaps in preparation. To succeed at TikTok, you need a strategy that goes further. One that builds the adaptability to handle variations confidently.

Will LeetCode patterns prepare you for TikTok?#

LeetCode patterns are especially valuable for TikTok interviews because the company’s challenges often boil down to recognizable problem types. Personalized recommendations rely on graph traversal and dynamic programming. Ranking content calls for heaps, top-k elements, and greedy techniques. Streaming data often ties back to sliding window and hash-based tracking.

By learning patterns, you are not memorizing problems but training yourself to spot the underlying structure quickly. This adaptability is what helps you stay confident when interviewers introduce new twists on familiar challenges.

An overview of patterns for TikTok coding interviews#

With 28 coding patterns in total, it can feel overwhelming to know where to start. To make this manageable, I’ve grouped them into four categories based on how frequently they appear in TikTok’s Top 75.

• Must-know patterns: These are the core of TikTok’s interviews. They show up often and cover the problem types you are most likely to face, making them the first patterns to master.

• Very common, high-value: These patterns may not dominate like the must-knows, but they appear consistently. Covering them ensures you’re ready for a wide range of questions that TikTok interviewers rely on.

• Situational but valuable: These patterns are less frequent but still important. They tend to show up in specific problem types, and having exposure here prevents you from being caught off guard.

• Finishing line helpers: Finally, here are a few patterns that are lower priority for TikTok interviews, but they are useful for rounding out your skills and are often relevant to other companies.

Even though TikTok interviews highlight certain coding patterns more than others, the smartest approach is to work through all 28. That way, you build the range to handle not only the common question types but also any unexpected variations that may come your way.

The TikTok prep roadmap with all patterns#

Success in TikTok interviews comes from preparing smartly, not just endlessly. Here’s a four-step strategy to keep your prep both efficient and comprehensive:

1. Start with the overlap: Begin with the questions that appear in both Blind 75 and TikTok’s Top 75. These problems reinforce computer science fundamentals while also being directly relevant to TikTok.

2. Focus on TikTok-specific questions: Next, work through the remaining TikTok Top 75 problems. These will give you a clearer sense of the problem types TikTok emphasizes and the areas that matter most in their interviews.

3. Complete Blind 75 for broader coverage: After TikTok-specific prep, return to Blind 75 to solve the problems that are not part of TikTok’s list. This step ensures you fill in the gaps and strengthen your overall foundations.

4. Strengthen any remaining patterns: Finally, close the loop by practicing LeetCode patterns that were not fully covered in the earlier steps. This will prepare you for unseen variations and build the adaptability TikTok looks for in its interviews.

As you follow this plan, keep in mind the rubric and scoring framework I introduced earlier in the series. The goal is not just to touch a pattern once, but to build depth by solving at least one easy, two medium, and one hard problem. That adds up to 15 points per pattern: 1 for the easy, 4 each for the mediums, and 6 for the hard. Hitting that benchmark across all 28 patterns brings you to 420 points, a level of preparation that gives you both completeness and confidence for TikTok interviews.

Start with overlapping patterns#

The overlap between Blind 75 and TikTok’s Top 75 is more than just a shortcut. It’s a smart way to warm up. These questions ground you in the fundamentals while easing you into the style of problems TikTok interviewers tend to ask. Starting here helps you achieve two goals at once: reinforcing core concepts and getting an early sense of TikTok’s unique flavor of challenges.

Let’s see how much overlap there is between Blind 75 and TikTok’s Top 75.

The list above shows that TikTok Top 75 and Blind 75 share 27 problems, which makes up about 36% of the total. This is a solid starting point. Instead of spreading your time across unrelated problems, you work on a set that builds both core skills and company-specific familiarity. 

Now, let’s take a closer look at how much pattern coverage the overlapping problems actually provide when measured against the 1-2-1 rubric. In the bar chart below, each bar represents a pattern. The length of the bar shows what percent of the full 15 points you’ve earned for that pattern, while the label highlights how many easy, medium, and hard problems went into that score.

From the overlapping set, you get exposure to 15 different patterns, which is 50% coverage. Hitting half the patterns this early is a great milestone because it gives you both breadth and momentum right at the start of your prep. 

While this overlap is a strong starting point, most of these patterns are only partially covered when measured against the rubric. To bring them to full strength, you would need to add the missing easy, medium, and hard questions. For example, many patterns are represented only at the medium level, while a few appear through harder questions alone. Overall, the overlap ensures you begin with breadth across patterns, but to complete the picture, you will still need to practice more problems in each category.

Importance of solving TikTok-specific questions#

Practicing TikTok-specific questions helps you understand the unique flavor of challenges the company likes to test. It allows you to see how core computer science concepts are applied in ways that reflect TikTok’s scale and problem domains. More importantly, it gives you targeted practice that feels directly relevant to the interviews you are preparing for.

Let’s look at what new patterns get unlocked when you practice TikTok-specific questions.

The list above shows that you unlock 9 new patterns, taking your total coverage to 23 out of 28 patterns, which is about 82%. That is a major step forward. Moving from half the patterns to more than three-fourths shows how much value this set adds, both in expanding breadth and in bringing you closer to complete coverage.

Now, let’s look at how the TikTok-specific patterns stack up when measured against the 1-2-1 rubric. The bar chart below highlights the newly covered patterns in green on the y-axis.

This set gives you more practice with patterns you had already seen in the overlap and also introduces several new ones. The result is a big jump in overall coverage. At this stage, three patterns are now fully covered (Greedy Techniques, Stacks, Trie), while six more are nearly complete at above 90 percent, including Dynamic Programming, Topological Sort, Graphs, and Union Find. All these need one easy problem to get there.

There are also three patterns sitting in the partial coverage range, like Heaps and Backtracking. These require just a few more problems, usually one easy or one hard, to bring them to full depth. Finally, six patterns remain underrepresented at less than 60 percent. For those, you will need to deliberately add the missing mix of easy, medium, and hard problems to round them out.

Overall, this step marks strong progress. Not only do you reach full mastery in multiple patterns, but you also move a large number of others closer to completion, setting yourself up for near-total coverage with the remaining practice.

Does the rest of Blind 75 still matter?#

Working through the rest of Blind 75 might feel less urgent after covering TikTok-specific questions, but it is what gives your prep real balance. These problems often target fundamentals that may not show up directly in TikTok’s Top 75 but still strengthen the underlying skills every interviewer looks for. More importantly, they fill the remaining gaps in your pattern coverage, making sure you are not caught off guard by variations of problems you have not practiced yet.

Let’s look at the patterns you get to cover with these questions:

The list above shows that you unlock 4 new patterns, which takes your total from 23 to 27 out of 28 patterns. That is about 96% coverage. This is a big step because each new pattern you add counts. It builds the flexibility to handle unfamiliar problems and ensures you are prepared for almost the full range of scenarios.

Now, let’s see how well these patterns are covered according to the rubric.

Practicing the remaining Blind 75 questions adds even more depth to your preparation. At this stage, you now have five patterns fully covered (Two Pointers, In-place Manipulation of a Linked List, Dynamic Programming, Tree Depth-first Search, and Trie). Several others, like Sliding Window, Graphs, and Union Find, are just one easy problem away from full completion.

Five patterns, such as Heaps, Merge Intervals, Modified Binary Search, Tree Breadth-first Search, and Bitwise Manipulation, are also in the partial coverage range. To reach full strength, they require only a few targeted problems, primarily one hard.

A handful of patterns remain underrepresented, including Cyclic Sort, Fast and Slow Pointers, K-way Merge, and Knowing What to Track. Each of these needs deliberate attention, but adding even a couple of well-chosen problems for each would close most of the gaps.

Is your TikTok interview prep done?#

The bar chart below clearly shows your progress across the 28 patterns and which ones still need attention.

The overall progress is impressive. Seven patterns are fully covered, and many others are close to completion at over 90 percent. That means the majority of your preparation is already in strong shape. A handful of patterns remain in the partial or underrepresented range, which can be improved by adding the missing easy, medium, or hard questions. 

Most importantly, there is still one pattern not covered at all: Math and Geometry. Giving deliberate attention to this final pattern will take you from near-complete coverage to the full set of 28, ensuring you are ready for whatever comes your way in TikTok’s interview.

Here are a few problems to help you cover the Math and Geometry pattern:

Patterns recap#

The progression toward full coverage is steady and strategic. Starting with the overlap between Blind 75 and TikTok’s Top 75, you immediately covered 14 out of 28 patterns (50%). That strong foundation gave you momentum right away.

Next, the TikTok-only set added significant value by unlocking 9 more patterns, raising the total to 23 out of 28 (about 82%). This stage shows just how much company-specific practice contributes.

Finally, the Blind-only set filled in 4 additional patterns, pushing your coverage to 27 out of 28 (96%). That leaves only one pattern remaining.

Each stage played a role: the overlap built efficiency, the TikTok-specific set brought breadth and relevance, and the Blind-only problems filled in critical gaps. Covering the single uncovered pattern will bring you to a full 100 percent coverage across all 28 patterns.

How well does this plan stack up to 420 points?#

Looking at the scoring, you have already built up 279 points out of the ideal 420. That is strong progress and shows how each stage of your prep contributed.

• The common set of problems gave you the first 97 points, covering overlap efficiently.

• The TikTok-only set was the biggest contributor, adding 136 points, which reflects both new patterns and deeper practice.

• The Blind-only set added another 46 points, filling in important gaps.

This leaves 141 points still on the table. To earn them, you simply need to follow the rubric: solve one easy, two medium, and one hard problem for each pattern until you reach the full 15 points per pattern. Doing so will close the gaps, take your score to 420, and give you complete confidence heading into TikTok interviews.

Bringing it all together: TikTok interview prep#

Interview prep for TikTok is about more than checking boxes. Each step, the overlap, TikTok-specific questions, the rest of Blind 75, and finally the patterns, builds on the last, giving you both range and depth. By following this path, you’re not just solving problems, you’re building the mindset to adapt when something new comes your way.

The real win is walking into your interview knowing you can handle whatever is asked, whether it’s familiar or not. Stay consistent, trust the process, and remember that every problem you solve is one step closer to becoming TikTok interview-ready.

Recommended resources to level up your interview prep#

While this blog gives you a data-driven way to measure and close your prep gaps, the right learning tools can accelerate your progress even further. Here are two highly effective resources to complement your study plan:

• Educative’s personalized interview prep: It’s your tailored prep companion that adapts to your skill level, and focuses on the 28 essential LeetCode patterns we’ve been discussing. You can work on the patterns that need the most attention, track progress with clear metrics, and know exactly what to tackle next. Whether it’s adding an easy problem to build confidence or a hard one to push for mastery, you’ll always be working on the right problems at the right time.

• Educative’s mock interviews: Practicing is not just about solving problems. It is also about handling real interview pressure. Educative’s AI mock interviews let you simulate actual interview conditions, get actionable feedback, and improve in areas like problem-solving speed. This way, you are not only technically prepared but also confident and ready to perform under time constraints.