Grind 75 vs. LeetCode patterns: Best for Meta coding interviews

You planned your Meta coding interview prep by hearing stories of months of grinding, sleepless nights, and countless LeetCode problems. But with only 35–40 minutes to solve two coding problems, will all that grinding really help? At Meta, efficiency isn’t optional, it’s the standard. Preparation becomes a game of focus, not randomness. You can’t afford to wander through hundreds of problems hoping you’ll end up on the right ones.

So, where should you focus your Meta interview preparation? On curated lists like Grind 75, Blind 75, or NeetCode 150, or on mastering LeetCode coding patterns that train you to recognize the strategies behind Meta interview questions? The pressure to ace a Meta coding interview is real, but what if you could prepare smarter, not just harder?

In this blog, I’ll compare Grind 75 and Meta’s Top 75 against the 28 LeetCode patterns from Grokking the Coding Interview Patterns, all through the lens of Meta interviews. Together, we’ll explore how each approach holds up and build a smart Meta-focused prep roadmap. This roadmap will save time and keep your efforts aligned with what matters most at Meta.

Sneak peek: How we evaluated Meta interview prep strategies

The most credible way to compare any coding interview prep approach is through a quantitative measure. Without it, you’re left with endless expert opinions and conflicting recommendations. That’s why I designed a rubric and scoring method, introduced in the first blog of this series: Grind 75 vs. LeetCode Patterns: Most Effective for Interviews?. Let’s quickly revisit the 1–2–1 rubric that will guide this analysis.

To adequately cover a pattern, you need to solve 1 easy problem for 1 point, 2 medium problems for 8 points (4 points each), and 1 hard problem for 6 points. This ensures that you’re not just exposed to a pattern, but also comfortable applying it at different levels of difficulty. Altogether, that adds up to 15 points per pattern. With 28 patterns, the benchmark comes to 420 points. Any strong Meta interview prep approach should aim to get as close to 420 as possible.

With that benchmark in place, let’s now examine how Grind 75 and Meta’s Top 75 hold up.

The score chart above only illustrates the high-level picture. You might be wondering which problems and patterns actually contributed to these scores and, more importantly, what this Meta-focused roadmap looks like and how it progresses.

That is exactly what we’ll explore in this blog. The analysis goes beyond raw numbers. You’ll see how well each pattern is covered, where the gaps remain, and how you can structure your Meta coding interview preparation. This will maximize your chances of securing a Meta interview with an offer.

Grind 75, Meta top 75, and LeetCode patterns: Quick overview#

Grind 75 is an extended version of the well-known Blind 75, created by the same author. While Blind 75 focused on the most common interview questions, Grind 75 expands the list to 75 carefully chosen problems across core topics like arrays, strings, and binary trees. It’s designed as a structured checklist that helps candidates build breadth without grappling with hundreds of random LeetCode problems.

Meta top 75 is a company-specific list of 75 problems frequently asked in Meta interviews. It’s not an official list, but rather one that we extracted from LeetCode. It reflects Meta’s style and preferences, giving candidates a sharper focus on the types of questions they are likely to encounter.

LeetCode patterns represent 28 essential problem-solving strategies that frequently recur in coding interviews, such as Sliding Window, Two Pointers, Backtracking, and Dynamic Programming. These patterns act like reusable blueprints: once you learn the logic behind them, you can apply the same reasoning to many different problems, even ones you’ve never seen before.

Is Grind 75 enough for Meta coding interviews?#

The more precise question is:

Does finishing Grind 75, a list created a few years ago, truly prepare you for Meta interviews in 2025?

The short answer is not completely.

Grind 75 is still one of the most widely used coding interview prep lists. It gives you a structured path, removes decision fatigue, and ensures you cover data structures and algorithms (DSA). However, if you look closely at Meta’s interview style, several gaps start to surface. For example, two stand out, and are outlined below.

• Outdated coverage: Grind 75 was designed around the most common problems between 2021–2022. As of 2025, company-specific trends have evolved, especially as AI has reshaped interview practices.

• Limited company-specific prep: Grind 75 is designed for FAANG and other big tech companies, so the focus is divided. It doesn’t directly reflect Meta’s preferences or focus areas. You might miss high-frequency Meta problems entirely if you only stick to the original list.

This gap shows up most clearly when you look at the top 10 most frequently asked Meta problems on LeetCode. None of them are present in Grind 75.

This proves that relying on a static list means missing out on important Meta-specific exposure.

Why LeetCode patterns matter for Meta coding interviews#

Meta interviews rarely stick to textbook problems. A Graph question might be framed as a social network connection task, or a Dynamic Programming problem could surface inside what first looks like a simple string manipulation. These twists are not accidental. They are designed to reveal how you think when the path is not obvious.

What Meta interviewers are really looking out for is impact-driven thinking. They care less about whether you recall a rare trick and more about how you:

• Identify the core structure of a problem.

• Choose the simplest, most scalable approach.

• Explain trade-offs as if you are architecting production features.

This is where LeetCode patterns matter. They give you a mental library of 28 reusable strategies that can be applied across different problem statements. Instead of relying on memory, you can recognize the hidden structure, respond with confidence, and adapt under time pressure.

With only 35–40 minutes to solve two problems, this adaptability is not optional. LeetCode patterns prepare you to move quickly from recognizing the pattern to communicating the solution clearly, which is exactly what Meta interviewers expect.

Patterns overview in the context of Meta coding interviews#

A total of 28 core coding patterns frequently show up in technical interviews, including those at Meta. To help you focus your prep, I’ve grouped these patterns into four key categories.

• Must-know patterns: These have appeared most frequently in Meta coding interviews. Practicing them is essential as Meta often frames questions around these foundations.

• Very common patterns: These are seen regularly enough that leaving gaps here can cost you. Mastering them ensures that you can handle most variations with confidence.

• Solid but situational patterns: These are not as frequent. However,  when they do appear, spotting them quickly can be the difference between delivering a strong performance and a missed opportunity.

• Finishing-line helpers: These are less common overall, but they can still surface.

While Meta tends to emphasize certain coding patterns, covering all 28 ensures you’re fully prepared for any variation of coding problems.

Meta coding interview roadmap#

Neither Grind 75 nor Meta’s Top 75 alone gives you complete preparation. Grind 75 is broad and structured, but not tailored for Meta. Meta 75 reflects company-specific trends, but it does not guarantee balanced coverage of all coding patterns. To walk into a Meta interview with confidence, you need both breadth and depth.

That is why I recommend a hybrid roadmap. It combines the strengths of each approach and aligns them with the 28 coding patterns benchmark. The goal is simple: make sure you do not miss any essential pattern, while also targeting Meta’s most frequently asked questions. Here’s how it works.

1. Start with the Grind75-Meta overlap: Begin with problems and patterns that appear in both Grind 75 and Meta’s frequently asked questions. This builds a strong foundation in common data structures while avoiding duplicate effort.

2. Focus on Meta-relevant problems: Move on to coding problems that are particularly important for Meta, but which might not be fully emphasized in Grind 75.

3. Complete remaining Grind 75 problems: Work through the rest of the Grind 75 problems to ensure complete coverage of classic data structures and algorithms. This is so that no fundamental concepts are missed.

4. Fill in pattern gaps: Review which of the 28 patterns are already covered and focus on the ones still missing.

Keep the 1–2–1 rubric and scores in mind as you follow this Meta-focused roadmap. This method helps you save time and keeps your effort focused on what matters most.

Why start your Meta prep with the overlap between Grind 75 and Meta 75?#

Focusing on the shared problems between Grind 75 and Meta 75 is the most efficient way to maximize your prep. Every problem you solve strengthens your fundamentals from Grind 75, while also preparing you for questions that Meta is known to ask. In other words, the same effort covers both general interview readiness and Meta-specific trends.

Let’s see which problems are common between Grind 75 and Meta Top 75.

The list above shows that 19 out of 75 problems overlap between Grind 75 and Meta, which is about 25%. This is a good starting point. Now let’s see which patterns these questions cover and how strong that coverage is. We’ll use the 1–2–1 rubric and scores to evaluate.

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.

Note: For this calculation, I have only considered the counts that satisfy our 1–2–1 rubric. If a pattern has more questions than required by the rubric, I count only 1 easy, 2 medium, and 1 hard problem. For example, if Dynamic Programming has 10 medium questions, I have included just 2 in this calculation.

The bar chart above shows that with this overlap, you get introduced to 15 out of 28 patterns, which amounts to about 53%. That is a strong start, as it gives you exposure to nearly half of the patterns right away.

Many patterns are still underrepresented at this stage, but simply being introduced to them is an important milestone. Once you know which patterns Meta emphasizes, you can strengthen them properly using the 1–2–1 rubric. Most of these will be reinforced as you move further along the roadmap

Why move to Meta-specific questions next?#

After covering the overlap, the next logical step is to tackle Meta-only questions. These problems reflect Meta’s unique interview style and highlight areas that Grind 75 does not emphasize enough. Working through them ensures your preparation is not just broad, but also closely aligned with the kinds of challenges Meta interviewers are most likely to present.

Let’s see which patterns are introduced by the Meta-only questions.

The list above shows that you get introduced to 10 new patterns, bringing the total up to 25 out of 28. That is about 89% coverage, a significant step forward and a clear sign that the roadmap is moving in the right direction.

Now let’s look at how well these patterns are covered using the 1–2–1 rubric. The bar chart below highlights the newly covered patterns in green on the y-axis.

The bar chart above shows that adding Meta-only questions strengthens the foundation significantly. Many of the patterns first introduced in the overlap stage are reinforced with additional problems. Dynamic Programming jumps to full coverage (100%), and Graphs reach 93% (almost there). Sliding Window and K-Way Merge also climb into the yellow zone, i.e., they are now partially covered.

While coverage improves overall, some patterns such as Backtracking, Heaps, Stacks, Trie and Union Find still remain underrepresented, and need targeted practice.

Is it important to cover the complete Grind 75?#

Once you have worked through the overlap and Meta-only questions, the next question is whether you need to finish the rest of Grind 75. Completing the full set is not strictly necessary for Meta interviews, but it does provide broader exposure and reinforces patterns that might otherwise get less attention. Think of it as adding an extra layer of confidence and completeness to your preparation.

Let’s see which patterns are covered by the remaining Grind 75 questions.

The list above shows that no new pattern is unlocked with the remaining Grind 75 problems. However, this set does provide additional practice for many of the patterns already identified. Let’s see how well each of these patterns is covered with respect to the 1–2–1 rubric.

The bar chart above shows that the final addition of Grind 75 problems pushes multiple patterns into complete coverage. Two Pointers, Tree DFS, Sliding Window, and Stacks, all reach 100%, while Tree BFS and Union Find are almost one step away from completion.

Patterns like Custom Data Structures, Hash Maps, and Modified Binary Search tend to solidify in the yellow zone with continued practice. Yet a handful of patterns continue to lag behind.

Is your Meta coding interview preparation complete now?#

By this stage of the roadmap, you might be wondering how close you really are to full preparation. A good way to see the bigger picture is to look at overall pattern coverage. The bar chart below shows how well the 28 patterns are represented so far and highlights where gaps still remain.

Looking at the overall picture, the coverage is strong, but still not complete. Eight patterns are in the green zone, meaning they are well covered and Meta-ready. This includes core strategies like Dynamic Programming, Two Pointers, Graphs, and Tree Traversals.

Beyond that, seven patterns are in the yellow zone. These are partially covered, and most of them require only a single hard question or an extra medium to cross into the green zone. With targeted effort here, you can quickly turn partial familiarity into full coverage.

Ten patterns are in the red zone, which means they are underrepresented. These are already introduced, just not reinforced enough, so a couple of problems can significantly raise their coverage. However, what really stands out is that three patterns, Cyclic Sort, Sort and Search, and Bitwise Manipulation, have not been covered at all. They require your special attention.

Here are some recommended problems to practice for Cyclic Sort, Sort and Search, and Bitwise Manipulation.

Patterns recap for Meta coding interview prep #

Let’s step back and look at the overall pattern coverage across the Meta-focused prep roadmap.

The pie chart above gives a clear view of how pattern coverage builds across the roadmap. More than half of the coverage, about 54%, comes from the overlap between Grind 75 and Meta 75. This highlights how valuable the common set is as a starting point. Meta-only questions add another 36%, strengthening coverage with company-specific trends. The remaining Grind 75 problems don’t add any new patterns.

The remaining 11% represent the last set of patterns, which have already been identified for targeted practice.

Score breakdown of the Meta coding interview prep#

Now let’s see how this roadmap adds up against the 420-point benchmark. The score chart below illustrates each step’s contribution, emphasizing both achievements and areas still needing improvement.

The score breakdown shows steady progress across the roadmap. The overlap stage contributes 65 points, giving you a good starting base. Meta-only questions add the most with 123 points, showing how critical they are for aligning your prep with Meta’s style. The remaining Grind 75 problems bring in another 62 points, mainly reinforcing patterns already introduced.

Altogether, you reach 250 out of 420, leaving 170 points still left. This is a strong position, because the bulk of the work is behind you and the remaining points can be achieved by directly targeting underrepresented patterns.

Wrapping up: Is it Grind 75 or LeetCode patterns for Meta interviews?#

Preparing for Meta interviews is not about picking one list or one method and hoping it works. Grind 75 brings structure and breadth, while Meta 75 gives you company-specific focus. LeetCode patterns add the adaptability you need to tackle variations and unexpected twists. Each approach contributes something valuable, but none of them is sufficient in isolation.

That is why a hybrid roadmap makes the most sense. By starting with the overlap, moving to Meta-only questions, filling in the remaining Grind 75 problems, and then reviewing coverage with the 1–2–1 rubric, you make sure that all 28 patterns are represented. You also ensure that your score gets close to the 420 benchmark. More importantly, you prepare in a way that reflects Meta’s actual expectations: efficiency, clarity, and pattern-driven problem solving under time pressure.

The key takeaway is this: do not measure your prep by how many problems you have finished, but by how many patterns you can confidently apply. When you train to recognize and use the right strategy, you can walk into a Meta interview with the confidence that no matter how the problem is framed, you know how to approach it.

Recommended resources to level up your Meta interview prep#

While this blog offers 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.