Grind 75 vs. LeetCode patterns: Better for Uber coding interviews

Every Uber trip is a matching game: the right rider with the right driver at the right time, in the right place. Success depends on quick decisions made under pressure. Uber’s coding interviews follow the same principle. They aren’t testing who has solved the most problems, but who can match the right solution pattern to the right problem in the moment.

For most candidates, prep looks the same: pick a Grind 75 problem, watch a walkthrough, code it up, repeat. Lists like Blind 75 or Grind 75 are popular because they simplify decision-making. A newer mindset is to focus on LeetCode patterns; strategies that can be applied across many problems. Both approaches require hours of practice, but the real question is whether they prepare you for the constraint-heavy, ambiguous problems Uber is known to ask.

That’s what we’ll explore in this blog. I’ll compare Grind 75 and Uber’s top 75 against the 28 LeetCode patterns from Grokking the Coding Interview Patterns to highlight their strengths and gaps. I will also introduce an Uber-focused prep roadmap that ensures complete pattern coverage, so you are ready to perform when it matters most.

Sneak peek: How we evaluated Uber 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, “Grind 75 vs. LeetCode Patterns: Most Effective for Interviews?” of this series, to evaluate interview prep strategies objectively.

The rubric is simple: 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. That adds up to 15 points per pattern. With 28 patterns in total, the benchmark becomes 420 points.

Any strong Uber interview prep approach should aim to get as close to this 420-point benchmark as possible. With this benchmark in place, let’s check the effectiveness of Grind 75 and Uber’s top 75.

The score chart above gives us the high-level picture. You can see that the Uber-focused roadmap clearly outperforms both Grind 75 and Uber’s top 75. But what exactly is this roadmap, and why does it score higher? That’s the real question we’ll answer in this blog.

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

What is Grind 75? It is a curated list of LeetCode problems designed to help people prepare for coding interviews systematically. It focuses on key topics such as Arrays, Linked Lists, Trees, and other fundamental data structures and algorithms.

What is Uber top 75? It refers to a list of the top 75 LeetCode problems that frequently show up in Uber’s coding interviews. It captures the essence of Uber’s real interviews, reflecting the kinds of constraints, variations, and problem types you are likely to face.

What are LeetCode coding patterns? They are recurring problem-solving techniques that show up across many coding interview questions. Instead of memorizing individual problems, you learn to recognize the underlying pattern and apply it to variations. There are a total of 28 LeetCode coding patterns, including Two Pointers, Sliding Window, and Greedy Techniques.

Is Grind 75 enough for cracking Uber coding interviews?#

The short answer is no. While Grind 75 is excellent for building computer science fundamentals and practicing problems that have been repeatedly asked at companies like FAANG, relying solely on it won’t set you up for success in Uber’s coding interviews. It has clear limitations.

Grind 75 was designed primarily with FAANG in mind, and that too several years ago. Uber is a very different player. As a ride-hailing company, it often prefers problems that test a different set of constraints and problem-solving styles. So, in terms of relevance and updated state, Grind 75 is no longer the only prep resource you can rely on in 2025. To illustrate this, if we look at Uber’s 10 most frequently asked coding problems, 9 of them don’t even appear in Grind 75 (highlighted in green in the table below). This data is an eye-opener, and makes it clear why you cannot depend on Grind 75 alone.

Another drawback of sticking only to Grind 75 is that it encourages solution memorization. You might get comfortable coding up the same solutions you’ve seen before, but in a real Uber coding interview, a slight variation can surprise you. The real skill is recognizing the underlying pattern and adapting quickly, not recalling a memorized solution.

How do LeetCode patterns help with the Uber coding interview prep?#

If Grind 75 gives you exposure to common coding problems, LeetCode patterns give you the adaptability to solve new ones. Instead of memorizing individual solutions, you learn 28 reusable strategies such as Sliding Window, Two Pointers, Backtracking, and Dynamic Programming. These patterns act like blueprints that can be applied to a wide range of unseen problems.

This makes a big difference for Uber interviews. Uber’s coding questions often add twists, unusual constraints, or real-world variations that you might not find in curated lists like Grind 75. If all you know is how to replay a memorized Grind 75 solution, you might get stuck. But, if you understand the underlying pattern, you can adjust your approach quickly and still deliver a working solution under time pressure.

In short, Grind 75 helps you practice, but LeetCode patterns help you think. And, in Uber’s interviews, it’s the ability to think flexibly under constraints that often makes the difference.

Overview of LeetCode patterns for Uber coding interviews#

There are 28 core coding patterns that form the backbone of technical interviews, and Uber is no exception. To simplify your prep, I’ve organized these patterns into four categories based on how they tend to appear in Uber’s coding questions.

• Must-know patterns: These appear most frequently in Uber interviews. Practicing them is crucial.

• Very common patterns: These appear regularly enough that leaving them is not a good option. Getting comfortable with them ensures you can handle most variations with confidence.

• Solid but situational patterns: These show up less often, but when they do, spotting them quickly can set you apart. Being prepared here often means the difference between finishing strong and falling short.

• Finishing-line helpers: These are the least frequent patterns, but they still matter. Covering them ensures you have no gaps in your coding interview prep.

Uber might have focused on certain LeetCode patterns more than others, but you should still practice and understand all 28. That way, no matter what variation or constraint shows up, you’ll have the right blueprint ready to apply.

Uber coding interview roadmap#

To get complete coverage, you don’t need to choose between Grind 75 and Uber 75. The most effective strategy is to combine them, and then use LeetCode patterns to close the gaps. This way, you practice questions that are both widely relevant and Uber-specific, while also mastering the underlying patterns that allow you to adapt to new variations.

Here’s how to approach it step-by-step.

1. Start with the Grind 75-Uber 75 overlap: Begin your Uber coding interview prep with the problems that appear in both Grind 75 and Uber’s top 75. These are proven questions that are both widely practiced and directly relevant to Uber, giving you a strong base without wasted effort.

2. Move to Uber-only questions: Once the overlap is complete, focus on the problems unique to Uber’s top 75. These capture Uber’s distinct interview style and bring in variations you won’t see in a general-purpose list like Grind 75.

3. Work through the remaining Grind 75 problems: After the Uber-specific sets, return to the rest of Grind 75. These questions strengthen your command of core data structures and algorithms, ensuring you don’t miss fundamentals that can still appear in interviews.

4. Fill the gaps with pattern-focused practice: Finally, check your progress against the 28 LeetCode patterns. Any pattern that isn’t fully covered becomes your priority for targeted practice.

As you follow this Uber-focused roadmap, keep measuring your progress against the 1–2–1 rubric. It’s the easiest way to stay efficient and make sure every hour of practice pushes you closer to complete pattern coverage.

The importance of starting with the Grind 75-Uber top 75 overlap#

Starting here gives you the strongest foundation. These problems are not only widely practiced, but also directly tied to Uber’s interviews. Focusing on them first helps you build confidence, cover essential ground early, and know that your effort is going into questions that matter the most.

Let’s see which problems are common to both Grind 75 and Uber’s top 75.

The comparison above shows that 18 out of 75 problems overlap between Grind 75 and Uber’s top 75. That is a good number to begin with. Now, let’s see what patterns are covered in this set, and how well each is represented according to 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.

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 the overlap stage already gives you a solid start. In fact, 12 out of 28 patterns are covered in this set, which is about 43%. That is an amazing beginning for a single step. Tree Depth-First Search is the first pattern to move into partial coverage. However, many patterns are still underrepresented. The good part is that this step ensures you are exposed to a wide range of LeetCode coding patterns early on. From here, it becomes easier to close the gaps using the 1–2–1 rubric.

Why you should move to Uber-only questions next#

Shifting to Uber-only questions adds a layer of realism to your prep. These problems highlight the unique variations and constraints that are typical in Uber’s interviews, but absent from relatively general lists. By practicing them early, you train yourself to think the way Uber interviewers expect, which sharpens both your speed and adaptability.

Let’s see which LeetCode patterns this set covers.

The list above shows that practicing the Uber-only coding questions introduces 9 new LeetCode patterns, taking the total to 21 out of 28 patterns (about 75%). This is a huge milestone and a clear indication that this roadmap is moving a big step forward in the right direction.

Now, let’s see how well the patterns in this set are covered according to 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 Uber-only questions pushes the roadmap forward in a big way. Several patterns that were only partially covered in the overlap stage are now strengthened to near-complete coverage. Sliding Window, Dynamic Programming, Stacks, Tree DFS, Union Find, and Custom Data Structures all move into the well-covered zone. On top of that, new patterns like Matrices, Graphs, and Math and Geometry are introduced, and also reach strong coverage right away.

Some patterns, like Backtracking, Tree BFS, and Topological Sort, remain in partial coverage, and others, such as Hash Maps, Trie, and Sort and Search, are still underrepresented. However, the progress here shows that the roadmap is moving decisively toward full coverage.

The impact of completing the remaining Grind 75 problems#

Finishing the rest of Grind 75 brings balance to your prep. These problems might not be Uber-specific, but they strengthen your grasp of core algorithms and data structures that still show up in interviews. More importantly, they push several partially covered patterns closer to full coverage and introduce a handful of patterns that were missing so far. This step ensures you’re not just prepared for Uber’s style but also solid across the fundamentals.

Let’s see which LeetCode patterns this set covers.

The list above shows that the remaining Grind 75 coding problems introduce 5 new patterns, taking the total to 26 out of 28 (about 93%). This is a very promising result, bringing us close to full coverage.

Now, let’s see how well the patterns in this set are represented according to the 1–2–1 rubric.

The bar chart above shows that several key patterns, like Two Pointers, Dynamic Programming, Stacks, Tree DFS, and Math and Geometry, are now fully covered. At the same time, a few patterns like Subsets, K-Way Merge, Heaps, and Fast and Slow Pointers remain underrepresented and will require targeted practice in the final stage.

Is your Uber coding interview prep complete now?#

You’ve covered the overlap, added Uber-only problems, and completed the rest of Grind 75. The question now is simple: does this roadmap give you complete coverage across all 28 patterns? Let’s see.

The chart above shows the full coverage after following the Uber-focused roadmap. Out of the 28 patterns, 12 are now in the green zone with well-covered status. This is a strong position to be in, as it means the majority of the high-value patterns are well covered.

The patterns in the yellow zone (partially covered) only need one or two additional problems to push them into the green zone. Similarly, the remaining 11 patterns are in the red zone and underrepresented. Most of them require just two to three carefully chosen problems to complete coverage.

The most important highlight is that a couple of patterns, Cyclic Sort and Bitwise Manipulation, were not covered at all. They need special focus and practice. Here are some recommended coding problems to practice for Cyclic Sort and Bitwise Manipulation.

This breakdown makes it clear: the roadmap gets you very close to full coverage, and with a small amount of targeted practice, you can move the rest into the green zone.

Patterns recap for Uber coding interview prep#

Step-by-step, the roadmap has unlocked more and more patterns. This recap shows the overall distribution, and makes it clear which stages contributed the most toward complete coverage.

The pie chart shows how patterns were covered across stages. The overlap stage contributes the most, with about 43% of patterns unlocked. Uber-only questions add another 32%, while the remaining Grind 75 problems bring in around 18%. Only 7% of patterns were not covered, but have been identified now. This breakdown confirms that the roadmap builds steadily, with the overlap and Uber-specific sets carrying the biggest weight.

Score summary for Uber coding interview prep#

Patterns are one part of the story, but the real measure of progress is how many points each stage adds toward the 420 benchmark. The score breakdown makes it clear which parts of the roadmap contribute the most.

The score chart shows steady progress across stages. The Uber-only set contributes the most with 153 points, almost twice as much as the overlap stage at 69 points. The remaining Grind 75 problems add another 49 points, taking the total to 271 out of 420. This is a strong score, though 149 points still remain, which can be earned by closing the gaps in underrepresented patterns using the 1–2–1 rubric.

Final thoughts: The best Uber prep strategy#

Preparing for Uber’s coding interviews is not about solving the most problems. It’s about solving the right problems with the right patterns, under time pressure. Grind 75 gives you a strong foundation, Uber 75 adds company-specific depth, and LeetCode patterns ensure complete coverage and adaptability.

The most effective approach is a hybrid one: start with the overlap, move to Uber-only questions, reinforce with the rest of Grind 75, and then close the gaps using the 28 patterns. By following this roadmap and keeping the 1–2–1 rubric in mind, you’ll make steady progress toward full coverage and the 420-point benchmark.

If you stay consistent with this method, you’ll walk into Uber’s interview confident, fast, and prepared for any variation that comes your way. Good luck!

Recommended resources to level up your coding 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.