How many LeetCode problems should I do? Fewer than you think

When prepping for technical interviews, it’s easy to fall into the trap of grinding hundreds—or even thousands—of coding problems. Every forum post, YouTube video, and advice thread can make it seem like volume is the key to success.

But if you’ve been wondering how many LeetCode problems should I do, the real answer might surprise you: fewer than you think.

In this blog, we’ll break down why quantity isn’t everything, how to build smarter prep habits, how to develop lasting problem-solving intuition, and exactly how many problems you actually need to master to succeed at coding interviews.

The myth of "more is better"#

Scrolling through forums like Blind or Reddit, you’ll find candidates boasting about solving 500, 800, even 1000+ problems before getting an offer. It creates the illusion that extreme volume is the only path to success.

But here’s the reality:

• Pattern blindness: Solving hundreds of problems without consciously studying patterns leaves you vulnerable when interviewers throw unfamiliar variations.

• Surface-level memorization: Memorizing solutions doesn’t teach you to debug, adapt, or brainstorm under pressure—core skills you must demonstrate in real tech interviews.

• Burnout risk: Endless grinding often leads to mental fatigue, rushed thinking, and burnout that can tank your performance when it matters most.

• Misaligned incentives: Companies like FAANG care more about your thought process, structured communication, and adaptability than your raw number of solved problems.

Good prep isn’t about raw numbers—it’s about reusable thinking frameworks. You want to train your brain to recognize common strategies and adapt them flexibly to new twists you haven’t seen before.

How to track your improvement#

Tracking your progress isn't just motivational—it ensures you're growing in the right direction:

• Maintain a spreadsheet of problems solved by topic and difficulty.

• Note whether you solved each problem independently or needed hints.

• Record how long you spent per problem.

• Regularly reviewing this data highlights weak areas and lets you adjust your focus proactively.

Reflective tracking turns random practice into strategic growth.

The importance of understanding brute-force solutions#

Before optimizing, always think through the naive, brute-force solution first. Why?

• It sharpens your intuition about the problem space.

• It lays the foundation for spotting bottlenecks.

• It gives you a starting point to discuss in interviews before improving your solution.

Interviewers appreciate candidates who build up their solutions methodically, rather than jumping to optimizations they don't fully understand.

How to handle plateaus during prep#

Hitting a plateau is normal—and a sign you're pushing your limits. When you feel stuck:

• Shift focus to a new topic temporarily (e.g., trees if you're stuck on graphs).

• Study high-quality editorial solutions and reconstruct them from memory.

• Simulate mock interviews.

Growth often happens just after periods of feeling "stuck." Stay consistent.

Why discussing problems with others helps#

Explaining problems to others forces you to organize your thoughts and deepen your understanding:

• Join study groups or Discord communities.

• Pair up and take turns explaining solutions.

• Teach a tricky topic to a non-technical friend—if you can explain it simply, you truly understand it.

Teaching accelerates mastery.

The role of mindset in coding interviews#

Beyond pure technical skill, your mental state matters:

• Stay curious instead of fearful when faced with hard problems.

• View mistakes as learning opportunities, not failures.

• Remind yourself that interviews are imperfect snapshots—not judgments of your worth.

A calm, curious, resilient mindset is a secret weapon in standing out during interviews.

So, how many LeetCode problems should I do?#

For most candidates targeting companies like FAANG or top-tier startups, the sweet spot is solving around 75 to 150 thoughtfully chosen problems.

Here’s why that range works:

• Core patterns dominate interviews: Sliding window, binary search, dynamic programming, backtracking, recursion, trees, and graphs cover a huge portion of what you’ll face.

• Curated lists cover 80%+ of needs: Lists like Blind 75, NeetCode 75, and Top 100 Liked Questions are optimized to teach you the highest-leverage problems.

• Depth beats breadth: Practicing 100 problems deeply trains you to see behind the problem statements—so new questions feel like familiar rearrangements of old ideas.

• Retention matters more than exposure: If you forget 80% of what you grind through, that effort was wasted. Mastery sticks; random exposure fades.

A smarter mindset#

Instead of asking "How many problems?"—ask "How many core patterns have I truly mastered?"

That’s what makes the difference when you're sitting across from an interviewer.

How to maximize your practice#

If you're serious about nailing coding interviews, here’s a smarter roadmap:

1. Start with a curated list#

Begin with structured lists like Blind 75, NeetCode 75, or Top 100 Liked Questions. These aren't just random—they focus on pattern coverage, topic distribution, and real-world relevance.

2. Learn patterns, not just solutions#

After solving a problem, analyze it deeply:

• What strategy unlocked the solution? (e.g., sliding window, binary search on answer, DFS)

• Could you recognize this pattern earlier next time?

• How could the problem be tweaked slightly to make it harder?

Treat every problem as a gateway to a pattern, not just a one-off puzzle.

3. Redo problems for retention#

Revisiting tough problems after 3–5 days locks knowledge into long-term memory. Don’t just recognize the solution—rebuild it from first principles without peeking.

4. Mix topics intentionally#

Don’t spend three weeks only grinding arrays. Rotate topics:

• Trees & graphs

• Dynamic programming

• Two pointers

• Greedy algorithms

• Backtracking

• Heaps and priority queues

Variety builds flexibility, which is critical in real interviews.

5. Simulate real interviews#

Practice under timed conditions (30–45 minutes per medium problem). Speak your thought process aloud. Write clean, organized code. This builds real-world fluency—not just problem-solving ability.

Signs you’re ready, even without solving 500+ problems#

You don’t need a giant LeetCode streak to be interview-ready. Instead, look for these signals:

• You recognize common patterns within a few minutes of reading a problem.

• You can articulate your solutions clearly, including trade-offs and edge cases.

• You stay calm when stuck; debugging systematically rather than panicking.

• You can optimize brute-force ideas into efficient solutions with deliberate analysis.

• You intuitively estimate time and space complexity, and make decisions based on it.

• You enjoy thinking structurally, even when the problem looks weird or novel.

Reality check#

If you consistently demonstrate clarity, flexibility, and structured problem-solving, interviewers will notice—regardless of how many total problems you’ve solved.

Mistakes to avoid during prep#

Even smart candidates sometimes fall into these traps:

• Passive copying: Rushing through solutions without re-deriving them yourself.

• Overfocusing on rare edge cases: Don’t optimize for unicorn problems. Master core patterns first.

• Ignoring problem review: Solving once and moving on misses huge learning opportunities.

• Neglecting communication practice: Coding skills alone won’t carry you. You must think aloud clearly.

Every hour spent fixing these mistakes makes your prep dramatically more effective.

Final thoughts#

If you’ve been asking yourself, how many LeetCode problems should I do, remember:

It’s not about hitting an arbitrary number. It’s about building flexible, deep problem-solving skills that you can trust under real interview pressure.

Fewer problems, mastered well, beat endless grinding every single time.

Focus on pattern recognition. Build frameworks in your mind. Reflect deeply after every session. Stay consistent. And when in doubt, trust that smart, strategic prep will always outshine brute-force practice.

Your goal isn’t just to pass interviews—it’s to become a thinker interviewers want to work with.