NeetCode 150 vs. LeetCode patterns: Which works best for TikTok?

Landing a software engineering role at TikTok is like trying to catch lightning in a bottle. With its meteoric rise and global scale, the company has become a magnet for top talent, and its interview process is fast-paced and challenging. The sheer volume of applications means your prep cannot just be about solving problems; it has to be about solving them quickly, efficiently, and with genuine problem-solving intuition.

As you begin your TikTok coding interview prep journey, you will likely come across two popular approaches: curated problem lists like NeetCode 150 or Blind 75, and the more conceptual LeetCode patterns method. The question most candidates ask is simple: which one is the ultimate strategy for a TikTok offer? 

In this blog, I will compare NeetCode 150 and TikTok top 150 questions against the 28 LeetCode patterns from Grokking the Coding Interview. We will learn how each maps to TikTok’s unique challenges and build a TikTok-focused roadmap to help you solve problems at the speed of delivery.

A sneak peek at what really works for TikTok interviews#

Deciding which coding interview prep path works best for TikTok is not something you can answer by gut feeling. To separate signal from noise, I rely on a structured scoring rubric that I introduced in the first blog, NeetCode 150 vs. LeetCode patterns, of this series. It helps quantify how much an approach really contributes toward complete coding interview readiness. Let’s quickly revisit the 1–2–1 rubric that frames this analysis.

To count a pattern as fully covered, you need to solve 1 easy problem (1 point), 2 medium problems (4 points each), and 1 hard problem (6 points), adding up to 15 points per pattern. As there are 28 patterns, the gold standard comes to 420 points.

Now, let’s see how NeetCode 150 and TikTok top 150 stack up against the 28 LeetCode patterns when mapped to TikTok’s unique interview challenges:

The chart above gives you only the surface-level picture. You might be asking which specific problems and patterns shaped these scores, and more importantly, what this TikTok-focused roadmap looks like and why it matters.

That is exactly what this blog will explore. We will go beyond the numbers to see how key patterns grow stronger, where the gaps still remain, and how to structure your preparation so you can walk into a TikTok coding interview with real confidence.

Quick recap: NeetCode 150, TikTok top 150, and LeetCode patterns#

NeetCode 150 is a curated list of 150 LeetCode problems designed to cover the most common topics in coding interviews. It gives you a broad foundation across Arrays, Strings, Linked Lists, and Trees. It is often the first stop for many candidates.

TikTok top 150 represents a focused set of problems frequently reported by candidates in recent TikTok interviews. These problems reveal TikTok’s twists and variations of interview challenges and the areas they emphasize. 

LeetCode patterns are the 28 fundamental problem-solving frameworks that appear again and again across interviews. Examples include Sliding Window, Two Pointers, Backtracking, and Dynamic Programming. These patterns are not about memorizing specific problems. Instead, they represent the building blocks of problem-solving. Once you understand them, you can adapt to almost any new variation that shows up in an interview.

Is NeetCode 150 alone enough for TikTok coding interviews?#

Think of TikTok interviews the way you think of TikTok itself. Trends move fast, new challenges appear daily, and you cannot succeed just by copying what worked yesterday. You need adaptability. This is where relying on a curated list created years ago for companies like FAANG is not enough.

With AI tools widely available, interviewers can easily tweak a problem or combine two different patterns in ways you have not seen before. If your preparation is based on memorizing the solutions to 150 specific problems, you might struggle when the problem is not a perfect match. And most importantly, what if you spent most of your prep time practicing problems that are not even relevant to TikTok?

How do LeetCode patterns help with TikTok coding interviews?#

LeetCode coding patterns help by giving you adaptability. TikTok’s interview questions are varied and challenging, but most map back to a core set of data structures and algorithm patterns. Once you understand how a pattern works, you can apply it to many different problems, cutting down prep time significantly. In the interview, this allows you to quickly identify the right pattern, explain a clear strategy, and implement a correct solution. It shows genuine problem-solving ability rooted in computer science fundamentals rather than memorized answers.

Patterns also future-proof your preparation. By internalizing the 28 coding patterns, you build a toolkit that adapts across variations, difficulty levels, and interview styles. In short, LeetCode patterns give you the flexibility to handle TikTok’s speed and unpredictability, something a static problem list cannot guarantee.

Overview of 28 patterns for TikTok coding interviews#

With 28 LeetCode patterns in total, it can feel overwhelming to decide where to start. To make TikTok-focused prep more practical, I have grouped these patterns into four categories:

• Must-know patterns: These are the patterns you cannot skip, as they appear most frequently and set the baseline for your TikTok coding interview prep.

• High-value patterns: These appear often enough that covering them thoroughly adds the extra depth you need to stand out.

• Situational but important patterns: These are less common in frequency, but when they do appear, being prepared gives you a clear advantage.

• Finishing-line helpers: These are rare in interviews, yet still worth covering so you are never surprised by an unusual twist.

Although certain patterns have shown up more frequently in TikTok coding interviews so far, a complete preparation plan should still cover all 28. This way you reduce the risk of being surprised in the interview and walk into the interview with confidence.

The TikTok-focused prep roadmap with 28 LeetCode patterns#

Preparing for TikTok interviews is not about practicing a sheer volume of problems. The smarter way is to structure your prep in stages, where each layer adds new coverage and prepares you for the next. Here is a roadmap that ties together NeetCode 150, TikTok-specific questions, and the 28 coding patterns.

1. Start with the NeetCode-TikTok overlap: These problems are your foundation. They cover the essentials and closely line up with the kinds of questions TikTok often asks.

2. Add the TikTok-only set: This is where you pick up TikTok’s distinct style. These problems highlight the variations and twists that give TikTok interviews their distinct character.

3. Expand to the rest of NeetCode 150: Working through the remaining problems ensures your prep has the breadth it needs and that no core area is left out.

4. Round it off with patterns: Look for any pattern missing from the 28 and make sure to cover it. This way, your roadmap feels complete, and you know you are not leaving gaps in your preparation.

Keep the 1–2–1 rubric in mind as you follow this roadmap. It lets you track your progress and keeps your preparation balanced across all patterns.

The NeetCode-TikTok overlap#

Starting with the NeetCode-TikTok overlap lets you focus on problems that are both high-yield and directly relevant. Solving these first ensures your effort counts twice. You practice questions already proven useful for general prep while also covering problems that TikTok interviewers have asked. This approach gives you a strong foundation and creates momentum for the rest of your roadmap.

Let’s see which problems overlap between NeetCode 150 and TikTok 150:

The list above shows that 68 out of 150 problems (about 45%) overlap. This is a very good starting point since almost half the problems you solve here are directly relevant to DoorDash interviews. It saves effort, strengthens your base, and ensures you are working on high-value questions. 

Let’s now see what patterns these problems introduce and how well they are covered as per the 1–2–1 rubric and scores. 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 chart above shows that the overlapping questions cover 22 out of 28 patterns, which is about 79%. This is a huge milestone in your TikTok-focused roadmap. Several patterns are already in the green zone (well-covered), including core ones, like Dynamic Programming, Two Pointers, Graphs, Tree Traversals, and Sliding Window. 

A few patterns remain low, but the important part is that you are now aware of them and can track their coverage using the 1–2–1 rubric. This puts you in control of closing the gaps and moving steadily toward full coverage.

Why focus on the TikTok-only problems next?#

Once the overlap is done, the next step is to tackle the TikTok-only problems. This set gives you exposure to company-specific problem types that are not covered in general lists. Working through them helps you get used to the style, constraints, and variations that TikTok interviewers like to use. It sharpens your ability to apply familiar patterns in new ways and ensures your preparation reflects what you are most likely to face in the actual interview.

Let’s see which patterns the TikTok-specific interview questions cover:

The list above shows that TikTok-only questions bring 2 new patterns to the surface, bringing the total to 24 out of 28 patterns (about 86%). This is a positive indicator, as it both strengthens the patterns introduced in the previous stage and adds exposure to the new ones.

Now, let’s see how well the patterns in this set are covered according to the 1–2–1 rubric and scores. The bar chart below highlights the newly covered patterns in green on the y-axis.

The chart above shows that adding TikTok-specific problems makes a big difference. The number of patterns in the green zone (well-covered) increases noticeably, and a few others move into partial coverage. This stage pushes breadth further, ensuring you’re not just relying on overlap but also addressing TikTok’s unique focus areas.

How does finishing the entire NeetCode 150 help? #

Completing the rest of NeetCode 150 makes sure your prep is broad and well-rounded. Even if not every problem matches TikTok’s style, the full set exposes you to a wide range of patterns, edge cases, and implementation details that strengthen your problem-solving muscle. It also reduces the risk of leaving gaps in your preparation. 

Let’s see which new patterns are introduced by the remaining NeetCode 150 questions.

The list above shows that the remaining NeetCode 150 problems unlocked 3 new patterns, taking the total to 27 out of 28 patterns (about 96%). This puts you very close to completing the roadmap and achieving full coverage for your TikTok coding interview prep.

Now, let’s quickly see how well the patterns in this set are covered using the 1–2–1 rubric.

The chart above shows that by completing the rest of NeetCode, coverage improves across the board. Almost all major patterns are now in green; you unlock the last few missing ones. Only a small set of patterns remain in red, but with the 1-2-1 rubric in hand, they can be systematically covered through targeted practice.

Is your TikTok coding interview prep complete now?#

You’ve built coverage step by step across all stages of the roadmap. Let’s now check if this journey is enough to complete your TikTok coding interview prep.

The overall coverage is very strong, as shown in the chart above. Of the 28 patterns, 15 are now in the green zone, which means they are well covered.

In the yellow zone, we see patterns like Heaps, Merge Intervals, Hash Maps, Knowing What to Track, Bitwise Manipulation, and Math and Geometry. Each of these is already more than halfway done and would only need one hard problem to push them into the green zone.

The remaining patterns in red include Subsets, Matrices, Custom Data Structures, K-way Merge, Fast and Slow Pointers, and Cyclic Sort. Most of these would need a small set of two targeted problems each to move up significantly.

One important highlight is that Sort and Search is still at 0%, i.e., it has not been covered by any of the sets so far. This pattern needs your special attention and dedicated practice to complete the coverage. Here are some recommended problems to cover Sort and Search:

Patterns recap for the TikTok interview prep#

Let’s quickly look at how pattern coverage improved across each stage of this roadmap:

The pie chart above shows that most of the coverage came from the common patterns (78.6%), which means the NeetCode-TikTok overlap contributed strongly early on. The TikTok-only problems contributed 7.1% and the NeetCode-only problems contributed 10.7% by adding important new patterns, while just a small slice (3.6%) remained uncovered. We have already identified that pattern as well, Sort and Search.

How close are you to 420 with this TikTok-focused roadmap?#

Your progress so far has steadily increased both coverage and depth. Let’s now look at how close this TikTok-focused roadmap brings you to the ideal score of 420.

The score chart above shows how progress is built up stage by stage.

• The common problems between NeetCode and TikTok contributed the most with 202 points, giving you more than half of the total score right from the start. This is valuable because it means your early effort goes directly into questions that both strengthen fundamentals and reflect TikTok’s real interview focus.

• The TikTok-only set added 79 points, which is the second biggest contribution. These questions are valuable since they capture TikTok’s specific style and fill gaps not covered by NeetCode.

• Finally, the remaining NeetCode problems contributed 32 points, which might look smaller but still matters. They ensure you are not leaving weak spots and that your prep has breadth across all core areas.

Altogether, this brings the total to 313 points out of 420, leaving only 107 points to be completed through targeted practice. It is a manageable gap with the 1–2–1 rubric in hand.

Final verdict: Is it NeetCode 150 or LeetCode patterns for TikTok? #

The real takeaway is that success in TikTok coding interviews is not about memorizing solutions to a fixed list of problems. What matters is understanding the underlying patterns. Practicing problems is only fruitful when you approach them with the intent of learning something transferable. Once you grasp a pattern, you can handle many variations of it with confidence.

The smart way to prepare for TikTok is to blend NeetCode 150, TikTok top 150, and the 28 LeetCode Patterns. Begin with the overlap between NeetCode and TikTok problems, since this gives you a solid foundation of what actually gets asked. Then, add TikTok-only problems to capture the company’s unique twists, and finally, round out your prep by ensuring that all 28 patterns are covered.

Follow this roadmap, measure your progress with the 1–2–1 rubric, and you will be well equipped to handle TikTok’s speed and unpredictability. Good luck with your prep, and I hope to see you walk into your TikTok interview with confidence.

Recommended resources to level up your 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.