NeetCode 75 for beginners: A smarter way to prep
If you're just starting your tech interview prep, the sheer volume of problems on LeetCode can feel overwhelming. Enter NeetCode 75—a curated list of essential coding problems designed to help beginners study smarter, not harder.
Whether you're aiming for internships or your first software engineering job, NeetCode 75 offers a streamlined, high-signal roadmap to mastering core data structures and algorithms. In this guide, we'll break down what NeetCode 75 includes, why it’s so effective for beginners, and how to get the most out of it.
Grokking the Coding Interview Patterns
I created Grokking the Coding Interview because I watched too many talented engineers fail interviews they should have passed. At Microsoft and Meta, I saw firsthand what separated the candidates who succeeded from the ones who didn't. It wasn't how many LeetCode problems they'd solved. It was whether they could look at an unfamiliar problem and know how to approach it the right way. That's what this course teaches. Rather than throwing hundreds of disconnected problems at you, we organize the entire coding interview around 28 fundamental patterns. Each pattern is a reusable strategy. Once you understand two pointers, for example, you can apply them to dozens of problems you've never seen before. The course walks you through each pattern step by step, starting with the intuition behind it, then building through increasingly complex applications. As with every course on Educative, you will practice in a hands-on way with 500+ challenges, 17 mock interviews, and detailed explanations for every solution. The course is available in Python, Java, JavaScript, Go, C++, and C#, so you can prep in the language you'll actually use in your interview. Whether you're preparing for your first FAANG loop or brushing up after a few years away from interviewing, this course will give you a repeatable framework for cracking the coding interview.
What is NeetCode 75?#
NeetCode 75 is a handpicked list of 75 coding interview questions selected by the popular YouTuber and educator NeetCode. These problems cover the most frequently asked topics in technical interviews—from arrays and strings to trees, graphs, and dynamic programming.
Each problem is chosen to:
Teach a fundamental concept
Build intuition for patterns that recur across interviews
Progressively increase in difficulty
If you're new to coding interviews, NeetCode 75 is one of the most efficient starting points. It reduces decision fatigue and ensures you’re not wasting time on low-impact problems.
Why NeetCode 75 is perfect for beginners#
Many beginners waste time solving dozens of random problems without building a mental model of how to approach them. NeetCode 75 eliminates that guesswork.
Here’s what makes it beginner-friendly:
Topic-based structure: Problems are grouped by topic so you can focus on one concept at a time.
Curated order: The sequence is designed to build foundational knowledge before moving into advanced patterns.
Video explanations: Most problems come with free walkthroughs from NeetCode himself.
Community support: You’ll find tons of discussion threads, alternate solutions, and tips across forums and YouTube.
By using NeetCode 75, beginners can build confidence through structure, reinforcement, and repetition—three ingredients that make technical interviews less intimidating.
What topics are included in NeetCode 75?#
The problems span key categories that show up in virtually every coding interview:
Arrays & Hashing
Two Pointers
Sliding Window
Stack
Binary Search
Trees
Tries
Heap / Priority Queue
Backtracking
Graphs
Advanced Graphs
1D and 2D Dynamic Programming
Each topic includes 3–7 carefully selected problems that balance learning and difficulty. You’re not just solving problems—you’re building a deep understanding of data structure behavior, algorithmic patterns, and edge cases.
How to use NeetCode 75 effectively#
If you’re just getting started, here’s a smarter way to approach it:
1. Set a weekly schedule#
Start with manageable goals. Tackling 5–7 problems per week gives you time to reflect, debug, and learn from mistakes without burnout. Treat each problem as a learning opportunity, not a checkbox.
2. Don’t skip the explanations#
NeetCode’s videos are one of the list’s greatest assets. Watching the explanations helps you:
Learn different coding styles
Understand trade-offs between brute-force and optimal solutions
Spot patterns that you can reuse in future problems
3. Focus on understanding, not memorization#
Interviewers care about how you think, not just whether you can regurgitate code. Spend time:
Explaining your logic out loud
Drawing diagrams or visualizing inputs and outputs
Identifying what makes each problem tricky
4. Revisit problems you struggled with#
The real growth happens when you revisit challenging problems. Use spaced repetition:
Reattempt tough problems after 2–3 days
Track your improvements and mistakes
Try solving them using different methods
This approach leads to stronger recall and a more flexible problem-solving mindset.
Common beginner mistakes to avoid#
Interview prep is a mental workout. Many beginners unknowingly sabotage their learning. Here’s what to watch out for:
Skipping problem analysis: Always read and interpret constraints before jumping to code.
Copying solutions mindlessly: If you don’t know why something works, you haven’t learned it yet.
Avoiding hard problems: Difficult problems stretch your thinking—don’t shy away from them.
Neglecting review: Your brain forgets quickly. Revisiting problems regularly is key to long-term retention.
NeetCode 75 is about building a problem-solving mindset, not just a checklist of solved problems.
Pair NeetCode 75 with mock interviews#
Mock interviews test your ability to:
Solve under time pressure
Communicate clearly with interviewers
Handle ambiguity and unexpected twists
Use platforms like Pramp, Interviewing.io, or even a peer from your network. When solving NeetCode 75 problems:
Set a 30–45 minute timer
Practice articulating your plan before coding
Explain trade-offs and edge cases out loud
This practice will make the real interviews feel familiar and manageable.
Track your progress and stay consistent#
Creating a visual tracker (spreadsheet or Notion page) helps:
Stay motivated by seeing your growth
Identify weak areas for review
Plan future study sessions more effectively
Consistency beats cramming. Even short daily sessions build strong habits and compound understanding over time.
Use discussion forums to deepen understanding#
After solving a problem, don’t stop there:
Read top solutions in the discussion tab
Compare code complexity and styles
Ask questions when you’re stuck
You’ll gain new insights and often find cleaner, more intuitive solutions than your own. It’s a great way to evolve your problem-solving style.
Reinforce your learning with real projects#
Once you've completed a few topics, look for ways to apply what you’ve learned:
Build a pathfinding tool using graph traversal logic
Implement autocomplete using tries
Create a leaderboard or cache using heaps and hashmaps
Applying NeetCode 75 knowledge in projects gives context to abstract concepts—and helps solidify them in your long-term memory.
Transition from NeetCode 75 to System Design prep#
Technical interviews at mid-to-senior levels often include System Design rounds. Once you're confident in algorithms, begin learning:
Basics of distributed systems
Common design trade-offs (latency vs. throughput)
Core components like load balancers, caching layers, and databases
Start small—read case studies, design tiny apps, or watch mock System Design interviews. The NeetCode 75 foundation will make it easier to understand how systems behave under load.
Deep Dive into System Design Interview
System design is fundamental to building scalable systems, a core skill required for all software engineers. Your understanding of system design will determine your engineering level. This path follows the bottom-up approach and contains the foundational components a software engineer needs to prepare for the system design interview. Start with a quick refresher on the distributed systems, building blocks, and web architectures. You will learn the RESHADED pattern to design large-scale systems like Netflix, Facebook, Quora, etc. Ultimately, a machine learning system design module will prepare you with best practices to design, develop, and integrate machine learning models in production at scale.
Build a daily coding habit#
Treat your interview prep like physical training:
Dedicate 30–60 minutes daily to problem solving
Eliminate distractions—focus deeply during each session
Review what you learned afterward to reinforce your memory
Daily effort leads to exponential progress. A few focused months can transform your confidence and skill.
Final thoughts#
If you're overwhelmed by LeetCode, NeetCode 75 is your shortcut to clarity. It simplifies your path, removes decision fatigue, and helps you focus on what matters most. With consistent effort, even beginners can go from zero to interview-ready.
Use it as a foundation, not a finish line—build projects, read System Design, and practice behavioral questions too. But when it comes to building algorithmic confidence, NeetCode 75 is one of the smartest ways to begin.
Ready to start your prep? Pick a topic, watch the first video, and write some code. You’ll be surprised how fast progress follows once you begin with structure.
