Almost every programmer—regardless of experience level—will face data structure and algorithm questions during technical interviews. Many candidates assume that solving a large number of problems is the key to success. However, with platforms like LeetCode now hosting over 3,500 problems (as of April 2025), it may feel like you'll never reach the mythical point of "enough" practice.

So, how can you effectively prepare for your algorithm interviews? Here are two principles I’ve found most impactful:

1. Focus on High-Quality, Pattern-Based Practice

Rather than blindly grinding hundreds of questions, concentrate on problems that represent common patterns and core concepts. Most algorithm interviews draw from a relatively small pool of problem types, and these can be covered by roughly 300 well-selected questions.

Resources like AlgoMaster 300 and Cracking the Coding Interview organize questions by topic and difficulty. Studying these in a structured way—using spaced repetition, note-taking, or even blogging—helps internalize key strategies.

Over time, you'll begin to recognize recurring patterns (e.g., sliding window, backtracking, union-find) and develop solution templates. These templates act as mental shortcuts during interviews, helping you quickly identify the right approach under time pressure.

2. Show Your Thinking Process Clearly

Remember: the goal of algorithm interviews is not to check whether you’ve solved hundreds of problems, but to assess your:

• Analytical thinking
• Problem-solving strategy
• Communication skills

This is especially true for new graduates, who may lack real-world project experience.

When you receive a problem, don't rush into coding. Start by clarifying the problem with your interviewer:

• Are there any constraints I should know about?
• What data types or structures should I use?
• Who will be using this API?
• Should we optimize more for time or space?
• Is multithreading a requirement?

These questions show that you're thinking like an engineer, not just a coder. Afterward, propose a workable solution that fits the time constraints. If you finish early, discuss potential improvements: testing, edge cases, time-space tradeoffs, etc.

Practicing mock interviews with a friend or mentor is one of the most effective ways to build this skill.

Further Resources

There are excellent curated guides such as:

• Tech Interview Handbook
• Blind 75
• LeetCode Patterns

But no matter which list you follow, the key is deliberate practice, not just repetition.

Final Thoughts

Interview preparation is not just about grinding problems—it's about developing a sharp, reusable problem-solving mindset. Keep solving thoughtfully, not endlessly. And remember, interviews often also include system design, behavioral rounds, and domain-specific knowledge.

Stay consistent, stay curious—and keep moving forward. 🔥

This page collects external resources that I find useful. It serves as a personal knowledge index and may be updated over time.

Cheat Sheets

• Markdown — A concise reference for commonly used syntax.
• $\LaTeX$ Math — A printable summary of math symbols and expressions.
• Git — A brief overview of frequently used commands.

Writing

• How to Write a Great Technical Blog Post — Tips on clarity, structure, and writing with purpose.

The following is how the official site describes Hexo:

Hexo is a fast, simple and powerful blog framework. You write posts in Markdown (or other markup languages) and Hexo generates static files with a beautiful theme in seconds.

Compared to other static site generators such as Hugo or Jekyll, Hexo strikes a nice balance between speed and simplicity. And unlike traditional CMS platforms like WordPress, Hexo can be deployed for free on GitHub Pages, with minimal maintenance.

Below are some personal best practices I've developed with Hexo, designed to help you set up a clean and efficient blog quickly—so you can focus more on writing, not tinkering.

Install

The official installation guide is straightforward and reliable. Hexo is lightweight, so just follow the instructions step by step and you're good to go.

Deploy

I recommend using GitHub Actions to deploy your blog to GitHub Pages. It works for both public and private repositories and is more modern than traditional "one-command" deployment approaches. It also aligns better with standard CI/CD workflows and reduces reliance on your local environment.

If you choose GitHub Actions, follow the official deployment guide. Here’s one tip: you don’t need to stick to the username.github.io naming convention. A custom repository name, such as 404BlogNotFound, gives you a cleaner and more meaningful URL like https://ian-tsien.github.io/404BlogNotFound/ instead of the verbose https://ian-tsien.github.io/ian-tsien.github.io/.

⚠ This works for me, but your mileage may vary.

Theme and Plugins

Aesthetics are subjective. I use the hexo-theme-icarus, which is elegant and highly customizable. There are many forks and variations of this theme, but unless you’re a hardcore Hexo user, I suggest sticking with the basic version for simplicity.

Here are two quick ways to get started:

• Switch to the site branch of the theme repository and copy the configuration files _config.yml and _config.icarus.yml. Then, replace the personal information with your own.

  Note: Some fields and files like _config.post.yml, deploy, or algolia may be unnecessary or deprecated—especially if you’re using GitHub Actions and not hexo-algolia for search.

• Alternatively, clone my repository and reuse the cleaned-up versions of _config.yml and _config.icarus.yml. I’ve already removed unnecessary parts, so it’s easier to adapt.

To learn what each plugin does and how to customize your theme, check out the theme documentation.

Recommended Plugins

To fully support Markdown features and emoji parsing, I recommend installing:

• hexo-filter-github-emojis
• hexo-renderer-marked
• hexo-image-link

Of course, you can browse the official plugin list for more options—but in my experience, these are sufficient. After all, your content matters more than fancy features.

Writing Process

Get familiar with Hexo’s command-line tools by reviewing the command documentation. Here's a simple flow chart:

I recommend starting with drafts:

1

hexo new draft <title>

Add source/_drafts/ to your .gitignore so you can work privately, revise at your own pace, and publish only when you’re satisfied.

Reference

• Hexo Official Website
• Hexo Theme Icarus
• My Blog Repo Example