A structured, pattern-first study plan for engineers with 4 weeks before an interview. Week-by-week breakdown with daily targets.
Week 1 — Foundations
Arrays and Strings: Two Pointers, Sliding Window, Prefix Sum, Hash Map. Target: 15 problems. Focus on Easy and Medium only. Goal: build pattern recognition, not memorisation. Spend 30 minutes on each problem. If you cannot solve it in 30 minutes, read the approach, understand it, then implement from scratch the next day.
Week 2 — Core data structures
Stack, Queue/BFS, Heap, Linked List, Binary Search. Target: 20 problems. Start timing yourself — aim for Medium problems in under 25 minutes. Begin doing problems from your target companies. Review every problem you solved more than 3 days ago.
Week 3 — Trees, Graphs, and DP
Trees/DFS, Graphs, Dynamic Programming (1D then 2D). Target: 20 problems. This is the hardest week. Slow down on DP — go through the 4-step framework for every problem before coding. For graphs, practice building the adjacency list from scratch each time.
Week 4 — Review and mock interviews
Revisit every problem you marked as hard. Do 2–3 timed mock interviews (use Pramp or a friend). Focus on communication: explain your thought process before coding. Re-do 10 random problems from weeks 1–3 without looking at your notes. Fix gaps.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I prepare for a FAANG coding interview in 4 weeks? +
Yes — if you already have a CS fundamentals background and can commit 3-4 hours daily. Four weeks is tight but achievable if you follow a pattern-first approach and skip random grinding. Focus only on the highest-frequency patterns: Two Pointers, Sliding Window, Binary Search, Trees/BFS/DFS, and Dynamic Programming basics. Do not spread across all 21 patterns.
How many LeetCode problems should I do per day for interview prep? +
Quality over quantity: 2-3 problems per day is ideal for most engineers. Spending 45-60 minutes truly understanding one medium problem — its pattern, edge cases, and optimal approach — beats rushing through 5 problems and memorizing solutions. The goal is pattern recognition, not problem count.
Should I start with easy or medium LeetCode problems? +
Start with easy problems (1 week) to build pattern fluency and confidence. The pattern exists in easy problems too — Two Sum teaches hash map lookup, Climbing Stairs teaches DP base cases. Then move to mediums — the bulk of interview questions. Attempt hards only after you can consistently solve mediums in under 25 minutes.
What is the best coding interview study plan for beginners? +
Week 1: Arrays, Hash Maps, Two Pointers (15 easy/medium problems). Week 2: Binary Search, Stack, Linked List (15 problems). Week 3: Trees, Graphs, BFS/DFS (15 problems). Week 4: Dynamic Programming basics + review and mock interviews. This pattern-first progression builds each concept on the previous one and covers 80% of interview topics.
How do I simulate real interview conditions while practicing? +
Set a 25-minute timer for medium problems and 40 minutes for hard problems. Code in a plain text editor, not LeetCode — no autocomplete. Speak your thought process aloud as if explaining to an interviewer. After time is up, review the optimal solution even if you solved it. Use platforms like Pramp or Interviewing.io for free peer mock interviews with real engineers.
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Syed Peera Saheb
Software Engineer · 5+ years · ServiceNow
Software engineer with hands-on experience passing technical interviews at top tech companies. Built Coding Prep Guide to share the pattern-first prep strategy that actually works. Writes about DSA, system design, and interview strategy.