https://codingprepguide.com/blog Practical articles on coding interview patterns, study plans, and preparation strategies for software engineers. en-us syed.peerasaheb@servicenow.com (Syed Peera Saheb) syed.peerasaheb@servicenow.com (Syed Peera Saheb) Tue, 20 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT © 2026 Syed Peera Saheb. All rights reserved. https://codingprepguide.com/logo-512.png https://codingprepguide.com/blog 32 32 https://codingprepguide.com/blog/leetcode-prep-mistakes-i-made https://codingprepguide.com/blog/leetcode-prep-mistakes-i-made After 8 months and 500+ problems, here are the five prep mistakes that actually cost me interviews — and the exact fixes. Mon, 10 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT syed.peerasaheb@servicenow.com (Syed Peera Saheb) Study Strategy Preparation Personal Experience https://codingprepguide.com/blog/how-i-cleared-service-now-interview https://codingprepguide.com/blog/how-i-cleared-service-now-interview My ServiceNow interview transcript: what each round asked, where I almost fell apart, and the exact prep system I used. First-person, dated, no fluff. Wed, 05 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT syed.peerasaheb@servicenow.com (Syed Peera Saheb) Interview Experience ServiceNow System Design Preparation https://codingprepguide.com/blog/how-to-prepare-for-faang-interview https://codingprepguide.com/blog/how-to-prepare-for-faang-interview The complete beginner-to-offer FAANG prep guide: timelines, problem lists, balancing DSA with system design, and mistakes that add weeks to prep. Thu, 30 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT syed.peerasaheb@servicenow.com (Syed Peera Saheb) FAANG Interview Prep Study Plan Beginner https://codingprepguide.com/blog/monotonic-stack-complete-guide https://codingprepguide.com/blog/monotonic-stack-complete-guide Monotonic stacks solve next-greater-element and histogram problems in O(n). The pattern, both variants, and the 6 problems that appear in real interviews. Thu, 30 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT syed.peerasaheb@servicenow.com (Syed Peera Saheb) Monotonic Stack Stack Patterns Arrays https://codingprepguide.com/blog/trie-data-structure-guide https://codingprepguide.com/blog/trie-data-structure-guide Tries solve prefix-matching and autocomplete in O(L) time, beating hash maps for prefix queries. Full implementation plus the 8 interview Trie problems. Thu, 30 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT syed.peerasaheb@servicenow.com (Syed Peera Saheb) Trie Data Structures Patterns String https://codingprepguide.com/blog/best-leetcode-problems-for-interviews https://codingprepguide.com/blog/best-leetcode-problems-for-interviews 50 problems hand-picked across 10 patterns — each appeared in real FAANG interviews and gives the best return on prep time. Tue, 21 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT syed.peerasaheb@servicenow.com (Syed Peera Saheb) LeetCode FAANG Patterns Interview Prep https://codingprepguide.com/blog/python-vs-cpp-for-coding-interviews https://codingprepguide.com/blog/python-vs-cpp-for-coding-interviews Language choice affects interview speed, code clarity, and data structures. The definitive 2026 comparison for algorithm interviews. Mon, 20 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT syed.peerasaheb@servicenow.com (Syed Peera Saheb) Python C++ Interview Prep https://codingprepguide.com/blog/leetcode-vs-hackerrank https://codingprepguide.com/blog/leetcode-vs-hackerrank Both platforms promise to get you hired; one is clearly better for FAANG prep. The honest breakdown of features, problem quality, and which to use. Sun, 19 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT syed.peerasaheb@servicenow.com (Syed Peera Saheb) LeetCode Interview Prep Study Plan https://codingprepguide.com/blog/backtracking-complete-guide https://codingprepguide.com/blog/backtracking-complete-guide Backtracking is just DFS with pruning. Once you see that, permutations, combinations, subsets, and N-Queens all use the same 15-line template. Sat, 18 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT syed.peerasaheb@servicenow.com (Syed Peera Saheb) Backtracking Recursion Patterns https://codingprepguide.com/blog/heap-priority-queue-problems https://codingprepguide.com/blog/heap-priority-queue-problems The heap is the secret weapon for top-K, K closest, and merge-K problems. Here's how it works and the 15 problems that cover every heap pattern. Mon, 13 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT syed.peerasaheb@servicenow.com (Syed Peera Saheb) Heap Priority Queue Patterns https://codingprepguide.com/blog/how-to-crack-google-interview https://codingprepguide.com/blog/how-to-crack-google-interview Google's interview is pattern-heavy and communication-focused, with at least one graph or DP problem. Here's what to expect and how to prepare. Mon, 06 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT syed.peerasaheb@servicenow.com (Syed Peera Saheb) Google FAANG Interview Prep https://codingprepguide.com/blog/leetcode-patterns-list https://codingprepguide.com/blog/leetcode-patterns-list Stop grinding random problems. These 21 patterns cover 95% of what you'll see in coding interviews. Learn the pattern, not the problem. Mon, 29 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT syed.peerasaheb@servicenow.com (Syed Peera Saheb) Patterns LeetCode Interview Prep https://codingprepguide.com/blog/system-design-vs-dsa-interview https://codingprepguide.com/blog/system-design-vs-dsa-interview Most engineers over-prepare one and bomb the other. Here's exactly what each round tests, when you'll face each, and how to split your prep time. Mon, 22 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT syed.peerasaheb@servicenow.com (Syed Peera Saheb) System Design Interview Prep FAANG https://codingprepguide.com/blog/trees-interview-questions https://codingprepguide.com/blog/trees-interview-questions Trees appear in nearly every FAANG interview. Here's every tree pattern — DFS, BFS, LCA, BST, path problems — with the exact problems that test each one. Mon, 15 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT syed.peerasaheb@servicenow.com (Syed Peera Saheb) Trees BFS DFS LeetCode https://codingprepguide.com/blog/top-dynamic-programming-problems https://codingprepguide.com/blog/top-dynamic-programming-problems DP is the most feared interview topic. This curated list of 30 problems covers every DP pattern that appears at Google, Meta, and Amazon. Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT syed.peerasaheb@servicenow.com (Syed Peera Saheb) Dynamic Programming LeetCode FAANG https://codingprepguide.com/blog/blind-75-vs-neetcode-150 https://codingprepguide.com/blog/blind-75-vs-neetcode-150 Both lists dominate interview prep. The honest comparison: what each covers, what each misses, and which to do based on your timeline. Mon, 01 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT syed.peerasaheb@servicenow.com (Syed Peera Saheb) Blind 75 Study Plan NeetCode https://codingprepguide.com/blog/interview-prep-plan-4-weeks https://codingprepguide.com/blog/interview-prep-plan-4-weeks A structured, pattern-first study plan for engineers with 4 weeks before an interview. Week-by-week breakdown with daily targets. Sun, 10 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT syed.peerasaheb@servicenow.com (Syed Peera Saheb) Study Plan Preparation https://codingprepguide.com/blog/two-pointers-complete-guide https://codingprepguide.com/blog/two-pointers-complete-guide Converging, same-direction, fast & slow — the two-pointer family is bigger than most engineers realize. Every variant, with examples. Wed, 15 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT syed.peerasaheb@servicenow.com (Syed Peera Saheb) Two Pointers Patterns https://codingprepguide.com/blog/binary-search-on-answer https://codingprepguide.com/blog/binary-search-on-answer Binary search is not just for sorted arrays. The answer-space variant unlocks a whole class of "minimum/maximum satisfying a condition" problems. Sat, 28 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT syed.peerasaheb@servicenow.com (Syed Peera Saheb) Binary Search Patterns https://codingprepguide.com/blog/graph-problems-cheat-sheet https://codingprepguide.com/blog/graph-problems-cheat-sheet Not sure which graph algorithm to reach for? This cheat sheet maps problem types to the right tool in under two minutes. Thu, 05 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT syed.peerasaheb@servicenow.com (Syed Peera Saheb) Graphs BFS DFS https://codingprepguide.com/blog/dynamic-programming-framework https://codingprepguide.com/blog/dynamic-programming-framework Dynamic programming looks hard until you realise 90% of interview DP problems follow the same four-step breakdown. Here is the framework. Tue, 10 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT syed.peerasaheb@servicenow.com (Syed Peera Saheb) Dynamic Programming Frameworks https://codingprepguide.com/blog/how-to-use-sliding-window https://codingprepguide.com/blog/how-to-use-sliding-window The sliding window technique turns O(n²) brute-force substring problems into clean O(n) solutions. Here is the mental model that makes it click. Tue, 20 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT syed.peerasaheb@servicenow.com (Syed Peera Saheb) Sliding Window Patterns