How to Solve LeetCode Problems in Time: A Strategic Approach

The Time Crunch Problem

You know the feeling: 45 minutes on the clock, a medium-difficulty problem on the screen, and your mind goes blank. Time pressure is the silent killer in coding interviews. Here's how to beat it.

The 5-Step Method (45-Minute Interview)

Step 1: Understand (5 minutes)

• Read the problem twice
• Identify inputs and outputs clearly
• Write down 2-3 examples (including edge cases)
• Ask clarifying questions

Step 2: Plan (5-7 minutes)

• Identify the pattern (two pointers? DP? graph traversal?)
• Think of brute force first
• Optimize before coding
• Verbalize your approach to the interviewer

Step 3: Code (20-25 minutes)

• Write clean, readable code
• Use meaningful variable names
• Don't optimize prematurely - get it working first

Step 4: Test (5-7 minutes)

• Trace through your code with a simple example
• Test edge cases mentally
• Fix bugs as you find them

Step 5: Optimize (remaining time)

• Discuss potential improvements
• Analyze time/space complexity

Pattern Recognition is Everything

The fastest way to solve problems is to recognize them. Here's a quick pattern guide:

"Find pairs/triplets that sum to X" → Two Pointers or Hash Map

"Longest/shortest substring with property X" → Sliding Window

"Find kth largest/smallest" → Heap or Quick Select

"All possible combinations/permutations" → Backtracking

"Minimum steps to reach goal" → BFS

"Can this be done? True/False" → Often DP or Greedy

"Find cycle or detect loop" → Fast & Slow Pointers

Time-Saving Tricks

1. Use Built-in Functions

Don't reinvent the wheel. Know your language's standard library.

• Sorting: Arrays.sort(), sorted()
• Searching: binary search libraries
• Data structures: heapq, collections.Counter

2. Start Simple, Optimize Later

A working O(n²) solution beats an incomplete O(n log n) solution. Get something working, then improve.

3. Don't Debug Silently

If stuck, talk through your logic. The interviewer might give hints, and explaining often reveals bugs.

4. Have Templates Ready

Memorize templates for common patterns:

• Binary search template
• BFS/DFS template
• Sliding window template
• Union-Find template

5. Know When to Pivot

If your approach isn't working after 10 minutes of coding, step back and reconsider. It's okay to say "Let me try a different approach."

Managing Interview Anxiety

Before the Interview:

• Solve 2-3 easy problems to warm up
• Review your templates
• Get comfortable with the coding environment

During the Interview:

• Breathe. A 30-second pause to think is better than rushing into wrong code
• If stuck, verbalize: "I'm thinking about using X because..."
• Ask for hints if truly blocked (it's better than silence)

Mindset Shift:

The interviewer wants you to succeed. They're not trying to trick you. Approach it as a collaborative problem-solving session.

Practice Strategy

Quality Over Quantity

Solving 500 problems poorly helps less than solving 100 problems deeply. For each problem:

• Solve it yourself first (even if it takes long)
• Study the optimal solution
• Re-solve it the next day from memory
• Review it again a week later

Time Your Practice

Practice with a timer. Start with 60 minutes per medium problem, work down to 30-35 minutes.

Simulate Real Conditions

• Use a plain text editor (no autocomplete)
• Explain your solution out loud
• Don't look up syntax

The Week Before Your Interview

• Review your solved problems (especially those you found hard)
• Do 1-2 easy problems daily for confidence
• Practice system design questions
• Review language-specific syntax and gotchas
• Get good sleep - fatigue kills performance

Remember: interview performance is a skill separate from coding ability. You can be a great engineer and still struggle in interviews without practice. The good news? It's a learnable skill.