# Double your Leetcode Efficiency 🔥 From Newbie to Mastery

Recently, I managed to solve over 300 problems in less than a month, and yet, astonishingly, I’m still ranked below the 200,000th position, lol. Makes me wonder, is it worthy to put that much time in solving as many as Leetcode problems?

In my experience, the challenges isn’t necessarily the underlying algorithm or concept. Often times, you might have a relatively good knowledge on which algorithm to use but get stuck on implementation details. Debugging and identifying the root of such issues can be nightmarishly time-consuming. 🔍 An alarming amount of effort goes into resolving these bottlenecks.

After reflection, I’ve summarized a few vital strategies:

📚 **Solid Foundations are Essential**: It goes without saying, but you must have a solid understanding on the fundamental data structures and algorithms. Without it, it is hard to move forward.

✅ **Tackling Problems by Algorithm Category is Crucial**: It’s beneficial to focus on specific topics, like binary search, trees, or graphs, one at a time. Whenever you encounter mistakes, remember to make a note of them, and review them periodically. 📝

I generally rely on [bugfree.ai](http://bugfree.ai) to assist in debugging and providing problem-solving insights. Just select a problem on [bugfree.ai](http://bugfree.ai), input your erroneous code, and it will point out the mistakes, reasons, and potential solutions 🛠️.

![bugfree.ai ask question](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1735612003752/b337c057-4da9-43db-93d7-4318d6c1ec7b.png)

Many times, review solutions from others is not gonna help with your problem. It could even constrain your creative thinking skills.

🚫 **Prioritize Conceptual Understanding Over Execution**: Don’t spend too much time on those ‘hard’ problems, especially those length problems. Interviewers seldomly choose them. They usually prefer concise, easily understood problems with a clear line of reasoning. 👍

Think about this: why would they give you a lengthy, complicated problem that demands extended reading, thinking, and solution crafting, when an online assessment would be sufficient for it? Why waste interviewers’ time on watching you solving these lengthy problems?

If ever you’re unsure on how to articulate your thinking process, [bugfree.ai](http://bugfree.ai) can be your powerful weapon. Its explanations are clear and easy-to-understand, making it a useful tool in interviews and for interview preparations. 🤣

![bugfree.ai history](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1735612004614/ebfbea47-7ae3-4621-9342-9fc8db25f7bb.png)

Happy Coding! Happy Leetcode!