Originally published on LeetCopilot Blog
Is the Blind 75 still the gold standard for FAANG interview prep? We break down the list, compare it to Grind 75, and show you exactly how to study it efficiently.
Stop me if this sounds familiar: You decide to "finally get serious" about LeetCode. You open the main problem set page, see 3,000+ problems, panic, and randomly pick an "Easy" that turns out to be impossibly hard. Two hours later, you rage-quit.
This is why most people fail at interview prep. They treat it like a volume game ("I need to solve 500 problems!") instead of a pattern game.
Enter the Blind 75.
It's widely considered the single most effective curated list of LeetCode problems ever created. If you have limited time and want the highest ROI on your study hours, this is your roadmap.
In this guide, we'll break down what the Blind 75 is, why it works, how it compares to the newer "Grind 75," and the exact strategy you should use to master it.
What is the Blind 75?
The Blind 75 is a list of 75 LeetCode questions generated by Yangshun Tay, a Meta Staff Engineer (and creator of the Tech Interview Handbook).
He noticed a problem: people were grinding hundreds of questions but failing to learn the underlying patterns. They would memorize specific solutions but choke when given a slightly different variation of the same problem.
The Blind 75 categorizes problems by their underlying data structure or algorithmic pattern (e.g., Arrays, Linked Lists, Dynamic Programming, Trees, Graphs). The theory is simple: if you master the pattern behind these 75 representative problems, you can solve 90% of the questions asked in interviews at Google, Meta, Amazon, and Microsoft.
Why It's Still the GOAT (Greatest of All Time)
- No Fluff: It cuts out the repetitive "filler" questions.
- Pattern-First: It forces you to learn techniques (like Sliding Window or Two Heaps) rather than just answers.
- Manageable: 75 problems feel achievable. 2,000 do not.
The Blind 75 Breakdown (By Category)
Here is how the list is structured. If you're starting from scratch, don't just go down the list efficiently. Start with the fundamentals (Arrays/Strings) before moving to recursive patterns (Trees/Graphs/DP).
1. Array & Hashing
Fundamental for everything else. Master these first.
- Two Sum
- Contains Duplicate
- Product of Array Except Self
- Maximum Subarray
- Maximum Product Subarray
- Find Minimum in Rotated Sorted Array
- Search in Rotated Sorted Array
- 3Sum
- Container With Most Water
2. Binary
Bit manipulation tricks. Often niche, but good to know.
- Sum of Two Integers
- Number of 1 Bits
- Counting Bits
- Missing Number
- Reverse Bits
3. Dynamic Programming (The "Hard" Stuff)
The most intimidating category. The key is understanding sub-problems.
- Climbing Stairs
- Coin Change
- Longest Increasing Subsequence
- Longest Common Subsequence
- Word Break Problem
- Combination Sum
- House Robber / House Robber II
- Decode Ways
- Unique Paths
- Jump Game
4. Graphs
Crucial for system design and complex algo questions.
- Clone Graph
- Course Schedule (Topological Sort)
- Pacific Atlantic Water Flow
- Number of Islands
- Longest Consecutive Sequence
- Alien Dictionary (Premium)
- Graph Valid Tree (Premium)
- Number of Connected Components in an Undirected Graph (Premium)
5. Intervals
Common in business logic questions.
- Insert Interval
- Merge Intervals
- Non-overlapping Intervals
- Meeting Rooms / Meeting Rooms II (Premium)
6. Linked List
Pointer gymnastics. Draw these out!
- Reverse a Linked List
- Detect Cycle in a Linked List
- Merge Two Sorted Lists
- Merge K Sorted Lists
- Remove Nth Node From End Of List
- Reorder List
7. Matrix
- Set Matrix Zeroes
- Spiral Matrix
- Rotate Image
- Word Search
8. String
- Longest Substring Without Repeating Characters
- Longest Repeating Character Replacement
- Minimum Window Substring
- Valid Anagram
- Group Anagrams
- Valid Parentheses
- Valid Palindrome
- Longest Palindromic Substring
- Palindromic Substrings
- Encode and Decode Strings (Premium)
9. Tree
Recursive thinking is non-negotiable here.
- Maximum Depth of Binary Tree
- Same Tree
- Invert/Flip Binary Tree
- Binary Tree Maximum Path Sum
- Binary Tree Level Order Traversal
- Serialize and Deserialize Binary Tree
- Subtree of Another Tree
- Construct Binary Tree from Preorder and Inorder Traversal
- Validate Binary Search Tree
- Kth Smallest Element in a BST
- Lowest Common Ancestor of BST
- Implement Trie (Prefix Tree)
- Add and Search Word
10. Heap / Priority Queue
- Merge K Sorted Lists
- Top K Frequent Elements
- Find Median from Data Stream
Blind 75 vs. Grind 75: Which Should You Choose?
Yangshun Tay later released an updated version called Grind 75. So which one should you do?
| Feature | Blind 75 | Grind 75 |
|---|---|---|
| Status | The Classic | The Modern Update |
| Size | Fixed (75 problems) | Adjustable (75, 169, etc.) |
| Flexibility | Static List | Customizable by time/difficulty |
| Best For | Reference & Benchmarking | Active Study Plans |
Our Verdict:
If you want a checklist to see where you stand, use the Blind 75.
If you are starting a study plan today, use Grind 75. It's effectively Blind 75 v2.0 with better ordering and adjustable timeframes.
How to Actually Study (Don't Just Grind)
Solving the problems isn't enough. You need to retain the patterns. Here is the framework for maximum ROI:
1. The 15-Minute Rule
Give yourself 15 minutes to solve a problem.
- Stuck? Do not look at the solution immediately. Look for a hint.
- Still stuck? Look at the category of the solution (e.g., "Use a HashMap").
- Really stuck? Read the solution, understand it, close the tab, and write the code from scratch.
2. Spaced Repetition Is Non-Negotiable
Solving a problem once means nothing. You will forget it in 3 days.
- Review schedule: 1 day later, 3 days later, 1 week later.
- If you can't solve it "cold" during review, resets the clock.
3. Focus on Invariants
Don't memorize code lines. Memorize the logic statements (invariants) that make the code work.
Example for Binary Search: "I am looking for a value in the range [L, R]. Since the array is sorted, if mid < target, I can discard everything to the left."
Upgrade Your Prep with LeetCopilot
The biggest issue with the Blind 75 is friction.
You open a problem, get stuck, tab out to find a solution, read a messy Python script, copy-paste it, and learn nothing.
We built LeetCopilot to fix this loop.
Instead of giving you the answer, LeetCopilot acts like a senior interviewer sitting next to you:
- Progressive Hints: It gives you a nudge ("Have you considered using two pointers here?") before spoiling the answer.
- Visualization: Confused why your pointer math is wrong? Ask it to visualize the stack trace or the array key indices.
- Complexity Analysis: Instantly check if your O(n^2) solution will pass or time out.
Stop rote memorizing. Start understanding.
Final Thoughts
The Blind 75 is a rite of passage. It's hard. It's frustrating. But it is also the fast lane.
By constraining your focus to these 75 problems, you stop drowning in the sea of LeetCode and start swimming toward your offer.
Pick one problem. Set a timer. Go.
If you're looking for an AI assistant to help you master LeetCode patterns and prepare for coding interviews, check out LeetCopilot.
Top comments (0)