🧱 Data Structures (DS)
DSA stands for Data Structures and Algorithms. It is a fundamental concept in computer science that deals with organizing and storing data (data structures) and developing efficient methods for solving computational problems (algorithms).
These are ways to organize and store data efficiently.
Category
Linear: Array, Linked List, Stack, Queue
Non-Linear: Tree, Graph, Trie
Hashing: Hash Table (Dictionary/Map)
Others: Heap, Priority Queue, Set
🔁 Algorithms (Algo)
These are step-by-step procedures for solving problems or performing tasks using data structures.
Common categories:
Sorting – Bubble, Merge, Quick, Heap
Searching – Binary Search, BFS, DFS
Recursion & Backtracking
Dynamic Programming (DP)
Greedy Algorithms
Divide and Conquer
Graph Algorithms – Dijkstra, Kruskal, Prim
Bit Manipulation
✅ Learning Roadmap for DSA
✅ Step 1: Master Basic Data Structures
Arrays, Strings
Stack & Queue
Linked List
HashMap / HashSet
✅ Step 2: Learn Algorithms
Sorting & Searching
Recursion & Backtracking
Binary Search on arrays & answers
✅ Step 3: Advance to Trees & Graphs
Binary Tree / BST / Trie
DFS/BFS, Union-Find
Dijkstra / Bellman-Ford
✅ Step 4: Master Dynamic Programming
Memoization vs Tabulation
Knapsack, LIS, LCS, DP on Trees/Graphs
🔧 Want to Learn DSA for Free?
🎓 Best Free Courses:
📘 DSA by Abdul Bari (YouTube)
🎓 DSA in Python (freeCodeCamp)
🌐 Coursera - UCSD DSA Specialization (audit free)
💡 CS50's Data Structures (includes C & Python)
💻 Practice Platforms:
🔗 LeetCode
🔗 HackerRank
🔗 GeeksforGeeks
🔗 Codeforces
🔗 InterviewBit
🔗 CodeStudio (by Coding Ninjas)
Here's a coding interview–focused DSA prep plan specifically designed to help you crack interviews at companies like Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, and top startups.
📅 30-Day Coding Interview Prep Plan (DSA)
✅ Week 1: Core Foundations
Focus: Arrays, Strings, HashMaps
| Topic | Practice Problems |
|---|---|
| Arrays | Two Sum, Best Time to Buy/Sell Stock, Kadane’s Algorithm |
| Strings | Longest Substring w/o Repeat, Valid Anagram, Group Anagrams |
| Hashing | Subarray Sum Equals K, Top K Frequent Elements |
➡️ Practice on: LeetCode Easy/Medium Arrays & Strings
✅ Learn: Sliding Window, Prefix Sum, HashMap patterns
✅ Week 2: Linked List + Stack + Queue
| Topic | Practice Problems |
|---|---|
| Linked List | Reverse LL, Detect Cycle, Merge Two Sorted Lists |
| Stack | Valid Parentheses, Min Stack, Next Greater Element |
| Queue/Deque | Sliding Window Maximum, Implement Queue using Stacks |
📘 Bonus: Understand two-pointer, fast/slow pointer, and monotonic stack techniques
✅ Week 3: Trees + Recursion + Backtracking
| Topic | Practice Problems |
|---|---|
| Binary Trees | Inorder Traversal, Max Depth, Path Sum |
| BSTs | Validate BST, Lowest Common Ancestor |
| Backtracking | N-Queens, Subsets, Permutations |
🎯 Key Skill: Writing recursive functions and reasoning through tree traversal
✅ Week 4: Graphs + DP + Heaps
| Topic | Practice Problems |
|---|---|
| Graphs | Number of Islands, Clone Graph, Topological Sort |
| Heaps | K Closest Points, Merge K Sorted Lists |
| Dynamic Programming | Fibonacci, House Robber, Longest Increasing Subsequence, 0/1 Knapsack |
🧠 Bonus: Learn Union Find, Dijkstra, and Greedy Techniques
🔁 Daily Plan Example (2 Hours/Day)
15 min: Revisit notes + quick warmup
60 min: Solve 2–3 problems (easy→medium)
30 min: Review + Debug + Optimize
15 min: Read discussions or official solutions
🛠 Tools for Success
📘 Recommended Books:
- Cracking the Coding Interview by Gayle Laakmann
- Elements of Programming Interviews
- Grokking the Coding Interview (via Educative)
🎯 Final Week Prep (Before Interviews)
- Practice behavioral questions: STAR format
- Review top Amazon / Google Top 100 LeetCode lists
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