Summary of "I took 9 Months to learn DSA, for you 3 months (Just Avoid Mistakes)"
Summary of “I took 9 Months to learn DSA, for you 3 months (Just Avoid Mistakes)”
This video focuses on common mistakes beginners make while learning and solving Data Structures and Algorithms (DSA) problems. It provides practical advice to avoid these mistakes, aiming to accelerate learning from a typical 9-month timeline to about 3 months. The speaker emphasizes consistent effort, effective problem-solving strategies, and revision to build strong problem-solving skills.
Main Ideas and Lessons
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Consistent and Intensive Practice Many beginners solve only 1-3 problems per day, which slows progress. To improve quickly, solve 8-10 problems daily, especially at the easy level, for about 20 days. This volume trains your brain to analyze and build logic effectively. Dedicate 4-5 hours daily to practice. If you can’t always code, at least read and understand problems on platforms like LeetCode or GeeksforGeeks and take notes to build logic mentally.
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Avoid Naive Solutions Without Optimization After solving a problem with a basic or naive approach, do not stop there. Always check the comment section or other solutions to learn more efficient and elegant approaches. Understanding optimized solutions helps develop better thinking and prepares you for harder problems. Focus on learning effective approaches rather than just getting a working solution.
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Time Management While Solving Problems Spend no more than 45-60 minutes on a single problem. If stuck, don’t waste hours; instead, refer to community solutions, tutorials, or videos. Copy and understand others’ solutions to learn new techniques and improve your thinking. Avoid ego: seeking help and learning from others is crucial for growth.
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Importance of Revision Many solve problems once but fail to solve them again later. Regular revision is essential to retain problem-solving patterns, logic, and algorithms long-term. Maintain notes including problem statements, input/output, logic, and effective approaches. Revise these notes daily or frequently to reinforce learning. This habit ensures you can recall and apply patterns in future problems.
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Choosing the Right Data Structures Naive solutions often ignore the power of appropriate data structures. Identify and use the correct data structure for each problem to build efficient solutions. Example: Balancing parentheses problems are best solved using a stack. Developing this intuition helps in faster and more effective problem-solving.
Methodology / Instructions to Avoid Mistakes
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Daily Practice Solve 8-10 problems daily at the easy level initially. Gradually move to medium-level problems once easy problems become straightforward.
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Post-Solution Analysis After solving, review others’ solutions and identify more efficient approaches. Implement and understand these approaches to improve your logic.
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Time Allocation Limit problem-solving attempts to 45-60 minutes. If stuck, seek help through comments, tutorials, or videos. Learn by copying and understanding others’ code, then apply that knowledge to new problems.
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Revision Routine Keep detailed notes on problems solved. Include problem statement, logic, data structures used, and optimized approaches. Revise these notes regularly to retain knowledge.
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Data Structure Focus For each problem, analyze which data structure fits best. Practice recognizing patterns that map to specific data structures.
Speakers / Sources Featured
- Karthik (main speaker and instructor) Conducts live classes and training sessions on DSA problem solving, shares personal experience and advice.
End of Summary
Category
Educational
