How to Crack FAANG in Half the Time: LeetCode vs. AlgoMonster
And, 15 Coding Patterns Every Developer Should Learn
Hello guys, when it comes to preparing for coding interviews, LeetCode has been the go-to platform for years. It’s vast, it’s challenging, and it covers nearly every problem you can imagine.
But let’s be honest — many developers eventually hit a wall with LeetCode.
Endless grinding without structure can make you feel stuck, even if you’ve solved hundreds of problems.
That’s where AlgoMonster comes in.
Designed by former Google engineers, AlgoMonster takes a structured, data-driven approach to mastering coding interviews.
Instead of throwing random problems at you, it helps you learn by patterns — the same way top candidates prepare to crack FAANG interviews efficiently.
Patterns are a structured way to learn and solve coding problems. Once you understand a pattern, you can solve any question based upon that and most importantly you will start seeing patterns in questions and problems.
But, this only happens if you know what are common patterns, how they work and how to use them.
AlgoMonster gives you everything you need to master Patterns, right from the which patterns are most important for interview to even company based coverage.
Here is one such example:
To start with you can pick the easy patterns which have high ROI and then you move on to difficult ones which separate average to experts.
This pattern based learning is what makes AlgoMonster a golden resource for FAANG/MAANG interview preparation.
And, If you want to join, now is the perfect time because they are offering 50% discount on their annual plan, I have the same and I highly recommend to any developer who are preparing for coding interviews or just want to get better at problem solving, particularly solving FAANG level coding problems.
Which Coding Patterns to Master?
Mastering coding patterns is the most efficient way to prepare for technical interviews. Instead of memorizing solutions, you learn to identify the underlying structure of a problem.
Here are 15 essential coding patterns with brief explanations and examples.
1. Two Pointers
Use two references (pointers) to traverse an array or string, usually moving from both ends toward the middle or at different speeds to find a pair or subarray.
Example: Finding a pair in a sorted array that sums to a target value.
2. Fast and Slow Pointers
Also known as the “Hare & Tortoise” algorithm. Two pointers move through a data structure at different speeds.
Example: Detecting a cycle in a linked list.
3. Sliding Window
Maintain a subset of elements (the “window”) that satisfies a condition, sliding it across the data structure.
Example: Finding the maximum sum of a subarray of size k.
4. Merge Intervals
Used to deal with overlapping intervals. Sort the intervals by start time and then merge or compare them.
Example: Merging overlapping meeting times.
5. Cyclic Sort
Used when you are given an array containing numbers in a range (e.g., 1 to n) and need to place them in their correct index.
Example: Finding the missing number in an array of 1 to n.
6. In-place Reversal of a Linked List
Reversing links between nodes without using extra space (O(1) space complexity).
Example: Reversing a sub-list from position m to n.
7. Tree Breadth-First Search (BFS)
Traverse a tree level-by-level using a queue.
Example: Calculating the average value of each level in a binary tree.
8. Tree Depth-First Search (DFS)
Traverse a tree using recursion (pre-order, in-order, or post-order).
Example: Checking if a tree has a path with a given sum.
9. Two Heaps
Maintain two heaps (a min-heap and a max-heap) to track elements in two halves.
Example: Finding the median of a streaming dataset.
10. Subsets
Used for problems requiring combinations or permutations of a set.
Example: Generating all possible subsets of a given set.
11. Modified Binary Search
Searching in a sorted array or matrix, or finding boundaries.
Example: Searching for a target in a rotated sorted array.
12. Top ‘K’ Elements
Use a heap to keep track of the largest or smallest k elements.
Example: Finding the kth largest element in an array.
13. K-way Merge
Merge multiple sorted arrays into one sorted result.
Example: Merging k sorted linked lists.
14. Topological Sort
Used for ordering elements in a Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG) where some tasks must be completed before others.
Example: Determining the order of tasks given dependencies.
15. Dynamic Programming (0/1 Knapsack)
Breaking problems into subproblems and storing results to avoid redundant calculations.
Example: Determining the maximum value that can fit into a knapsack with limited capacity.
This pattern based learning is what makes AlgoMonster a golden resource for FAANG/MAANG interview preparation.
And, If you want to join, now is the perfect time because they are offering 50% discount on their annual plan, I have the same and I highly recommend to any developer who are preparing for coding interviews or just want to get better at problem solving, particularly solving FAANG level coding problems.
Here is the link to learn more — 50% discount on Algomonster
What About LeetCode?
LeetCode is like a massive library. You can search by tags, difficulty, or companies and start solving problems right away. It’s great for volume practice — especially once you’re familiar with patterns and just want to fine-tune your speed or accuracy.
However, its biggest drawback is the lack of structure.
Beginners often find themselves solving problems randomly without understanding underlying principles such as two-pointers, sliding windows, binary search, or dynamic programming transitions.
You learn by repetition, but not always by insight.
If you’re self-motivated and already know your weak points, LeetCode is a powerful tool. But if you’re struggling to find a systematic roadmap, AlgoMonster might be a better fit.
Why is AlgoMonster different?
AlgoMonster focuses on understanding patterns before practice. Instead of just solving problems, it walks you through why each approach works, the patterns behind it, and how to apply those patterns across multiple problem types.
Here’s what makes it stand out:
Pattern-Based Learning — Every question belongs to a specific pattern (like BFS, DFS, Sliding Window, etc.), making it easier to generalize solutions.
Interactive Explanations — You can visualize problem-solving steps, making complex concepts easier to grasp.
Progress Tracking — AlgoMonster tracks your mastery level by topic, helping you focus on weak areas.
Company-Specific Problems — It includes questions asked by Google, Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft, so you can prepare strategically.
Time Efficiency — You don’t need to grind 500+ LeetCode questions. AlgoMonster focuses on 150–200 core patterns that appear repeatedly.
For example, their Monster 50 list is an excellent curated set of must-practice problems that build your pattern intuition faster than random LeetCode practice.
My Favorite Coding Problem Lists for Quick Practice
Let’s be honest, LeetCode is huge, over 3000+ problems, even the most dedicated ones will not be able to complete it in years, so if you really want to crack interviews in a limited time, you need to choose the list of questions that covers most of the key concepts, that’s where lists like ByteByteGo 101 and Monster 50 by AlgoMonster come into the picture.
They provide the most structured way to prepare based upon coding patterns, and once you know the pattern, you can solve a lot more problems than without knowing them.
If you’re serious about coding interviews, here are some of the best curated problem lists I use daily:
ByteByteGo 101 Coding Patterns — Great for understanding both coding and system design patterns.
Monster 50 by AlgoMonster — A concise, structured list to master the top interview patterns.
Educative-99 — Deep, text-based guided problems with clear explanations.
Blind 75 by NeetCode — The community’s gold-standard problem list, great for brushing up before interviews.
If you are in a rush, solve Monster 50 by AlgoMonster, but if you want more thorough practice, then ByteByteGo 101 is your best bet. It also gives you practice with patterns, and you will solve 101 patterns and learn 19 coding interview patterns like two pointers, sliding window, prefix sum, etc., along the way.
And, if you want to join ByteByteGo, now is the best time because they are giving 50% discount on their lifetime plan, which is probably the best resource for coding interview preparation in 2026, covering both coding questions as well as System Design questions
Here is the link — Join ByteByteGo with 50% discount
When to Choose LeetCode over AlgoMonster? or Vice-Versa?
Leetcode is best for both beginners and experienced coders who are looking for volume and lots of practice. Most suitable for beginners because they don’t have experience, and grinding LeetCode can give them a lot of confidence.
They also have time on hand, so LeetCode is the best platform for them.
For experienced developers, time is limited as they need to balance both work and coding interview practice; that’s why I feel a structured platform like AlgoMonster or ByteByteGo is probably a better choice for them.
In general, if you already know the main patterns and just want to practice hundreds of variations, LeetCode remains unbeatable.
But if you want to learn patterns efficiently, improve your problem-solving intuition, and save time before interviews, AlgoMonster is the smarter choice.
Here is also the full comparison of AlgoMonster with LeetCode and NeetCode, two of the popular coding interview platforms:
Final Thoughts
In 2026, coding interviews are not just about solving problems — they’re about solving them systematically and explaining your reasoning clearly. AlgoMonster helps you do exactly that.
Whether you’re preparing for your first technical interview or targeting FAANG-level roles, AlgoMonster gives you a structured, efficient roadmap to success.
Combine it with curated resources like ByteByteGo 101, Monster 50, and Blind 75 — and you’ll have a complete system for coding interview mastery.
Thanks for reading this article so far. If you like this article, then please share it with your friends and colleagues. If you have any questions or feedback, please drop a note.
P. S. — If you are serious about getting into FAANG companies and want to leave no stone unturned then I also suggest you to join Algomonster for DSA and DesignGurus.io for System Design, and start practicing mock interviews on Exponent. This is the perfect recipe to crack coding interviews in quick time