Practice trackers¶
~4 min
In short¶
- Copy these tables into a spreadsheet or notes app and keep one copy of each.
- Fill in the problem log right after each session, and the mistakes log whenever you get something wrong.
- Review the weekly table every Sunday, and use the pattern checklist to decide what to practise next.
Problem log¶
| Date | Problem | Link | Topic | Difficulty | Solved alone? (Y/N) | Time taken (min) | Next review |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Oct 2026 | Two Sum | Hashing | Easy | Y | 12 | 19 Oct 2026 |
Pattern checklist¶
Tick a pattern only when you can solve a new problem of that type without a hint.
| Pattern | Topic | Solved 3+ alone? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prefix sum | Arrays | [ ] | |
| Hash map for counting | Hashing | [ ] | |
| Two pointers | Two pointers | [ ] | |
| Sliding window | Two pointers | [ ] | |
| Monotonic stack | Stack | [ ] | |
| Reverse linked list | Linked list | [ ] | |
| Backtracking with pruning | Recursion | [ ] | |
| Binary search on the answer | Binary search | [ ] | |
| Tree DFS (return values) | Trees | [ ] | |
| BFS on a grid or graph | Graphs | [ ] | |
| Top-k with a heap | Heaps | [ ] | |
| Dijkstra | Shortest paths | [ ] | |
| Union-find | Union-find | [ ] | |
| Merge intervals | Intervals | [ ] | |
| DP on a 1D array | DP | [ ] | |
| DP on a 2D grid | DP | [ ] | |
| Trie insert and search | Tries | [ ] | |
| XOR tricks | Bit tricks | [ ] |
Mistakes log¶
| Date | Problem | What went wrong | Category | Fix in one line | Next review |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Oct 2026 | Two Sum | Forgot to handle duplicate values | Edge case | Check the map before inserting | 19 Oct 2026 |
Categories to use: idea (wrong approach), off-by-one, edge case, slow approach, syntax, misread problem.
Mock-interview log¶
| Date | Partner or platform | Problem(s) | Finished? (Y/N) | Communication (1-5) | Main feedback | Next step |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Record the honest score you gave yourself, and the feedback from your partner. Do not change the scores afterwards.
Weekly review¶
| Week starting | Problems solved | Mistakes logged | Topic this week | Patterns ticked | Hours practised | Plan for next week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Oct 2026 |
Try this¶
Copy the problem log and the mistakes log into your notes app today. Add one row for the last problem you solved, and set its next review date.
Sources¶
- Tech Interview Handbook, coding interview study plan (for the practice-plan idea behind these tables): https://www.techinterviewhandbook.org/coding-interview-study-plan/
- For the spaced review schedule and the rules for using these logs, see practice method.