How I cracked my Google interviews - Leetcode tips, 5 strategies for success (Part 2)

I spent 200 hours solving Leetcode problems until I learned these 5 strategies and cracked my coding interviews as a software engineer (without a CS background). I'll share how I made Notion notes, docs and spreadsheets when systematically prepping for my interviews. Watch this video to save yourself hundreds of hours grinding Leetcode. Don't worry if you don't understand the nitty-gritty Leetcode examples I used, I'm just trying to illustrate how I adopted the 5 high-level strategies and how they can potentially help those interested in tech, so we're all good. Part 1 ► • How I cracked Google -...
Please leave a comment if you find this kind of content useful (feedback is very welcomed), or if you have video requests!
I recommend checking out these resources and links:
KZbin channels ► @abdul_bari @jeffhsipepi
Leetcode Blind 75 Question List ► leetcode.com/list?selectedLis...
Leetcode premium vid by KeepOnCoding ► • Is LeetCode Premium Wo...
Notion ► www.notion.so/
Pramp mock interview ► www.pramp.com
Google leadership interview ► • Prepare for Your Googl...
Disclaimer: these are my personal strategies to study and practice for coding interviews from both public online resources and figuring out from trial and error. Different strategies may work for people with different background, and that's ok.
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⌛️ TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Frustration with Leetcode
0:17 Leetcode for how long?
0:33 Google SWE & overview
0:52 1. Identify DSA patterns
1:06 1.1 Mindmap & Notion table
2:15 1.2 Code template
3:19 1.3 Track performance
4:08 2. Leetcode like a pro
5:55 3. Find time to prep with full-time job
6:30 4. Mock interviews
8:06 5. Prep Googleyness and leadership interview
👩‍💻 TECH CAREER:
How I cracked Google (Part 1) ► • How I cracked Google -...
How to become a data scientist ► • HOW I BECAME A DATA SC...
📚 MY COLLEGE EXPERIENCE:
A Day in the Life at Cambridge ► • A DAY IN THE LIFE of a...
Dorm Room Tour ► • DORM ROOM TOUR 🛌 CHEA...
Pros & Cons of Cambridge ► • IS CAMBRIDGE WORTH IT?...
🎓 TIPS ON HOW TO GET INTO CAMBRIDGE:
Cambridge Application Series ► • HOW TO GET INTO CAMBRI...
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🎄 Artwork by Gab
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Etsy Store ► www.etsy.com/uk/shop/ArtworkB...
✨ Hashtags ✨
#leetcode #codinginterview #bigtech #softwareengineering #google #sde #swe #coding #dsa
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761

[@gladyslau4352]

I love this video! Thank you so much for sharing your insights so that other people can benefit from it!

[@GigaGab]

Thank you! Appreciate it 💕

[@tenyoum]

as fellow coder, leetcode grinder and interviewee/r, I can confirm that if you do all that Gabrielle says to do in this video you will get a FAANG SWE job. Great video!

[@Ram-mt6vk]

Everybody makes same type of strategy videos. Some of the tips which you've mentioned are very unique and I've never heard of them. Thankyou for sharing this strategy with us. If possible please do share the Notion template with us.

[@Marcos32709]

Thank you for sharing your prep journey. Just what I needed.

[@_neha_43]

Heyy! Gabrielle, this was a really insightful video. I've realized what I was doing wrong and also you've given reallyyyyy great tips!! It would be nice if you could share your notion templates in the description box for references!

[@wltam6636]

That's a very helpful video! It's informative, detailed and insightful. I can see your hard work in preparing for the Google interview as well as this video. The five strategies suggested can sure save us a lot of time in the preparation work!

[@GigaGab]

Thank you! Glad you found it helpful and insightful 😀 This might be my most detailed video so far, but if sharing my experience can save people time then it's worth the effort.

[@user-mj5nx8yf9b]

I really enjoyed the video and esp the preparation tip. I really like the notion tables! thank you

[@GigaGab]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed the video and liked the tips! :)

[@Nikhil-dp2mw]

Please share the Notion DSA Pattern Table and DSA Code Template

[@sarvarthmonga5764]

Yessss

[@anirbandhara8835]

She made her own. You should also make your own.

[@advertorge]

​@anirbandhara8835 by that logic, you shouldn't read other people's books, you should write your own.

[@suryanagarajan212]

Thank you Gab for this video . if possible can u share Notion notes it will be helpful for us

[@animeeditsmav]

This video I needed thank you for sharing your experience 🎉

[@GigaGab]

Thank you!! Glad you found it helpful :)

[@bharathchandranangunuri3353]

Thank you gabrielle this is a great video can you please share the your notion page of the DSA Pattern Table I would be really greatful for you !

[@TTT-zl2cj]

Love this video! Good sharing!

[@GigaGab]

Thank you! Appreciate it 🤍

[@harshita7407]

Hi Giga ... can u please make a video about the specific problems u did ..... and your timetable for solving leetcode problems...it will be so helpful .... please... i have many questions...i'm also preparing ... and doing leetcode along with web dev ... so please make a detailed video about all this

[@abhimanyubahree1455]

This video is a gold mine ❤.

[@GigaGab]

Thank you! Glad you found the strategies shared in this video valuable ☺️

[@aaallami]

Hi, this is one of the best videos out there. Could you please share the notion and, the Google doc and sheet? These are really helpful tools. I truly appreciate your time and help. Keep up the best work.

[@rahulacharya9103]

One of the best Interview preparation strategy .. Thanks!!

[@GigaGab]

Thanks so much! 💖 glad you found that these are some of the best strategies!

[@mohneeshgarg8706]

Amazing insights..

[@HelenC23461]

Nice video! I really like the idea of making a notion table and learning code templates👍

[@GigaGab]

Thank you :) ! Glad you liked the idea too, this method really helped me connect the dots among Leetcode problems

[@MdKamrulIslam-lo9xn]

Great video Giga! How about you share the notoin table and the google sheet you made with us?😊

[@mans707]

Hello Gabrielle, thank you so much for this very informative video and congratulations to you ! question : would it be possible to share the google docs you showed in the video ? i think it might be helpful to a lot of us. Thanks again.

[@atifshaik7303]

Loved the video! if possible can you share Doc template link for reference?

[@mindfreemusic6987]

Hey that's awesome!. Can you share link to your resources?? Coz your notes are looking so awesome 👌

[@Karadiofficial]

Thank you , Amazing strategies

[@GigaGab]

Thank you! Glad you found the strategies helpful :)

[@xortixgaming655]

Hi can you please share the word doc ? If possible. Btw loved your whole video. Thank you :)

[@nupur8804]

hey can you please share that notion doc it will be really helpful for revising as i have my interview soon!

[@upsidedown6204]

You are amazing sister. Could you please share your docs of arranged questions . It looks super curated as well as structured.

[@runforfun8416]

good explanation, can you please share the notion list so i can get idea how you made it?

[@princekesarwani5110]

Great video ! you are going to blowing up on youtube

[@GigaGab]

Thank you :) ! I hope so 🤞

[@vikaskumarpandey8354]

Awesome. Gabrielle, your thoughts are very practical and effective way of preparing for Google. I do have similar strategies. Such creamy ideas comes only after doing thorough research while preparing. Google seekers should follow these guidelines.

[@GigaGab]

Thank you so much! Glad you found these guidelines effective and yes, I did lots of research back then and learned through others and my own mistakes! 😄

[@tempregex8520]

Please read the comments and share your notion and google doc templates . Great video!!

[@5ayush6]

Thank you Gabrielle

[@GigaGab]

You're welcome! Thanks for watching and commenting :)

[@yafetsolomon2107]

Excellent video. Would have been even better if you linked the notion file

[@narasimhapalla5173]

Can u share that all notes you mentioned Btw Thank you so much for your valuable information

[@TheBalletnat]

Thank you so much for the interview. It is very useful!

[@GigaGab]

Appreciate it, glad you found it useful! :)

[@TheBalletnat]

@@GigaGab I just got passed the Google Hiring Assessment today. Fingers crossed to get through the interview!

[@GigaGab]

@@TheBalletnat Congrats, so happy for you! Fingers-crossed

[@Playground-qx4jt]

Appreciate you for great video. It would great be to see your learning notes. Would you mind to share it ?

[@dj_meta]

Hi Giga Gab, please share a link to the Notion page you'd described in the video. I understand that we'll still have to do the work for ourselves, but the reference page would help a whole lot of us to create a similar understanding of the DS / Algo and optimization patterns.

[@mohneeshgarg8706]

Can you plz also share some insights about system design too?

[@nikhilraochitneni4686]

Could you please provide the code template document that you have created. Thank you😄

[@Nishi-Tiwari]

Great video. Can you please share your notion template?

[@div0007]

Hey Gab, is it possible for you to share the notion template you created? Thanks.

[@_insanebuddy]

I like that line 'Your sister land's in google and now it's your turn'. Thanks gabriel ! See you soon in google 🙈

[@GigaGab]

Thanks! :) see you soon 🙌

[@elixr1003]

Very helpful video could you plz share dsa code template?

[@ANAS-ex3ru]

Can you share the DSA Pattern table that you have created?

[@lucaxtshotting2378]

dam I really liked this video. I'm not sweaty enough to go trough any of this but at least it is legit advice, you know? no "make sure you have fun" or "I'm not even talented just hard working" guru shit. It's specific, doesn't try to tell you what to think but what to do. If anything, it is too confident to be public, but its refresh rate makes it up for it. I only wouldve liked it more if you said "I wrote down examples of what I did" instead of "then write down examples of what you did". Subtitles are awesome too just for us x2 non native watchers It's also sexy for the youtube algorithm, just a good work. I'm not gonna do any of this ever but I appreciate your assertiveness

[@randomGuy16156]

Can you please share your Google doc, and notion doc

[@abhishekprasad5527]

Can you pls share the word doc that you had created which discusses all the patterns and optimization techniques plss

[@CrusadeVoyager]

Nice Video, Can we get access to the "DSA pattern" page & "Google Interview Prep" doc that you have created plz?

[@mathematicalninja2756]

0:42 your sister has joined google and now it’s your turn - OMG SO SWEET ❤❤ what a motivation

[@GigaGab]

This is such a kind comment, thank you! 💕

[@abhishekbanerjee6140]

is it possible to get a link of your notion page pweaseee

[@vip-ke1bd]

How to prepare for the online coding test conducted before the interview?

[@kacy6014]

No matter how you spin it, you gotta practice a lot and just get good

[@user-sz2lc8ky9x]

Can you please share your Notion DSA Pattern Table and Code template...

[@praveenapeetha9750]

Please provide notion link

[@GamerX-jr9pz]

Hey can you share the link of your DSA pattern table??.It would be very useful to us😊😊

[@jackfrost8969]

can you share your notion template?

[@wishimaunicorn]

Can you please share your leetcode patterns notion?

[@bitbeee]

great share

[@GigaGab]

Thank you :) I'm happy to see your comment

[@user-ix4dg2py6t]

the notion link is not working, not redirecting to the sheet you created

[@nafeu]

please share the notion sheet. it will help to do mine.

[@radhikaagupta]

Loved the video! Could you possibly share the template doc and the DSA pattern table link? It would be incredibly helpful for my learning journey. Thank you in advance!

[@ashishshah5701]

I am also interested

[@the_averageboi]

Can you plz share your Notion notes and spreadsheets of dsa it a hamble request

[@shankarsai2067]

Where can I find ur notion notes and tht doc ??... Can u share them pls...

[@anudeepkanna4533]

hi gabrielle can you please share the notion one, so that we can also utilise it

[@chaitalitamboliya]

Hii Can you share your docs and sheets and notion?

[@mooventhan110]

can you share your google doc and notion table copy??

[@parthagarwal5968]

Hey!! Can i get your word doc which contains all the templates for the algorithms. It will be of so much use for my preparation. Can u please share it.

[@FifthArima]

Btw how many LC did you solve and did you skip any topic like graph or heap ? This is under helpful to many , I have been maintaining something similar in google sheets for dsa prep. Looking for more content from you ❤

[@GigaGab]

I solved around 300 LC in total including graph and heap. I'm happy to hear that you also maintain a Google sheet, it's really helpful to keep things organised. Thanks for commenting and supporting ❤️

[@chetanpadhen7780]

Thanks Giga

[@GigaGab]

You’re welcome! Thanks for commenting :)

[@vinaygahane202]

can you please share your notion template

[@supportadmin7735]

Wow you are brilliant and gorgeous the whole package

[@bhaskar9781]

Hi can you share the notes , please

[@satyakatta2021]

could u send us your google doc and notion plan

[@powerHungryMOSFET]

Any reason to get into software development? AI already replacing these jobs and companies laying off workers for many reasons

[@Mr_Addy1]

can u share your notion

[@user-tt7po9td3x]

Could you please share your notes ? It’d really help help me😊

[@ciri217]

im willing to pay for that notion table plz

[@shandilyacodes]

Hello Sister! I have a few queries, hope you'd answer these 1. How do get over the feeling of not being fully prepared ever? 2. This arise from the 1st point, how to stop getting into the tutorial and leetcode rabbit hole? 3. I really don't get the intuition and approach behind most of the questions which are in category of DP and Backtracking. No matter how much I practice or watch tutorial videos. It makes me feel empty, as in, I have this constant mental itch which says, what if interviewer ask you some questions from these topics? I get demotivated and lose interest in the whole process. 4. How to deal with new questions (unseen)? Are the questions at Google really unseen or are just a minor variation of the most of the problems which are there in the public domain? Thanks!

[@GigaGab]

Hi! Thanks for your questions, please see my reply below: 1. It’s hard to ever feel fully prepared, but I’d suggest taking baby steps and schedule a plan of which topics to practice on which days to have more sense of control. 2. I recommend time boxing the time spent on understanding leetcode solution. For example after 1 hour of understanding a solution, stop and do something else and get back to it on another day. 3. The idea of DP is recursion with caching. Are you familiar with recursion? I suggest starting with a DP easy question on a thing that you have heard of before (such as Pascal Triangle) and try to solve it in recursion, then optimize to DP. For example, Pascal Triangle: leetcode.com/problems/pascals-triangle/description/ I found a list of categories of DP by other Leetcode users just now: leetcode.com/discuss/general-discussion/1050391/Must-do-Dynamic-programming-Problems-Category-wise DP template from other Leetcode users: leetcode.com/discuss/general-discussion/662866/dp-for-beginners-problems-patterns-sample-solutions Hope that helps!

[@Antho6222]

Does actually all those leetcode is applied to any situation in your job?

[@cholocatelabs]

Hi, Would it possible for you to share your notion and google sheets that you mentioned in the video as a reference? Thanks

[@Lord-vq5rh]

+1

[@MohsinKhan-mb6ht]

Hey can you share your leetcode profile!

[@AI-generatedBot]

please give your notion sheet

[@NooglerNafiz]

I can't think you as my sister though 😁🥰

[@CodeCode-pz6oo]

Can you share your excel?

[@Raja-tt4ll]

Very nice

[@GigaGab]

Thank you :) I'm happy to see your comment

[@capedbat]

Hey gab beautiful video. I have a doubt, when reviewing/reading solutions from leetcode, do you check all the solutions possible or only a few ?? What is the strategy ?

[@GigaGab]

Thank you! I usually look at the most liked Python solution, so I basically sort by popularity and coding language :) Usually the solution with a decent number of upvotes has a clear, detailed explanation and both the brute force and optimized code, so there’s a lot to learn from it. Unless the first one isn’t understandable, I hardly ever look at more than one solution. Hope that helps!

[@GigaGab]

Within one solution post (or editorial, if available), I do read multiple approaches (especially the optimized approach). To make the most efficient use of our time to check the most popular solution post while learning a few approaches from it

[@capedbat]

@@GigaGab Thank you for the reply. Keep growing and reaching new heights sis ❤🔥

[@wij8044]

Imagine getting an interview at all

[@Kavee_003]

Thank you for what you shared ( You sound like AI though 😉❤)

[@GigaGab]

Thank you for commenting, it's my pleasure to share! Haha the AI part cracked me up, I swear I'm not secretly an AI 🙃

[@himanshuyadav0600]

Please provide the notion link

[@himanshuyadav0600]

Pleaseeeeeee @Giga gab

[@099watcher]

Noice one 👍. Can you please share the templates you used to track things, you can just fill it with dummy data so your data is safe.

[@aadil4236]

Please tell us how you got the interview

[@GigaGab]

Hi! TL;DR a recruiter reached out to me. Here's my other video that talks about this: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gnivYYiVptmZjc0si=8yXjUUn_atQxac6F

[@turing4991]

What if i'm dumb

[@odiadavid6957]

Wait…did leetcode make a promo KZbin video using Sora?😂

[@CheeseStickzZ]

The text on that hat needs to be changed to "Cringeler" lmao

[@nikeshsingh2081]

Is competitive programming required to crack interview or just Leetcode is enough ?

[@GigaGab]

Hi! I didn’t train for competitive programming like actual competitive programmers (although participated in a few coding competitions for exposure and Leetcode contests), so don’t think it’s necessary as far as I know. On the other hand, if you’re already doing competitive programming, then it definitely helps.

[@nikeshsingh2081]

@@GigaGab can you share you LinkedIn profile I'd.

[@Carson00_11]

Bhai konse sem hai ho app

[@nikeshsingh2081]

​@@Carson00_117th

[@nikeshsingh2081]

​@@Carson00_11and you?

[@ChabPoha]

beautiful 🥰

[@Pa1n_xd]

Diversity baby 🎉🎉🎉

[@VM-zp1cz]

That 🧢 is perfect suits for you 😍 dear

[@GigaGab]

Thank you 😊

[@simpsonfan272]

and if you have ADHD- good fuckin luck getting this organized/motivated 😅

[@CookerSingh]

Google just wants to dominate and conduct hard interviews in other countries than U.S, they have tons of interns sponsored by u.s colleges like MIT,Harward.

[@EMdragonKnight]

Sadly I think for some grinding is necessary. Sometimes you don't really know a thing till you've made it 2nd nature. Not everyone interviews well and having one of the skillsets as secondary as breathing is necessary to succeed elsewhere.

[@shlokkumar6257]

You are not my sister🧐