Guide · Open source
How to use kdn251/interviews: a guide to study material for coding interviews
Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data
kdn251/interviews is an MIT-licensed GitHub repository of study material for software engineering job interviews. It is mainly a reading list plus short written notes on core data structures, with links to coding practice sites and video channels. This guide shows you how to get a copy, which parts of the README are worth your time, and how to turn them into a practice routine.
interviewskdn251/interviews · ★ 65.5k · MIT Install options & downloads Quick start
- 1Clone or open the repo. Run the git clone command, or open github.com/kdn251/interviews in your browser.
- 2Skim the table of contents. Pick the topics you are weakest on before your interview.
- 3Read one data structure entry. Note the definition and the time complexity listed for each operation.
- 4Close the README and recall. Explain the structure from memory, without looking at the notes.
- 5Solve a practice problem. Choose a problem on one of the listed judges that needs the same structure.
- 6Try a live practice session. Use a listed live coding site to practise explaining your solution to someone else.
Get a copy of the repository
The repository is hosted on GitHub. You can read it online in your browser, or clone it to your computer so you have the files locally.
The README lists one install step: clone the repository with the command below. No other prerequisites are listed in the source.
git clone https://github.com/kdn251/interviewsKnow what the repository contains and what it does not
The README is reference material. It links out to other sites and gives short explanations of data structures. It does not describe a runnable program, a course with exercises, or worked solutions.
The primary language is listed as Java, but the visible README text contains no code samples. If you want non-Java examples, you will need to look elsewhere.
- Contains: links to online judges, live coding practice sites, video channels, articles and books
- Contains: short notes on linked lists, stacks, queues, trees, heaps, hash maps and graphs, with time complexity
- Does not contain: a complete course, exercise sets with solutions, or software to install
Use the online judges and practice platforms list
The Online Judges section links to a dozen judges, including LeetCode, HackerRank, Codeforces, CodeChef, Kattis, SPOJ and InterviewBit. Live Coding Practice lists sites such as Pramp, Interviewing.io and Refdash, which focus on practising with other people.
Pick one or two platforms rather than trying all of them. Spend your sessions on problems, and use the README only to find where to go.
Review the data structure notes
The Data Structures section covers linked lists, stacks, queues, trees, binary search trees, tries, Fenwick trees, segment trees, heaps, hashing and graphs. Each entry gives a short definition and, for many, the time complexity of access, search, insert and remove.
Read one entry, then close the README and explain it aloud or write it out. Then solve a problem that uses it. For example, the stack entry describes last in, first out behaviour, which is the pattern behind many bracket-matching questions.
- Linked list: access and search are O(n); insert and remove are O(1)
- Stack and queue: insert and remove are O(1); access and search are O(n)
- Binary search tree: all four operations are O(log(n))
- Heap: access max or min is O(1); insert and remove are O(log(n))
Add the other sections to your routine
The README also has sections on Algorithms, Greedy Algorithms, Bitmasks, Runtime Analysis, Video Lectures, Interview Books and Computer Science News. Use the table of contents to jump to a topic you are weak on.
Video content is linked through the YouTube section by Kevin Naughton Jr. If you learn better from watching, pair a video with a written entry from the same topic.
What people use it for
- A student preparing for first software engineering interviews who wants a map of the topics to study
- A developer refreshing linked lists, heaps and hash maps the week before a technical screen
- Someone who wants a single list of online judges and practice platforms
- A learner who prefers short written notes alongside video lessons
Frequently asked questions
Is kdn251/interviews free to use?
The repository is licensed under MIT, as listed in the source. The README also promotes a paid service, The Daily Byte, which is separate from the repository itself.
What do I need to install kdn251/interviews?
The README gives one step: run git clone https://github.com/kdn251/interviews. No other prerequisites are listed. You can also just read it on GitHub without cloning.
Does the repo include code I can run?
No. The README describes reference material only. It does not provide a runnable program, and the visible text contains no code samples.
Is kdn251/interviews enough to pass a coding interview?
It is a starting point, not a complete course. It gives short explanations and links out to practice sites, so you will need to do the practice problems yourself.
What are good alternatives to kdn251/interviews?
Comparable projects named in our analysis include Tech Interview Handbook, NeetCode, and the Sedgewick and Wayne Algorithms companion materials. Grokking the Coding Interview is also listed, but it is not open source.
How is it different from a practice platform?
The repository does not run problems or judge your code. It lists platforms such as LeetCode and HackerRank and gives written notes on data structures.
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Our verdict
Use kdn251/interviews if you want a short map of interview topics, brief data structure notes and a list of practice sites in one place. Pick a complete course with exercises and worked solutions if you need structured practice, or a resource with non-Java examples if that matters to you.
Install options & downloads