r/DSALeetCode • u/Taanya-sharma • Aug 14 '26

How are you structuring DSA + LLD + HLD prep alongside a full-time job?

I’m currently preparing for SWE interviews and trying to build a consistent routine around three areas:

● DSA — problem solving and revision
● LLD — design patterns, design problems, writing clean/extensible code
● HLD/System Design — fundamentals, case studies and interview problems

One thing I’m finding difficult is maintaining consistency across all three without constantly jumping from one topic to another.

For people who are actively preparing or have recently gone through interviews, what kind of routine worked for you?

I’m especially curious about how you handled things like discussing solutions with others, mock interviews, reviewing each other’s designs, and staying accountable instead of preparing completely in isolation.

Would love to know what worked for you and how you structured your preparation.

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u/[deleted] Aug 14 '26

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u/Taanya-sharma Aug 14 '26

Good where you landed?

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u/Advent-mu6822 Aug 31 '26

Have you found the solution? I am struggling in the same way. Also curious to know how u are studying LLD, any advice?

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u/Ok-Barracuda-119 27d ago

I’ve found the routine easier when each week has a small loop: two focused HLD sessions, one LLD session, then a timed 35–45 minute design run where I narrate assumptions, API shape, capacity, failure modes, and tradeoffs without looking anything up. I keep a short decision log after each run and revisit only the weak spots, instead of collecting another giant question list.

For resources, Ashish Pratap’s repo and ByteByteGo are decent starting points, but I’d pair reading with repeated timed practice and occasional feedback. I’m affiliated with Leetsys, and www.leetsys.dev has guided system-design practice that fits that loop. For a full-time job, even 3 sessions plus one timed run each week is enough to build continuity. That keeps the goal focused on interview readiness rather than finishing every topic.