The Grind 169 is the most comprehensive, data-driven coding interview study list available. It’s the expanded version of the Grind 75, covering 169 problems across every major pattern you’ll encounter at FAANG and top-tier tech companies.

But there’s a gap between solving these problems and performing well when asked about them in a live interview. Solving Two Sum in your IDE with unlimited time and Stack Overflow open is fundamentally different from explaining your approach to an interviewer while writing clean code under a timer.

Intervu.dev bridges that gap. What follows is a practical walkthrough of the platform, its features, and a 10-week plan for turning your Grind 169 study list into real interview performance.

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What Is Intervu.dev?

Intervu is an AI-powered mock coding interview platform. You pick a problem, choose your language, and a realistic AI interviewer walks you through a full interview session: clarification, design, live coding, testing, and feedback.

It’s not a chatbot that checks your syntax. The AI interviewer:

• Asks clarifying questions the way a real interviewer would
• Pushes back on suboptimal approaches (“That’s O(n²). Can you do better given sorted input?”)
• Gives progressive hints when you’re stuck, not spoilers
• Evaluates your communication, not just your code
• Produces a scorecard covering problem solving, code quality, communication, and testing

Think of it as a flight simulator for coding interviews. You’re building muscle memory for the real thing.

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Key Takeaways

• The Grind 169 tells you what to practice. Intervu teaches you how to perform each problem under interview conditions.
• Every Grind 169 problem can be practiced as a full AI mock interview with one click via deep links.
• The platform supports 6 languages (Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, Java, C++, Go) and auto-generates scaffolding for tree, linked list, and graph problems.
• A structured 10-week plan lets you cover all 169 problems with weekly mock interview sessions built in.

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The Grind 169 Problem Additions (Beyond the Grind 75)

The Grind 75 covers the 75 highest-ROI problems. The tables below show the problems that round out the full Grind 169, organized by topic. Practice links open a full AI mock interview on Intervu; problems with a published walkthrough include a direct link.

The complete dynamically-ranked list lives at techinterviewhandbook.org/grind75.

Arrays, Greedy & Intervals

Problem	Difficulty	Topics	Practice
Longest Consecutive Sequence	Medium	Array, Hash Table	Practice →
Rotate Array	Medium	Array	Practice →
Contiguous Array	Medium	Array, Prefix Sum	Practice →
Jump Game	Medium	Array, Greedy	Practice →
Subarray Sum Equals K	Medium	Array, Prefix Sum	Practice →
Rotate Image	Medium	Array, Matrix	Practice →
Largest Number	Medium	Array, Sorting	Practice →
3Sum Closest	Medium	Array, Two Pointers	Practice →
Set Matrix Zeroes	Medium	Array, Matrix	Practice →
Non-overlapping Intervals	Medium	Greedy, Intervals	Practice →
First Missing Positive	Hard	Array	Practice →

Sliding Window & Two Pointers

Problem	Difficulty	Topics	Practice
Longest Repeating Character Replacement	Medium	Sliding Window	Practice →
Minimum Window Substring	Hard	Sliding Window	Walkthrough · Practice →
Sliding Window Maximum	Hard	Sliding Window, Deque	Practice →

Stack & Monotonic Stack

Problem	Difficulty	Topics	Practice
Decode String	Medium	Stack, Recursion	Practice →
Asteroid Collision	Medium	Stack	Practice →
Basic Calculator II	Medium	Stack	Practice →
Basic Calculator	Hard	Stack, String	Walkthrough · Practice →
Largest Rectangle in Histogram	Hard	Stack	Walkthrough · Practice →

Binary Search

Problem	Difficulty	Topics	Practice
Find K Closest Elements	Medium	Binary Search	Practice →
Random Pick with Weight	Medium	Binary Search, Probability	Practice →
Search a 2D Matrix	Medium	Binary Search	Practice →
Find Minimum in Rotated Sorted Array	Medium	Binary Search	Practice →
Median of Two Sorted Arrays	Hard	Binary Search	Practice →

Linked Lists

Problem	Difficulty	Topics	Practice
Swap Nodes in Pairs	Medium	Linked List	Practice →
Odd Even Linked List	Medium	Linked List	Practice →
Add Two Numbers	Medium	Linked List, Math	Practice →
Sort List	Medium	Linked List, Merge Sort	Practice →
Rotate List	Medium	Linked List	Practice →
Reorder List	Medium	Linked List, Two Pointers	Practice →
Reverse Nodes in k-Group	Hard	Linked List	Practice →

Trees

Problem	Difficulty	Topics	Practice
Maximum Width of Binary Tree	Medium	Tree, BFS	Practice →
Inorder Successor in BST	Medium	Tree, BST	LeetCode
Binary Tree Zigzag Level Order Traversal	Medium	Tree, BFS	Practice →
Path Sum III	Medium	Tree, DFS	Practice →
All Nodes Distance K in Binary Tree	Medium	Tree, BFS	Practice →
Serialize and Deserialize Binary Tree	Hard	Tree, DFS/BFS	Walkthrough · Practice →
Binary Tree Maximum Path Sum	Hard	Tree, DFS	Practice →

Trie

Problem	Difficulty	Topics	Practice
Palindrome Pairs	Hard	Trie, Hash Map	Practice →
Design In-Memory File System	Hard	Design, Trie	LeetCode

Heap / Priority Queue

Problem	Difficulty	Topics	Practice
Kth Largest Element in an Array	Medium	Heap, Quickselect	Practice →
Meeting Rooms II	Medium	Intervals, Heap	LeetCode
Merge k Sorted Lists	Hard	Heap, Linked List	Walkthrough · Practice →
Employee Free Time	Hard	Intervals, Heap	LeetCode
Smallest Range Covering Elements from K Lists	Hard	Heap	Practice →

Dynamic Programming

Problem	Difficulty	Topics	Practice
Decode Ways	Medium	DP, String	Practice →
Maximal Square	Medium	DP, Matrix	Practice →
Combination Sum IV	Medium	DP	Practice →
Trapping Rain Water	Hard	Array, Two Pointers, DP	Walkthrough · Practice →
Longest Valid Parentheses	Hard	Stack, DP	Practice →
Longest Increasing Path in a Matrix	Hard	DFS, DP	Practice →
Maximum Profit in Job Scheduling	Hard	DP, Binary Search	Walkthrough · Practice →

Graphs

Problem	Difficulty	Topics	Practice
Course Schedule II	Medium	Graph, Topological Sort	Practice →
Number of Connected Components in an Undirected Graph	Medium	Graph, Union Find	LeetCode
Cheapest Flights Within K Stops	Medium	Graph, DP	Practice →
Minimum Knight Moves	Medium	Graph, BFS	LeetCode
Word Ladder	Hard	Graph, BFS	Walkthrough · Practice →
Alien Dictionary	Hard	Graph, Topological Sort	LeetCode
Bus Routes	Hard	Graph, BFS	Practice →

Backtracking

Problem	Difficulty	Topics	Practice
Path Sum II	Medium	Tree, DFS, Backtracking	Practice →
Generate Parentheses	Medium	Backtracking	Practice →
Word Search II	Hard	Trie, Backtracking	Practice →
Sudoku Solver	Hard	Backtracking	Practice →
N-Queens	Hard	Backtracking	Practice →

Math & Geometry

Problem	Difficulty	Topics	Practice
Pow(x, n)	Medium	Math, Recursion	Practice →
Reverse Integer	Medium	Math	Practice →

Design

Problem	Difficulty	Topics	Practice
Design Hit Counter	Medium	Design, Queue	LeetCode
Encode and Decode Strings	Medium	String, Design	LeetCode
Insert Delete GetRandom O(1)	Medium	Design, Hash Map	Practice →
Find Median from Data Stream	Hard	Heap, Design	Walkthrough · Practice →
Maximum Frequency Stack	Hard	Design, Stack	Practice →

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Grind 169 Coding Interview Study Plan (10-Week Schedule)

This plan covers all 169 problems with built-in mock interview sessions. It front-loads easier problems to build confidence and pattern recognition, then ramps into medium and hard problems with increasing emphasis on simulation.

Daily commitment: 1.5–2 hours

Weeks 1–2: Fundamentals (Easy Problems)

Goal: Build fluency with core data structures while developing the habit of speaking through your approach.

• Solve 8–10 easy problems per week from the Grind 75 pathway Weeks 1–2
• For every 3rd problem, do a full mock interview on Intervu instead of solving solo
• Focus areas: Arrays, Hash Maps, Linked Lists, Stacks, Binary Search, Trees

Key problems to practice as mock interviews: Two Sum · Valid Parentheses · Invert Binary Tree · Climbing Stairs

Checkpoint: Can solve easy problems without hints and explain your approach out loud without pausing.

Weeks 3–4: Pattern Recognition (Easy → Medium Transition)

Goal: Start recognizing patterns and practice defending your approach.

• Move through Grind 75 pathway Weeks 3–4
• Increase mock interview ratio: every 2nd problem should be a full session
• Focus areas: Sliding Window, Two Pointers, BFS/DFS, basic DP

Key problems to practice as mock interviews: Longest Substring Without Repeating Characters · Number of Islands · Coin Change · Clone Graph

Checkpoint: Can identify the correct pattern for most medium problems within 2–3 minutes.

Weeks 5–6: Core Medium Problems

Goal: Build speed and confidence on the most frequently asked medium problems.

• Tackle the remaining Grind 75 medium problems: Weeks 5–6 of the pathway
• Do 2 full mock interviews per week minimum
• Focus areas: Backtracking, Topological Sort, Tries, Intervals

Key problems to practice as mock interviews: Merge Intervals · Combination Sum · Course Schedule · Word Break

Checkpoint: Can solve medium problems in 25–30 minutes while communicating clearly.

Weeks 7–8: Extended Grind 169 Problems

Goal: Cover the 94 additional Grind 169 problems beyond the original 75.

• Pick problems from the expanded catalog
• Prioritize medium problems that test pattern combinations
• Do 3 full mock interviews per week
• Focus areas: Advanced DP, Graph algorithms, Design patterns, Matrix problems

Key problems to practice as mock interviews: Practice problems like Same Tree, Symmetric Tree, Rotate Image, Set Matrix Zeroes, Pacific Atlantic Water Flow, and other Grind 169 additions.

Checkpoint: Can handle unfamiliar problems by identifying the pattern quickly and communicating your approach under time pressure.

Weeks 9–10: Simulation Mode

Goal: Transition from practice to interview-ready performance.

• Alternate between mock interviews and timed solo problems
• Do 3–4 full mock interviews per week, mixing difficulties
• Include hard problems: Trapping Rain Water · Merge K Sorted Lists · Minimum Window Substring
• Re-do problems you struggled with earlier. Spaced repetition applies to interview performance
• Final week: light practice only, rest before your real interview

Checkpoint: Can comfortably solve medium problems in 25 minutes while explaining every step. Can make progress on hard problems and communicate your reasoning even when stuck.

Whether you’re starting Week 1 or are already deep into Simulation Mode, the best way to understand the gap between LeetCode and a real interview is to experience it yourself. Let’s walk through how to start your first session and put this study plan into motion.

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Getting Started: Your First Mock Interview

Getting set up takes about 60 seconds.

Step 1: Go to the Setup Page

Head to intervu.dev/setup. You’ll see the interview configuration screen.

Step 2: Choose Your Language

Pick from Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, Java, C++, or Go. Choose the language you’ll use in your actual interview. Fluency matters more than language choice.

Step 3: Pick a Problem

You have three ways to select a problem:

Mode	How It Works	Best For
Random Problem	Filters by difficulty and tags, picks one randomly	Simulating surprise questions
Select Specific	Browse the full problem catalog, search by name	Targeted Grind 169 practice

For Grind 169 practice, use Select Specific to pick the exact problem you’re studying, or use a deep link from our Grind 75 pathway to jump straight in.

Step 4: Click Begin Interview

That’s it. The AI generates starter code and scaffolding (for tree/graph problems, TreeNode, ListNode, or Graph helpers are pre-written and folded out of view), and your mock interview begins.

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Deep Links: One-Click Practice for Every Problem

The fastest way to start a Grind 169 mock interview is through deep links. Every problem in our Grind 75 pathway has a direct “Practice →” link that drops you straight into the setup page with that problem pre-selected.

The URL format is simple:

https://intervu.dev/start-mock-interview?problem=two-sum

Replace two-sum with the slug of any problem. When you click the link, the setup page opens with the problem already highlighted and a banner confirming your selection. Just click Begin Interview.

This means you can integrate Intervu practice directly into your study workflow. Studying merge intervals? Click Practice → and you’re in a live session within seconds.

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How a Mock Interview Session Works

Once you click Begin Interview, the AI interviewer takes over. A typical session runs 25–35 minutes:

Phase 1: Clarification (2–3 minutes)

The AI presents the problem. Your job is to ask clarifying questions before touching any code:

Interviewer: “Given a list of intervals, merge all overlapping intervals.”

You: “Can I assume the intervals are sorted by start time? And should I return a new list or modify in-place?”

Interviewer: “Don’t assume they’re sorted. Return a new list.”

This phase trains the habit that separates strong candidates from average ones. Jumping straight into code is the #1 mistake in real interviews.

Phase 2: Design (3–5 minutes)

Explain your approach out loud. Start with a simple solution:

You: “I could check every pair of intervals for overlap, that’s O(n²). But if I sort by start time first, I can merge in a single pass for O(n log n).”

Interviewer: “Good. Walk me through the merge logic.”

The AI interviewer pushes back on suboptimal approaches and asks follow-up questions, exactly like a real interviewer would.

Phase 3: Coding (10–15 minutes)

Write your solution in a real code editor with syntax highlighting. The AI watches and occasionally asks questions:

• “Why did you choose a stack here instead of modifying the result list?”
• “What happens if the input is empty?”

For tree, linked list, and graph problems, scaffolding code (TreeNode, buildTree, ListNode, etc.) is auto-generated and collapsed so you can focus on the algorithm.

Phase 4: Testing (3–5 minutes)

Run your solution against test cases. The AI prompts you to trace through examples and check edge cases:

Interviewer: “Can you verify this with a concrete example?”

You: “Sure. For [[1,3],[2,6],[8,10]], after sorting… [1,3] and [2,6] overlap, merge to [1,6]. Then [8,10] doesn’t overlap. Result: [[1,6],[8,10]]. ✓“

Phase 5: Scorecard

After the session, you receive a structured scorecard covering:

• Problem Solving: Did you find a working approach? Did you optimize?
• Communication: Did you explain your reasoning clearly?
• Code Quality: Is the code clean, readable, and correct?
• Testing: Did you verify with examples and handle edge cases?

Each dimension gets specific feedback, not just pass/fail.

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Tips for Getting the Most Out of Each Session

Based on patterns from candidates who improve fastest:

1. Solve It Solo First, Then Mock Interview It

Get the algorithm down on your own. Understand the approach, the complexity, the edge cases. Then import the same problem into Intervu and practice presenting it under interview conditions. You’ll be surprised how different it feels when someone is listening.

2. Focus on One Improvement Area Per Session

Don’t try to fix everything at once. Pick one focus for each session:

• “Today I’ll explain my approach before writing any code”
• “Today I’ll ask at least 3 clarifying questions”
• “Today I’ll test with edge cases before the interviewer asks”

3. Review the Scorecard for Patterns

After each session, read the structured feedback. If “communication dropped during coding” appears across multiple sessions, that’s your priority, not solving harder problems.

4. Redo the Same Problem a Week Later

Spaced repetition applies to interview performance, not just memorization. Can you re-solve the problem and communicate clearly without looking at your previous solution?

5. Use Random Mode for Surprise Practice

Once you’ve covered the Grind 169, switch to Random Problem mode. Set the difficulty filter and let the platform pick a problem. This simulates the unpredictability of a real interview.

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Why the Grind 169 + Intervu Works

The Grind 169 solves the what to practice problem. It’s a data-driven, frequency-optimized list that covers the patterns you’ll actually see in interviews.

Intervu solves the how to practice problem. It adds the interview layer that solo LeetCode grinding can’t build: communication, time pressure, hint handling, and structured feedback.

Dimension	Solo LeetCode	LeetCode + Intervu
Builds algorithm knowledge	✅	✅
Trains communication	❌	✅
Practices time management	Partially	✅
Provides structured feedback	❌	✅
Simulates interviewer pushback	❌	✅
Practices hint handling	❌	✅

Most candidates over-invest in algorithm knowledge and under-invest in interview performance. The Grind 169 + Intervu combination fixes that balance.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How many Grind 169 problems does Intervu support?

The curated catalog covers all 169 problems natively. Every Grind 169 problem is accessible, allowing you to practice the entire expanded list under realistic interview conditions.

What programming languages are supported?

Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, Java, C++, and Go. Pick the one you’ll use in your real interview.

Do I need an account to start?

No. Guest mode is available with no signup. You can start a mock interview immediately. Creating an account lets you track your session history and scorecards.

How long is each mock interview session?

Typically 25–35 minutes, matching a real FAANG phone screen or virtual onsite round.

Grind 75 vs Grind 169: Which should I choose?

If you have 4–6 weeks, the Grind 75 is the most efficient starting point. If you have 8–12 weeks and want comprehensive coverage, do the full Grind 169 using the study plan in this guide. The Grind 169 is a superset of the Grind 75, so you lose nothing by starting with the 75 and expanding later.

How is this different from just doing LeetCode?

LeetCode tests whether you can write correct code. Intervu tests whether you can communicate while writing correct code, which is what real interviews actually evaluate. The AI interviewer asks clarifying questions, gives hints when you’re stuck, and evaluates your explanation, not just your solution. For a deeper comparison, read Why LeetCode Is Not Enough.

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Start Practicing the Grind 169 Now

You have the study list and the study plan. The missing piece is interview simulation that turns knowledge into performance.

1. Pick a problem from the Grind 75 pathway or our curated Grind 169 catalog
2. Run a full AI mock interview
3. Review your scorecard
4. Iterate

The candidates who get offers aren’t the ones who solved the most problems. They’re the ones who practiced like the real interview.

Start your first Grind 169 mock interview →

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See also: The Grind 75 Practice Pathway · How to Prepare for a Coding Interview · The Anatomy of an AI Interview · FAANG Coding Interview Guide 2026