PART 7 · PRACTICE, PREP FLOW AND REVISION
The preparation flow: 10 weeks, zero to offer
FreeLesson 77 of 78
A week-by-week path from your first line of Python to interview-ready, built for about two hours a day. Already know the basics? Start at week 3.
| Week | Read | Practise | Done when |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pages 5 to 14: running Python, variables, numbers, strings, conditions, loops | Type every lesson yourself; change a value and predict the output before running | You write a loop with an if inside without looking anything up |
| 2 | Pages 15 to 24: lists, tuples, sets, dicts, functions, modules, errors, files | Rebuild the sales report (page 23) from a blank file; practice set 0 | You turn a small task into a few clear functions |
| 3 | Pages 25 to 34: approach, foundations and their traps | Retype every snippet on the dataset; break each one on purpose | You explain every trap in Part 2 without looking |
| 4 | Pages 35 to 44: advanced Python, Big-O, space, built-in costs | Write chunked(), retry and a timing decorator from memory; 10 easy problems | You state time and space for any snippet you see |
| 5 | Pages 45 to 49: arrays, hashing, windows, stacks, linked lists | 15 easy-medium problems, 25 minutes each | You solve two-sum, subarray-sum-k and longest-unique cold |
| 6 | Pages 50 to 57: search, sort, recursion, trees, graphs, heaps, DP | 15 medium problems; redo every failure from week 5 | You write binary search and BFS cold |
| 7 | Pages 58 to 63: patterns P1 to P9 | Each worked question cold, then a variant on another file | You name the pattern of a new question in 10 seconds |
| 8 | Pages 64 to 68: patterns P10 to P18 | Then timed: 2 data questions in 45 minutes | You finish a HARD data question in under 25 minutes |
| 9 | Pages 69 to 74: pandas, databases, ETL, tests, PySpark | Rebuild the ETL pipeline from a blank file; write its tests | You explain idempotency and scaling with your own code |
| 10 | Pages 75 to 80: sets, concepts, cheat sheet, revision | Three mock interviews out loud: DSA, data round, mixed | Two mocks in a row where you talk the whole time |
A two-hour day
| Minutes | Do this |
|---|---|
| 0 to 20 | Redo one problem from 3 days ago, cold |
| 20 to 80 | Two new problems, 25-minute timer each, talking out loud |
| 80 to 100 | Read the solution for anything you missed; write the pattern and the trap in one line |
| 100 to 120 | Read one page of this book and run its code |
The one-problem loop
I Read the question, then spend 2 minutes on steps 1 to 3 of the approach (page 25) before any code. I Code with a visible 25-minute timer, saying what you are doing. I State time and space before you run it. I Rate it: clean, slow, or failed. Failed and slow go back on the list for 3 days later, then 7. I Keep a tracker: problem, pattern, rating, date, the one thing you missed.
A tracker that keeps you honest (example rows)
| Date | Problem | Pattern | Rating | What I missed | Redo on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day 15 | Subarray sum equals k | Prefix sum + hash map | Failed | Did not seed the map with {0: 1} | Day 18, Day 25 |
| Day 16 | Merge intervals | Sort, then extend | Slow | Used end instead of max(end) | Day 19 |
| Day 16 | Top k customers | Size-k heap | Clean |
Practice before you move on
- Mark the week of the flow you are in today and list the lessons you will do this week.
- Put your week 10 mock rounds on a calendar now.