Learn the Skills of Mastering Data Structures and Algorithms

Data structure and algorithm questions are among the most frequently asked ones in interviews. That is why every decent data structure and algorithms course covers this topic extensively. Scaler's data structures and algorithms course is among the most popular and effective courses that enable several students to bag their dream jobs. They involve students in extensive practice because they understand the need for these young minds to master data structures and algorithms.

Every software engineering student must acquire mastery over high languages to solve practical data structure problems. While enrolling in a data structures and algorithms course will help you immensely, learning a little beforehand by yourself will nonetheless do you good. It will help you progress with the pace of the classes and might even give you an upper hand in comparison to your competitors.
We have enumerated six tips to master the skill of data structures and algorithms. Let us run through them quickly.

Understanding Depth vs. Breadth

When preparing for interviews, students generally choose among the two broad approaches- the breadth approach and the depth approach. The former is more popular as it involves a lot of coding and extensive practice. Almost every data structure and algorithms course out there will also focus on this method. But that does not make it the more efficient kind.

The breadth-only approach focuses on solving as many problems as one can, but these students often miss out on building a strong foundation, and this is where the depth approach comes in. It aims at developing deep problem-solving knowledge. The idea here is to focus on fewer problems and extract as much knowledge as you can from those.

It lets you get better at solving substantial problems with correct syntax and clean code. Once you master a few of the basic problem-solving skills, you can apply the same code and implement it to newer problems. The best way is to combine both approaches.

Make a List of Core Questions

Handpick the most pressing and core questions. Try to make your way through them by understanding each solution. This will make you gain insight into the problems, and with practice, you will be able to solve almost all kinds of problems. Very few data structure and algorithm courses follow this approach but the ones that do produce more geniuses than others. This is simply because they do not rely simply on problem-solving but focus on identifying and understanding the root.

Master Each Data Structure

Starting at the basics is very important. When it comes to programming, you cannot reach heights without a good foundation. Unless you are well versed with the basics, even the best data structure and algorithm course will not be able to help you. Knowing every data structure could be the start.

Besides familiarising yourself with the data structure, you must also learn how each structure can be used and implemented in your language. Several problems may reengineer or modify data structures for some particular use. You must know how they work if you want to utilize them fully.

If you still do not know where to start, here we have listed some of the data structures that you can master:

• Arrays and Lists
• 2D Arrays
• Linked List
• Queue
• Binary Tree
• Trie
• Binary Search Tree
• Heap
• Graphs
• Hash Table and Hash Set

Spaced Repetition

Students often complain of forgetting solutions. You may face the same issue, but there is no need to get disheartened. The idea is never to memorize solutions but practice them until they become embedded in your system. You should be able to solve a problem organically and not take the assistance of your memory. When you see a problem, your mind must automatically break it down and form solutions. Rote learning will only help you memorize one problem but when you are able to recognize components and break them down, solving most kinds of problems becomes extremely easy. No good data structure and algorithm course will advise you to learn your solutions.

Isolate the Patterns

An in-depth approach will train your mind to detect patterns, and these patterns can be isolated and practiced again and again. This will give you an idea regarding which problem requires which solution without having to practice a thousand of them.

Practice

When we said the breadth alone technique does not work well, we did not mean to put it off the table. The idea is, to begin with, an in-depth approach, and once you have laid your foundations strong, it is the right time for undertaking a breadth approach. Look beyond your core set and practice as much as you can.
Do not give up practicing on paper. On the contrary, it would be best to keep practicing your code on paper from time to time. It will help you learn the correct data structure usage and language syntax.

Mastering data structures and algorithms can be difficult but not impossible. However, with perseverance, patience, and the above-mentioned 6 tips, you can learn the skill pretty quickly.