30-Day DSA (Python) and Advanced Coding Schedule

This schedule is designed for individuals with some basic programming knowledge and aims to build strong foundations in Data
Structures and Algorithms, prepare for technical interviews, and introduce advanced coding concepts.

Key:

DSA Topic: Core Data Structures and Algorithms concept.

Technical MCQs: Practice multiple-choice questions related to the day's topic and general computer science.

Coding Approaches: Strategies and patterns for solving problems, especially for advanced scenarios.

Problem Solving: Hands-on coding exercises.

Week 1: Foundations & Linear Data Structures

Day 1: Introduction to DSA & Python Refresh

DSA Topic: Why DSA is important, time and space complexity (Big O notation).

Python Refresh: Basic syntax, data types, control flow, functions.

Technical MCQs: Basic Python concepts, Big O notation examples.

 Coding Approaches: Brute-force vs. optimized solutions.

Problem Solving: Simple array manipulations, basic string operations.

Day 2: Arrays & Lists

DSA Topic: Static vs. dynamic arrays, common array operations (traversal, insertion, deletion, searching).

Python Specific: Python lists.

Technical MCQs: Array properties, list methods in Python.

Coding Approaches: Two-pointer technique, prefix sums.

Problem Solving: Find max/min in array, reverse an array, remove duplicates from sorted array.
Day 3: Linked Lists

DSA Topic: Singly linked lists, doubly linked lists, circular linked lists (creation, traversal, insertion, deletion).

Technical MCQs: Linked list properties, advantages/disadvantages over arrays.

Coding Approaches: Iterative vs. recursive solutions for linked lists.

Problem Solving: Reverse a linked list, detect cycle in linked list, merge two sorted linked lists.

Day 4: Stacks

DSA Topic: LIFO principle, stack operations (push, pop, peek, isEmpty), applications (function calls, undo/redo).
 Python Specific: Using lists as stacks.

Technical MCQs: Stack applications, properties.

Coding Approaches: Using stacks for parsing, expression evaluation.

Problem Solving: Valid parentheses, next greater element, infix to postfix conversion.

Day 5: Queues

DSA Topic: FIFO principle, queue operations (enqueue, dequeue, peek, isEmpty), applications (BFS, print spooler).

Python Specific: Using collections.deque.

 Technical MCQs: Queue applications, properties.

Coding Approaches: Using queues for breadth-first traversal.

Problem Solving: Implement a queue using two stacks, recent calls counter.

Day 6: Hashing & Hash Maps/Sets

DSA Topic: Hashing functions, collision resolution (chaining, open addressing), hash map/set operations.

Python Specific: Dictionaries and sets.

Technical MCQs: Hashing principles, time complexity of hash operations.

Coding Approaches: Using hash maps for frequency counting, quick lookups.
 Problem Solving: Two sum, longest consecutive sequence, group anagrams.

Day 7: Weekly Review & Practice

Review all topics from Week 1.

Solve 5-7 mixed problems covering arrays, linked lists, stacks, queues, and hash maps.

Take a comprehensive technical MCQ quiz on Week 1 topics.

Week 2: Trees & Non-Linear Data Structures

Day 8: Trees - Basics & Binary Trees

DSA Topic: Tree terminology (root, node, leaf, parent, child, depth, height), binary tree properties.

Technical MCQs: Tree definitions, types of binary trees.

Coding Approaches: Recursive approaches for tree traversal.

Problem Solving: Implement a binary tree node, calculate tree height.

Day 9: Tree Traversals (BFS & DFS)

 DSA Topic: Breadth-First Search (Level Order Traversal), Depth-First Search (In-order, Pre-order, Post-order).

Technical MCQs: Distinguishing BFS and DFS, applications.

Coding Approaches: Iterative vs. recursive DFS.

Problem Solving: Implement all traversals, count nodes in a tree.

Day 10: Binary Search Trees (BST)

DSA Topic: BST properties, insertion, deletion, searching in BST.

Technical MCQs: BST advantages, balancing.

 Coding Approaches: Utilizing BST properties for efficient searching.

Problem Solving: Validate BST, find Kth smallest element in BST.

Day 11: Heaps (Priority Queues)

DSA Topic: Min-heap, Max-heap properties, heapify, insert, extract operations.

Python Specific: heapq module.

Technical MCQs: Heap applications (priority queues, sorting).

Coding Approaches: Using heaps for finding Kth largest/smallest, scheduling problems.

Problem Solving: Kth largest element in an array, merge K sorted lists.

Day 12: Graphs - Representation

DSA Topic: Graph terminology (vertex, edge, directed, undirected, weighted), adjacency matrix, adjacency list representation.

Technical MCQs: Graph types, representation advantages/disadvantages.

Coding Approaches: Choosing appropriate graph representation.

Problem Solving: Implement graph representations.

Day 13: Graph Traversal (BFS & DFS)

DSA Topic: Breadth-First Search (BFS) and Depth-First Search (DFS) on graphs.
 Technical MCQs: Applications of BFS/DFS in graphs (shortest path, connectivity).

Coding Approaches: Detecting cycles using BFS/DFS, topological sort.

Problem Solving: Find connected components, cycle detection, rotting oranges (BFS).

Day 14: Weekly Review & Practice

Review all topics from Week 2.

Solve 5-7 mixed problems covering trees, heaps, and graphs.

Take a comprehensive technical MCQ quiz on Week 2 topics.

Week 3: Algorithms - Sorting, Searching & Dynamic Programming

Day 15: Sorting Algorithms - Basic

DSA Topic: Bubble Sort, Selection Sort, Insertion Sort (concepts, time complexity, stability).

Technical MCQs: Comparison of basic sorting algorithms.

Coding Approaches: Understanding in-place sorting.

Problem Solving: Implement basic sorting algorithms.

Day 16: Sorting Algorithms - Advanced

DSA Topic: Merge Sort, Quick Sort (concepts, time complexity, worst-case scenarios).

Technical MCQs: Divide and conquer paradigm, pivot selection in Quick Sort.

Coding Approaches: Recursive thinking for sorting.

Problem Solving: Implement Merge Sort and Quick Sort.

Day 17: Searching Algorithms

DSA Topic: Linear Search, Binary Search (prerequisites, time complexity).

 Technical MCQs: When to use binary search, variations.

Coding Approaches: Binary search on sorted arrays, rotated sorted arrays.

Problem Solving: Find element in rotated sorted array, search insert position.

Day 18: Recursion & Backtracking

DSA Topic: Understanding recursion, base cases, recursive step, call stack, backtracking concept.

Technical MCQs: Recursion vs. iteration, complexity of recursive algorithms.

Coding Approaches: Exploring all possibilities, pruning the search space.

 Problem Solving: Factorial, Fibonacci, N-Queens, Permutations.

Day 19: Dynamic Programming - Introduction

DSA Topic: Memoization vs. Tabulation, overlapping subproblems, optimal substructure.

Technical MCQs: Identifying DP problems.

Coding Approaches: Top-down (memoization) and Bottom-up (tabulation) DP.

Problem Solving: Fibonacci sequence (DP), unique paths.

Day 20: Dynamic Programming - Advanced

DSA Topic: Common DP patterns (0/1 Knapsack, Longest Common Subsequence, Longest Increasing Subsequence).
 Technical MCQs: Variations of classic DP problems.

Coding Approaches: State definition, recurrence relations.

Problem Solving: Knapsack problem, Longest Common Subsequence.

Day 21: Weekly Review & Practice

Review all topics from Week 3.

Solve 5-7 mixed problems covering sorting, searching, recursion, and dynamic programming.

Take a comprehensive technical MCQ quiz on Week 3 topics.

Week 4: Advanced Topics & Interview Preparation

Day 22: Greedy Algorithms

DSA Topic: Greedy choice property, optimal substructure, applications.

Technical MCQs: When to apply greedy algorithms.

Coding Approaches: Making locally optimal choices.

 Problem Solving: Activity selection problem, coin change (greedy vs. DP), jump game.

Day 23: Tries (Prefix Trees)

DSA Topic: Trie structure, insertion, searching, applications (autocomplete, spell checker).

Technical MCQs: Trie vs. Hash Map for string operations.

Coding Approaches: Designing Trie nodes and operations.

Problem Solving: Implement a Trie, longest common prefix.

Day 24: Bit Manipulation

DSA Topic: Bitwise operators (AND, OR, XOR, NOT, shifts), common bit hacks.
 Technical MCQs: Applications of bit manipulation.

Coding Approaches: Optimizing solutions using bitwise operations.

Problem Solving: Single number, power of two, counting set bits.

Day 25: Graph Algorithms - Shortest Paths

DSA Topic: Dijkstra's Algorithm (Single Source Shortest Path on non-negative weights), Bellman-Ford (negative weights, cycle
detection).

Technical MCQs: Differences between shortest path algorithms.

Coding Approaches: Implementing priority queue for Dijkstra.

 Problem Solving: Find shortest path in a graph.

Day 26: Graph Algorithms - MST & Flow

DSA Topic: Minimum Spanning Tree (Prim's, Kruskal's), Max Flow Min Cut theorem (introduction).

Technical MCQs: Applications of MST, flow networks.

Coding Approaches: Disjoint Set Union (DSU) for Kruskal's.

Problem Solving: Find MST in a graph.

Day 27: System Design Introduction (High-Level)

 Advanced Topic: Scalability, reliability, availability, consistency, load balancing, caching, databases (SQL vs. NoSQL).

Technical MCQs: System design concepts.

Coding Approaches: Thinking about system architecture when solving problems.

Problem Solving: Discuss design considerations for a simple service (e.g., URL shortener).

Day 28: Object-Oriented Design (OOD) & Design Patterns

Advanced Topic: SOLID principles, common design patterns (Singleton, Factory, Observer).

Technical MCQs: OOD principles, pattern identification.

 Coding Approaches: Applying OOD principles in code.

Problem Solving: Design a parking lot, design a deck of cards.

Day 29: Interview Strategy & Mock Interview

Advanced Topic: Communication skills, problem-solving framework (clarify, example, approach, code, test), behavioral questions.

Technical MCQs: General interview etiquette.

Coding Approaches: Whiteboard coding practice.

Problem Solving: Conduct a mock interview with a peer or mentor.

Day 30: Grand Revision & Advanced Problem Solving

 Review all important DSA concepts and algorithms.

Solve 5-10 challenging problems from various topics.

Attempt a full-length coding contest or an advanced technical MCQ test.

Resources for Vel News Group (or anyone following this schedule):

Online Platforms for Practice: LeetCode, HackerRank, GeeksforGeeks, InterviewBit.

Python Specific DSA Resources: "Problem Solving with Algorithms and Data Structures using Python" by Brad Miller and David
Ranum (online book), Real Python tutorials.

Technical MCQs: GeeksforGeeks quizzes, Sanfoundry, IndiaBix.

Coding Approaches/Patterns: "Cracking the Coding Interview" by Gayle Laakmann McDowell, LeetCode explore cards (patterns).

System Design: "Designing Data-Intensive Applications" by Martin