Grind 169 is the full question pool behind the Grind 75 tool by Yangshun Tay, the author of Blind 75 and the Tech Interview Handbook. The tool shows 75 questions by default, but if you give it more weeks or more hours per week, it adds questions in priority order until it has shown all 169. This page explains how that works, what the extra questions add and when the longer list is worth it. For the default plan, see our Grind 75 guide.
What Grind 169 actually is
There is no separate Grind 169 list: it is the whole pool of the Grind tool. Counts were read from each list's own site data on November 9, 2026. Lists are edited from time to time, so numbers can drift.
| Default plan (Grind 75) | Full pool (Grind 169) | |
|---|---|---|
| Questions | 75 | 169 |
| Easy / Medium / Hard | 24 / 42 / 9 | 41 / 102 / 26 |
| LeetCode Premium questions | 0 | 12 |
| Default schedule | 8 weeks at 8 hours a week | About 150 hours in total |
How your schedule changes the list
Each question has an estimated time. The tool fills your budget of weeks times hours with the highest-priority questions first, so more time unlocks more of the pool. We reproduced the tool's selection to see how many questions each setting gives over eight weeks:
| Hours a week (8 weeks) | Questions shown |
|---|---|
| 4 | 41 |
| 6 | 59 |
| 8 (default) | 75 |
| 10 | 93 |
| 12 | 111 |
A total of about 150 hours, for example 10 hours a week for 15 weeks, includes all 169. The sliders go up to 26 weeks and 40 hours a week.
What the extra 94 questions add
- More graph, tree and dynamic programming practice: across the pool the largest topic tags are arrays (24), graphs (21), binary trees (18), and stacks, linked lists and strings (14 each).
- More hard problems: 26 in the full pool against 9 in the default 75.
- Twelve Premium questions, which need a LeetCode subscription.
- Options to order by topic or difficulty and to filter, which helps you fill gaps.
When the longer list is worth it
- Worth it: you have more than eight weeks, you are aiming at companies known for hard rounds, or you finished the 75 and still struggle with graphs or dynamic programming.
- Not worth it: your interview is in under a month; depth on the 75 beats a shallow pass over 169.
- Already did NeetCode 150? By our count, 106 of NeetCode 150's problems are in the Grind pool, so expect a lot of repeats. See our NeetCode 150 roadmap.
A twelve-week plan
- Weeks 1 to 4: the default 75 in the tool's order, timed, with complexity stated out loud.
- Weeks 5 to 8: raise the hours and add the next questions the tool shows, focusing on your two weakest topics.
- Weeks 9 to 11: the remaining hard problems, two or three a week, plus review of every problem you failed.
- Week 12: mixed review, mock interviews and rest before the real thing.
For how Grind compares with the original list, see Blind 75 vs Grind 75.
Turning a list into interview skill
Any list only helps if the practice transfers to problems you have not seen. These habits make the difference:
- Time-box every attempt: about 25 minutes for a medium before you read a solution.
- Keep a log with one line per problem: the pattern, the key idea and the complexity.
- Redo failed problems after three days, a week and three weeks, without looking at your old code.
- Explain your approach out loud before and while you code, as you would to an interviewer.
- In the last two weeks, switch to unseen problems without topic labels.
The patterns most lists are built on are explained in array and string patterns and tree, graph and recursion patterns.
Where CoPilot Interview fits
Finishing a list is not the same as passing an interview: interviewers score how you explain your approach, your trade-offs and your complexity out loud. CoPilot Interview is an AI interview assistant; its free AI mock interview asks coding questions, listens to your spoken explanation and scores it out of ten with a model answer, which is the part a problem list cannot train. The free plan gives 15 minutes a day of live help in sessions of up to 15 minutes, with AI mock interviews included. Online assessments and live coding rounds usually forbid outside help, so practice now and follow your employer's rules on the day.
Disclosure: CoPilot Interview is our product, so weigh what we say about it accordingly.
Frequently asked questions
How many questions are in Grind 169?
169: 41 easy, 102 medium and 26 hard, with 12 that need LeetCode Premium, according to the tool's data in November 2026.
Is Grind 169 better than Grind 75?
It is longer, not better. The 75 are the highest-priority questions; the rest add depth. Choose by how much time you have.
How long does Grind 169 take?
About 150 hours in total according to the tool's own estimates, for example 10 hours a week for 15 weeks.
Who made Grind 75 and Grind 169?
Yangshun Tay, who also wrote Blind 75 and the Tech Interview Handbook.
Practice this interview before the real one
The AI mock interview builds questions from your resume and the job description, reads them aloud and scores each spoken answer out of 10. Included on the free plan.
Start a mock interview