NeetCode 250: What It Is and How to Work Through It

NeetCode 250 is a practice list on neetcode.io made of the full NeetCode 150 plus 100 more problems, grouped into the same 18 topics, from Arrays & Hashing to Bit Manipulation. NeetCode describes it as its most beginner-friendly list, meant for people who are completely new to algorithms, and it breaks down into 60 easy, 155 medium and 35 hard problems. At about 20 new problems a week plus re-solves, plan on roughly three months.

This guide covers how the 250 relates to the NeetCode 150 and Blind 75 (with a topic-by-topic count), what the extra 100 problems actually add, who should take it on and who should not, a phased pacing plan, and a review method that keeps week-two topics from fading by the time you reach dynamic programming.

What NeetCode 250 is

NeetCode publishes its problem lists on neetcode.io under Practice. Besides a small Core Skills set (20 implement-it-yourself exercises such as a dynamic array, a heap and Dijkstra's algorithm, most of them on the paid Pro tier), its three main structured lists are nested, each inside the next:

• Blind 75 — the well-known community list of 75 problems. People often call it the “NeetCode 75,” but NeetCode does not publish a separate list by that name.
• NeetCode 150 — the Blind 75 plus 75 more. NeetCode pitches it at people who already know basic algorithms and data structures.
• NeetCode 250 — the NeetCode 150 plus 100 more. The list's own page title calls it a “Complete Beginner Study Plan.”

The nesting is exact: every Blind 75 problem is in the NeetCode 150, and every NeetCode 150 problem is in the 250. There is also a NeetCode All collection of every problem NeetCode has solved on YouTube (973 at the time of writing), but NeetCode notes that it is not structured. It is a pool for random practice, not a curriculum.

Each problem in the 250 links to the original problem on LeetCode and has a NeetCode video walkthrough plus written solutions in several languages. The list page tracks what you have solved by difficulty and topic, and lets you star problems to come back to. A few classics in the list, including Meeting Rooms, Alien Dictionary, Graph Valid Tree and Walls and Gates, are Premium problems on LeetCode, but NeetCode hosts its own versions of them on neetcode.io, sometimes under a different name.

NeetCode 250 vs NeetCode 150 vs Blind 75

Notice the easy share. The 150 is the most medium-heavy of the three, and the 250 adds 32 easy problems, which is why the longer list is also the gentler on-ramp. Here is where the extra problems land, topic by topic (counts from neetcode.io at the time of writing):

The biggest jump is Arrays & Hashing (+13), followed by a cluster of +8s in Two Pointers, Stack, Trees and Graphs. Tries and Intervals barely change. For a comparison that also covers LeetCode's own study plans, see Blind 75 vs NeetCode 150 vs LeetCode 75 vs Top 150.

What the extra 100 problems add

The 100 additions split into 32 easy, 54 medium and 14 hard. Most are mixed into each topic's sequence rather than tacked on at the end, and they do three different jobs:

• Fundamentals the 150 assumes you already have. Concatenation of Array, Design HashSet and Design HashMap, Implement Stack Using Queues and Implement Queue Using Stacks, Search Insert Position, Sqrt(x), the three basic binary tree traversals (inorder, preorder and postorder), and Insert into a BST and Delete Node in a BST. If “write an iterative inorder traversal” would stall you, these are the problems that fix it.
• Extra reps on core patterns. Subarray Sum Equals K (prefix sums with a hash map), Minimum Size Subarray Sum (variable sliding window), Capacity to Ship Packages Within D Days and Split Array Largest Sum (binary search on the answer), Asteroid Collision and Online Stock Span (stack and monotonic stack), Combinations and Permutations II (backtracking, including duplicates), Open the Lock (BFS over states), Accounts Merge (union-find or DFS) and Minimum Path Sum (grid DP). One rep of a pattern gets you recognition; three get you recall.
• Fourteen more hard problems. First Missing Positive, LFU Cache, Maximum Frequency Stack, IPO, Word Break II, Meeting Rooms III, Candy, and Find Critical and Pseudo-Critical Edges in Minimum Spanning Tree. Do these late, after the patterns underneath them are solid.

The practical takeaway: the 250 is not “the 150 plus harder problems.” Most of what it adds sits below or alongside the 150's level. That is exactly what someone new to algorithms needs, and exactly what an experienced candidate can skip.

Who should do NeetCode 250 (and who should skip it)

A good fit if:

• You are new to data structures and algorithms, or coming back after years away. This is the audience NeetCode names for the list.
• You have three months or more before interviews, for example a student preparing for next season's internship or new-grad recruiting, or someone switching into software engineering.
• You finished the NeetCode 150 once, your re-solves are shaky, and you want more reps in the same structure instead of starting a new resource.

Pick a shorter list if:

• Your interviews are less than two months away. Work the NeetCode 150 instead, or the Blind 75 if you have only a few weeks. NeetCode's own advice for people in a rush is to prioritize the easy and medium problems.
• You already handle most medium problems comfortably. The extra 100 are mostly easier than you need; your time is better spent on the 150 and then on practice for the companies you are targeting.

A quick self-test: pick a medium you have never seen and set a timer. NeetCode's rule of thumb for readiness is solving most unseen mediums in 20 to 25 minutes. If you are nowhere near that and basic structures like hash maps and tree traversals still feel shaky, start with the 250.

A pacing plan for all 250

NeetCode says its lists are ordered so that each problem builds on the ones before it, so work the topics in list order. Grouped into four phases at about 20 new problems a week:

Pick the pace that fits your schedule:

• Standard, about 3 months: 4 new problems each weekday, re-solves on the weekend. Roughly 20 new problems a week.
• Part-time, about 6 months: 2 new problems each weekday plus a weekend review block. About 10 a week, which is workable alongside a full-time job.
• Intensive, about 7 weeks: 5 new problems every day plus re-solves. Only realistic if prep is your main job, and only if the re-solves actually happen.

Time-box each problem using NeetCode's own guidance: if you are not making progress after 15 to 20 minutes, look at the solution; if you cannot understand the solution within 45 to 60 minutes, switch to an easier problem in the same topic and come back later.

A review method that makes 250 problems stick

The risk with a long list is simple: by week ten you have forgotten week two. Build review into the plan from day one.

1. Grade every attempt. After each problem, mark it A (solved on your own), B (solved after a hint or a peek) or C (needed the full solution). Star every B and C on neetcode.io so they are easy to find.
2. Re-solve on a schedule. B and C problems come back after two days, then one week, then three weeks, each time from a blank editor. Fail a re-solve and the cycle restarts.
3. Keep a one-line pattern log. Write one sentence per problem naming the signal in the prompt and the technique it maps to: “Smallest capacity that still works → binary search on the answer.” By the end you have a 250-line index you can review in an evening.
4. Run a weekly cold mix. Once a week, redo four or five solved problems from different topics, picked at random, without looking at the topic label. A topic-ordered list tells you the pattern before you start; a real interview does not. This is the biggest gap the list format leaves.
5. Talk while you solve. Say the approach, the trade-offs and the Big-O out loud before you type. Explaining is a separate skill from solving, and it is the one the interviewer grades in real time. A free AI mock interview in CoPilot Interview is one way to rehearse it: set the question mix toward coding, answer out loud, and each answer comes back with a score, what worked and what to improve.

Mistakes that stall people halfway

• Trusting the difficulty labels. NeetCode's own guide warns that some “medium” problems are harder than some “hard” ones. A rough problem in a medium slot is not a sign you are behind.
• Grinding for hours on one problem. Past the time box, read the solution, understand it, and put the problem in your re-solve queue. Hours of staring teach far less than a solution you rebuild from scratch two days later.
• Switching lists in week four. The Blind 75 and the NeetCode 150 are already inside the 250, so jumping to either mostly means re-solving problems you have done. Change resources after you finish, not halfway through.
• Saving all review for the end. There is no quiet month after problem 250 to re-learn the first 100. The re-solve schedule has to run alongside new problems.
• Never practicing under a clock. In your last few weeks, do problems on a 25-minute timer while explaining your reasoning out loud. Solving silently at your own pace is a different activity from an interview.

What to do after NeetCode 250

Do not start another general list; the overlap is large. Instead:

• Go company-specific. Work recent problems for the employers on your list. Our guide to LeetCode company-tagged questions covers how to use them.
• Practice under observation. Timed, spoken mock interviews turn solving while explaining into a habit.
• Prep the other rounds. A strong coding round rarely carries a loop on its own. The STAR answer builder and our other free prep tools are quick places to start.

FAQ

What is NeetCode 250?

NeetCode 250 is a practice list on neetcode.io made of the NeetCode 150 plus 100 more problems, grouped into 18 topics with 60 easy, 155 medium and 35 hard problems. NeetCode describes it as its most beginner-friendly list, aimed at people who are completely new to algorithms.

Does NeetCode 250 include the NeetCode 150 and Blind 75?

Yes. Every Blind 75 problem is in the NeetCode 150, and every NeetCode 150 problem is in the NeetCode 250, so finishing the 250 also covers both smaller lists.

Should I do NeetCode 150 or NeetCode 250?

If you are new to data structures and algorithms and have three months or more, do the 250, since most of the extra problems are fundamentals and extra reps. If you already handle basic data structures comfortably or your interviews are less than two months away, the 150 is the better use of your time.

How long does NeetCode 250 take?

By our estimate, roughly 12 to 13 weeks at about 20 new problems a week plus re-solves. At about 10 new problems a week alongside a full-time job, plan on about six months.

Do I need to finish all 250 problems before interviewing?

No. NeetCode's own guidance is that you do not need to solve every problem and should prioritize easy and medium ones if you are short on time. A better readiness signal is solving most medium problems you have not seen before in 20 to 25 minutes.

Is NeetCode 250 free?

At the time of writing, none of the 250 problems is marked as Pro on neetcode.io, and each one links to a NeetCode video walkthrough. A few problems are Premium on LeetCode, but NeetCode hosts its own versions of those on its site.