Striver's SDE Sheet vs NeetCode 150 is mostly a choice between depth and breadth. As of October 2026, Striver's sheet, now called the SDE Pattern Sheet on takeuforward.org, has 179 problems in 17 modules and goes deep on graphs, binary search, linked lists and binary search trees. NeetCode 150 has 150 problems in 18 topics and spreads wider across arrays and hashing, one-dimensional dynamic programming, intervals, math and bit manipulation. The two share 62 problems. If your interviews are LeetCode-style and you have eight weeks or less, start with NeetCode 150. If you want heavier graph and algorithm coverage, start with Striver.
We counted both lists on their own sites on October 14, 2026: the SDE Pattern Sheet on takeuforward.org and the NeetCode 150 on neetcode.io. Both creators revise their lists, so treat every number below as a snapshot and check the live pages before you plan around an exact count.
Striver SDE sheet vs NeetCode 150 at a glance
| Striver's SDE Pattern Sheet | NeetCode 150 | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it lives | takeuforward.org (Prep Hub) | neetcode.io (Practice) |
| Problems | 179 | 150 |
| Structure | 17 modules, each split into pattern groups such as "Search on Answer" and "Monotonic Stack / Queue" | 18 topics in a fixed order, from Arrays & Hashing to Bit Manipulation |
| Difficulty mix | Not labeled easy, medium or hard on the sheet | 28 easy, 101 medium, 21 hard |
| Problem links | 148 of 179 link to a LeetCode problem; the rest are takeuforward articles for classic exercises such as heapify or Floyd-Warshall | Every problem maps to a LeetCode problem |
| Explanations | Articles and YouTube videos for many problems in the free view; paid plans add a dedicated video for every problem | A free video walkthrough for each problem |
| Stated audience | People who already know DSA basics; takeuforward sends beginners to its A2Z sheet first | People already familiar with basic algorithms and data structures; NeetCode points complete beginners to the NeetCode 250 |
| Time estimate | 64.1 hours, the sum of takeuforward's per-problem estimates | No official estimate; six to ten weeks at three to five problems a day is typical |
| Cost | The full list is free to browse and work through; paid plans unlock a video for every problem, premium practice questions and AI tools | The list and videos are free; NeetCode Pro adds courses and extra problems |
The time estimates measure different things. Striver's 64.1 hours is the sum of the minutes takeuforward assigns to each problem, and it does not include re-solving anything. Plan on more than that if you work the list properly.
How much the two lists overlap
We matched each Striver problem's LeetCode link against the NeetCode 150. Sixty-four Striver entries point to a NeetCode 150 problem. Two pairs point to the same one: Power Set and its bit-manipulation version both link to Subsets, and both cycle-detection problems link to Course Schedule. That means 62 distinct NeetCode 150 problems are covered, roughly 41% of the list.
The flip side matters more for planning. About 88 NeetCode 150 problems are not in Striver's sheet, and about 115 Striver entries are not in the NeetCode 150. Some of those are close cousins, such as Search in Rotated Sorted Array II versus the original, or Unique Paths II versus Unique Paths, so the overlap in skills is a little higher than the raw count. Here is the split by NeetCode topic:
| NeetCode 150 topic | Problems in NeetCode 150 | Also in Striver's sheet |
|---|---|---|
| Arrays & Hashing | 9 | 2 |
| Two Pointers | 5 | 2 |
| Sliding Window | 6 | 4 |
| Stack | 6 | 2 |
| Binary Search | 7 | 3 |
| Linked List | 11 | 9 |
| Trees | 15 | 9 |
| Heap / Priority Queue | 7 | 2 |
| Backtracking | 10 | 9 |
| Tries | 3 | 0 |
| Graphs | 13 | 6 |
| Advanced Graphs | 6 | 2 |
| 1-D Dynamic Programming | 12 | 3 |
| 2-D Dynamic Programming | 11 | 4 |
| Greedy | 8 | 3 |
| Intervals | 6 | 2 |
| Math & Geometry | 8 | 0 |
| Bit Manipulation | 7 | 0 |
| Total | 150 | 62 |
Backtracking and linked lists are nearly the same in both lists. Tries, math and geometry, and bit manipulation share nothing, and one-dimensional DP shares only three problems. If you finish one list and want the other's value, those low-overlap topics are where it is.
Where each list goes deeper
Striver's sheet: graphs, binary search and algorithm classics
- Graphs. 29 problems in four groups: BFS/DFS, ordering and connectivity, shortest path, and DSU/MST. That includes Kosaraju's algorithm, bridges, articulation points, Dijkstra, Bellman-Ford, Floyd-Warshall and disjoint set union. NeetCode 150 has 19 across its two graph topics. Our graph algorithms guide covers the core ones.
- Binary search. 13 problems, including a "Search on Answer" group (Aggressive Cows, Book Allocation, Koko Eating Bananas) and partition search for the k-th element and median of two sorted arrays. See our binary search patterns for the answer-space technique.
- Trees and linked lists. 15 binary tree problems with traversal-heavy classics (top view, vertical order, boundary traversal, Morris inorder), 10 binary search tree problems (insert, delete, inorder successor, recover a BST) and 16 linked list problems.
- Strings and heaps from scratch. Four string-matching problems (Rabin-Karp, the Z-function, KMP and Shortest Palindrome), plus heapify, building a heap and implementing a min-heap yourself.
- Named DP patterns. 19 DP problems grouped as state transition, knapsack, sequence and partition DP, including 0/1 knapsack and matrix chain multiplication.
NeetCode 150: wider coverage of everyday interview problems
- Arrays and hashing. Nine problems, including Top K Frequent Elements, Product of Array Except Self, Group Anagrams and Encode and Decode Strings. Striver's sheet has two of the nine.
- One-dimensional DP. Twelve problems, including Climbing Stairs, Coin Change, Decode Ways, Word Break and Partition Equal Subset Sum. Striver's sheet has three.
- Intervals. Merge Intervals and Meeting Rooms I and II. The current Striver sheet does not include Merge Intervals at all.
- Math, geometry and bits. Fifteen problems (Rotate Image, Spiral Matrix, Pow(x, n), Counting Bits, Sum of Two Integers) with no matches in Striver's sheet.
- Design-flavored problems. Time Based Key-Value Store, Design Twitter and Detect Squares, which test whether you can choose data structures for an API rather than for a single function.
Neither list is "harder" overall. Striver's goes further into named algorithms; NeetCode's covers more of the short, common problems that fill a 45-minute round. Our NeetCode 150 roadmap walks through its topic order in detail.
Which one to do first
- You are new to data structures and algorithms. Neither. Both creators say so. Takeuforward points beginners to its A2Z DSA Sheet (495 problems in 20 modules, with a 131.4-hour estimate), and NeetCode points them to the NeetCode 250.
- Your loops are LeetCode-style and you have eight weeks or less. Start with NeetCode 150. It covers more of the problem types that show up across many companies, and every problem has a free walkthrough.
- Your rounds lean on algorithms, or you already finished a 75-problem list. Start with Striver. Its graph, binary-search-on-answer and BST modules are where it earns its extra problems.
- You are preparing for campus placements. Takeuforward names college placement candidates as a target audience, and its classic exercises (job sequencing, minimum platforms, N meetings in one room) mirror that style. Striver first is a reasonable default.
- You already finished one. Do not start the other from the top. Work only its non-overlapping problems, topic by topic, using the table above.
If you are unsure how many problems you need at all, our guide on how many LeetCode problems to solve before an interview helps you size the job first.
4, 8 and 12-week plans
| Timeline | Plan | New problems per week | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 weeks | One list only: NeetCode 150 for LeetCode-style loops, Striver's sheet if you need its graph depth | About 38 (NeetCode) or 45 (Striver) | That is a full-time pace. Part-time, cut to the Blind 75 problems inside NeetCode 150, or to Striver's arrays, hashing, binary search, sliding window, linked list, tree, BFS/DFS and DP modules. |
| 8 weeks | One full list in weeks 1–6, then the other list's gap topics in weeks 7–8 | About 25, then 15–18 | After NeetCode, add about 30 Striver problems from shortest path, DSU/MST, ordering and connectivity, search on answer and BSTs. After Striver, add about 35 NeetCode problems from arrays and hashing, 1-D DP, intervals, math and bits. |
| 12 weeks | Both lists: NeetCode 150 in weeks 1–7, the roughly 115 Striver-only problems in weeks 8–11, review in week 12 | About 21, then 29 | About 265 distinct problems in total. Use week 12 for timed re-solves of your misses and mock interviews. |
These counts are new problems only. Budget roughly a third of your weekly time for re-solving problems you missed, because a problem you solved once with help is not a problem you can solve under a clock.
How to combine the lists without doing everything twice
- Keep one tracker keyed by LeetCode number. When a problem appears in both lists, it gets one row. That alone removes about 62 duplicate entries from a combined plan.
- Study by topic across both lists. Finish all the sliding window problems from both sources in one stretch rather than doing NeetCode's and Striver's versions weeks apart.
- Borrow Striver's group names as labels. "Search on Answer", "Counting Windows" and "Partition DP" are useful one-line labels for any problem you solve. Naming the pattern is the skill you are training.
- Time-box and re-solve. Give each new problem 25–30 minutes before reading a solution, then re-solve it from a blank editor two days and a week later.
- Say it out loud. Both lists train solving, and real rounds also grade explanation. Narrate your approach, edge cases and complexity as you go. The free Big-O complexity visualizer helps you check that your complexity claims are right.
For the speaking part, CoPilot Interview's AI mock interview works well alongside either list. Give it your résumé and a job description, choose 3, 5 or 8 questions, weight the mix toward coding and pick your language. It reads each question aloud, scores your spoken answer out of 10 with what to fix and a model answer, and ends with a report card. Coding questions never auto-submit, so you can think in silence before you answer.
Turn your list practice into interview practice
Solve the problems, then rehearse explaining them. CoPilot Interview's free plan includes 15 minutes a day of AI mock interviews with scored, spoken answers and no credit card.
Try a free AI mock interviewFAQ
Is Striver's SDE Sheet better than NeetCode 150?
Neither is better for everyone. Striver's sheet goes deeper on graphs, binary search, BSTs and classic algorithms, while NeetCode 150 covers more everyday interview problems in arrays and hashing, 1-D dynamic programming, intervals, math and bit manipulation, with a free video for each problem. Pick by the kind of rounds you expect and how much time you have.
How many problems are in Striver's SDE Sheet?
As of October 2026, the current version, called the SDE Pattern Sheet on takeuforward.org, has 179 problems in 17 modules. The earlier day-by-day version had 191 problems over 27 days, which is why older guides quote a different number.
How much do Striver's SDE Sheet and NeetCode 150 overlap?
By our match of LeetCode links in October 2026, 62 distinct NeetCode 150 problems also appear in Striver's sheet. That leaves about 88 NeetCode-only problems and about 115 Striver-only entries.
Should I do both Striver's SDE Sheet and NeetCode 150?
Only if you have about 12 weeks. Do one list completely, then work just the other list's non-overlapping problems by topic. Doing both from the top wastes time on roughly 62 repeats.
Is Striver's SDE Sheet good for beginners?
Not as a first resource. Takeuforward says the sheet is best after you know DSA fundamentals and recommends its A2Z sheet for people learning the ideas for the first time. NeetCode gives similar advice for the NeetCode 150 and points beginners to the NeetCode 250.
Are Striver's SDE Sheet and NeetCode 150 free?
Yes, both lists are free to use. Takeuforward's paid plans unlock a video for every problem, premium practice questions and AI tools, and NeetCode Pro adds courses and extra problems. Neither paid tier is required to finish the list.