Module 1: Problem-Solving Framework
Overview
Module 1 focuses on understanding the problem-solving framework essential for tackling technical coding challenges. You'll learn a structured approach to breaking down problems, which will help you prepare for the General Coding Assessment (GCA) and technical interviews in your career.
The problem-solving framework consists of four steps: Understand, Plan, Execute, and Reflect. By mastering this framework, you'll be able to approach any coding problem with confidence.
Problem-Solving Framework
Step 1: Understand the Problem
The first step is to thoroughly understand the problem. This involves:
- Reading the problem statement carefully
- Identifying inputs and expected outputs
- Clarifying any ambiguities
- Working through examples to validate your understanding
Step 2: Plan Your Approach
Next, develop a plan or algorithm to solve the problem:
- Break the problem into smaller steps
- Consider different approaches and algorithms
- Think about edge cases and constraints
- Create pseudocode before writing actual code
Step 3: Execute Your Plan
Implement your solution in code:
- Translate your pseudocode into actual code
- Focus on clarity and correctness first
- Test your code with the examples provided
- Debug any issues that arise
Step 4: Reflect and Optimize
Finally, analyze and improve your solution:
- Review your code for optimization opportunities
- Analyze the time and space complexity
- Consider alternative solutions
- Reflect on what you learned from the problem
Guided Project
In the guided project, you'll work through sample coding challenges to practice applying the problem-solving framework. By walking through examples step-by-step, you'll build confidence in your ability to tackle coding problems systematically.
LeetCode Quick Recap
For this sprint, we'll be using LeetCode to practice our problem-solving skills. You should already have a LeetCode account from Sprint 4. If you need a refresher on LeetCode setup, please refer back to Sprint 4 Module 1 materials.
Remember that LeetCode offers:
- A wide variety of coding problems at different difficulty levels
- An integrated coding environment to test your solutions
- Discussions and solutions from other developers
- Performance metrics for your solutions
Project Resources
GCA Preparation - General Practice
As part of this module, you'll be taking the General Code Assessment (GCA). You'll continue to take the GCA throughout the program to track your progress and develop your problem-solving skills. To properly prepare:
- Go to the LeetCode Problems section
- Attempt at least 10 problems on your own, applying the 4-step problem-solving framework
- Start with problems that involve strings, arrays, and basic algorithms
- Focus on understanding the problem thoroughly before implementing a solution
Regular practice is essential for success on the GCA. The more problems you solve, the more comfortable you'll become with recognizing patterns and applying appropriate techniques.
Recommended LeetCode Problems
The following medium-difficulty problems will help you practice applying the problem-solving framework:
- 3Sum - Perfect for practicing problem decomposition and approach planning
- Coin Change - Excellent for understanding dynamic programming through the 4-step approach
- Search in Rotated Sorted Array - Great for applying binary search with a twist
- Jump Game - Tests your ability to think through different approaches
- Validate Binary Search Tree - Challenges you to understand recursive tree traversal
Practice Activities
To reinforce your understanding of the problem-solving framework, complete the following activities:
- Log in to your LeetCode account
- Choose at least 3 problems from the recommended list above
- For each problem:
- Apply the four-step problem-solving framework
- Document your thought process for each step
- Implement your solution and test it with the provided test cases
- After solving, review the Discussion section to see different approaches
- Analyze the time and space complexity of your solution
- Reflect on which steps of the framework were most challenging for you
- Practice explaining your approach as if you were in a technical interview
General Code Assessment (GCA)
As part of this module, you will take the official General Code Assessment (GCA) test on CodeSignal. This standardized assessment evaluates your coding skills and provides a score that reflects your programming proficiency.
About the GCA:
- The assessment consists of 4 programming tasks to complete in 70 minutes
- You should aim for a score of 295 or higher
- Your highest score is tracked in the BloomTech database
Taking the GCA:
- Take the official GCA at this link: BloomTech GCA Test
For more detailed instructions on the GCA, please refer to the Sprint 4 Sprint Challenge page.
Remember: Regular practice on LeetCode problems using the 4-step problem-solving framework will help you succeed on the GCA. Focus on understanding problems thoroughly before implementing solutions.