What this prompt does
This prompt builds a personalized DSA study plan from your situation. You provide your [timeline], [experience_level], [strong_areas], [weak_areas], and [target_companies], and the AI generates a weekly schedule at [hours_per_week], a prerequisite-ordered topic sequence, per-topic concept explanations with [problems_per_topic] curated problems easy-to-hard, the full [topics] list, a spaced-repetition schedule, weekly mock interviews starting week [mock_start], company-specific focus, progress checkpoints, per-topic resources, and a day-before review checklist in printable format.
The structure works because effective DSA prep is sequenced, not random. By ordering topics so prerequisites come first and weighting time toward your [weak_areas], the prompt avoids the common trap of grinding what you're already good at because it feels productive. Spaced repetition keeps solved problems from fading, which matters because a problem solved once in week one is usually forgotten by interview day without deliberate revisiting. Tying focus to [target_companies] aligns practice with the patterns those companies actually test, and gating mock interviews to start at week [mock_start] means you build a base before you stress-test it. The printable checklist format turns an abstract plan into something you can mark off daily, which is what keeps a multi-week effort from quietly stalling.
When to use it
- You have a fixed
[timeline]before interviews and need a structured plan, not a problem dump. - You know your
[weak_areas]and want time weighted toward them. - You want topics ordered so prerequisites land before advanced material.
- You need a spaced-repetition schedule so solved problems stick.
- You are targeting specific
[target_companies]and want their patterns prioritized. - You want a printable checklist to track progress and review the day before.
Example output
Expect a week-by-week schedule at [hours_per_week], a prerequisite-ordered topic list covering [topics], per-topic concept notes with [problems_per_topic] graded problems, a spaced-repetition revisit schedule, a mock-interview cadence from week [mock_start], checkpoints, resources per topic, and a printable day-before checklist — all framed as a trackable plan.
Pro tips
- Be honest about
[weak_areas]; the plan weights time toward them, so understating your gaps wastes the personalization. - Set
[hours_per_week]to what you can truly sustain over the full[timeline]— an overcommitted schedule collapses in week two and the spaced repetition breaks. - Use the prerequisite ordering as written; jumping to dynamic programming before solid recursion and arrays usually means relearning fundamentals mid-stream.
- Keep
[problems_per_topic]manageable so you can actually solve and revisit them, rather than collecting unsolved problems. - Start mock interviews at
[mock_start]even if you feel unready — performing under simulated pressure exposes gaps that solo solving hides. - Treat the spaced-repetition schedule as non-negotiable; revisiting solved problems is what converts short-term solutions into durable pattern recognition.
- Lean on the company-specific focus for
[target_companies], since each shop tends to favor particular topics and problem styles you can prepare for directly.
