Using AI as a LeetCode Coach
How to have AI help you actually learn something 👀
Everyone loves AI because it can do things for them. Nobody loves AI because it can teach them how to do things. AI can be a powerful teacher and coach if you use it right.
Maybe you’re practicing LeetCode and get stuck. You paste it into ChatGPT, and bam out pops a working solution. Fast dopamine hit. But… did you actually learn anything? What’s the point of spending time doing LeetCode if you’re going to get spoon-fed answers?
Most engineers trying to get better at interviews don’t struggle to get the solution—they struggle to understand why the solution works, why their own attempt didn’t, or what patterns they should be practicing more.
This guide will show you how to use AI to get better at LeetCode faster than just practicing problems on your own.
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Asking clarifying questions
The first thing you’d do in a real coding interview is to ask clarifying questions. This is the right place to start when you’re practicing! LeetCode gives the game away a bit here with the listed constraints.
Let’s start with the setup prompt: