DSA Roadmap for Beginners (Java)
Step 1: Basic Programming Concepts (Java)
Make sure you're confident in:
- Loops
- Conditionals
- Functions
- Arrays and Strings
- OOP Basics
Step 2: Arrays
Algorithms: Traversal, Two pointers, Sliding Window, Sorting
Identify by:
- Fixed size data
- Index-based access
Common Problems:
- Find duplicate
- Max subarray sum (Kadane)
- Two sum
Step 3: Strings
Algorithms: HashMap, Sliding window
Identify by:
- Character manipulations
Common Problems:
- Anagram check
- Longest substring
- Palindromes
Step 4: Hashing
Algorithms: Frequency counting
Identify by:
- Need for fast lookup or duplicate check
Common Problems:
- Two Sum
DSA Roadmap for Beginners (Java)
- Longest sequence
- First non-repeating
Step 5: Recursion
Algorithms: Backtracking, Divide and Conquer
Identify by:
- Repeated tasks on subproblems
Common Problems:
- Fibonacci
- Tower of Hanoi
- Subsets
Step 6: Sorting
Algorithms: Bubble, Insertion, Merge, Quick Sort
Identify by:
- Ordering, ranking
Common Problems:
- Kth largest
- Sort colors
- Merge intervals
Step 7: Searching
Algorithms: Linear, Binary Search
Identify by:
- Find or lookup questions
Common Problems:
- Search in rotated array
- Peak element
- Sqrt of number
Step 8: Stacks & Queues
Algorithms: Monotonic Stack, Sliding window
Identify by:
DSA Roadmap for Beginners (Java)
- Order tracking
Common Problems:
- Valid parentheses
- Next greater element
- Sliding window max
Step 9: Linked List
Algorithms: Fast/slow pointer
Identify by:
- Sequential data with dynamic memory
Common Problems:
- Reverse list
- Detect cycle
- Merge lists
Step 10: Trees & BST
Algorithms: DFS, BFS, Recursion
Identify by:
- Hierarchical structure
Common Problems:
- Inorder traversal
- Level-order
- Validate BST
Step 11: Backtracking
Algorithms: DFS with state undo
Identify by:
- All combinations or permutations
Common Problems:
- N-Queens
- Sudoku
- Subset sum
DSA Roadmap for Beginners (Java)
Step 12: Dynamic Programming (DP)
Algorithms: Memoization, Tabulation
Identify by:
- Overlapping subproblems
Common Problems:
- Fibonacci
- Knapsack
- LIS
Pattern Matching to Choose Algorithm
Find -> Hash/BS
Sort -> Sorting
Max/Min -> Sliding Window
Ways to do X -> DP
Undo or Track Order -> Stack
Hierarchy -> Trees
Tips for Learning DSA
- Start easy problems
- Don't skip dry runs
- Master recursion early
- Recognize patterns
- Code before checking solutions
