Book · 2015
Elements of Programming Interviews in Python
by Adnan Aziz
Three hundred coding-interview problems, an online judge, and a study guide, all built to answer a shorthand Reddit already assumes you know: EPI.
What does Reddit think of Elements of Programming Interviews in Python?
Forty-seven mentions over seven years isn't much, and most of Reddit's engagement here happens inside someone else's argument. Four of the seven displayed quotes are about interview culture broadly (burnout, FAANG expectations, imposter syndrome), with the book showing up once as a data point, not the subject. The two exceptions carry real weight. A 42-upvote r/cscareerquestions comment spells the acronym out ("EPI: Elements...") as established shorthand next to DS&A and CTCI, meaning the community already assumes you know what it stands for. A 26-upvote reply goes further, calling it "a phenomenal resource" and listing what actually comes with it: 300 problems, solutions, a study guide, an online judge comparable to LeetCode, in C++, Python, and Java editions. That's a specific, checkable claim, not vibes. Two comments doing the entire case-making, against a pile of threads that barely notice the book exists.
Community feedback & reader fit
Themes
- · Established interview-prep shorthand — the acronym itself is assumed knowledge
- · Positioned as a LeetCode alternative bundled with its own online judge
- · Multi-language editions (C++, Python, Java) as a practical selling point
- · Mostly cited in passing inside larger burnout and FAANG-prep conversations
Common praise
- + A 26-upvote r/cscareerquestions reply calls it "a phenomenal resource" and backs the claim with specifics: 300 problems, solutions, a study guide, and its own online judge.
- + The acronym gets spelled out matter-of-factly in a separate thread (↑42) — "EPI" reads as assumed shorthand, the kind only an established resource earns.
- + It ships in three language editions, which the 26-upvote comment treats as a real point in its favor, not trivia.
Common criticism
- − Most of its Reddit footprint is incidental — mentioned once inside threads that are actually about FAANG burnout or imposter syndrome, not the book itself.
- − Forty-seven mentions across seven years is a thin dataset to draw much from; two quotes carry the entire substantive case for it.
- − Nobody in the displayed excerpts pushes back on it directly, but nobody argues for it at length either, beyond the one 26-upvote comment.
Who it's for
Want LeetCode's grind without paying for LeetCode? This is the 300-problem, built-in-judge alternative one commenter spelled out in detail (↑26), available in C++, Python, or Java depending on what you're interviewing in. Come in already fluent with the acronym culture around FAANG prep — cscareerquestions treats "EPI" as something you're supposed to already recognize. If what you actually need is reassurance about burnout rather than more problems to grind, the louder threads in this dataset are having that conversation instead, with the book reduced to a footnote.
Mentions over time
Top subreddits
Which Reddit comments matter for Elements of Programming Interviews in Python?
The most relevant excerpts across the subreddits where this book is mentioned — opinionated, argued takes first, then top-upvoted mentions. Click through to read the full thread.
“It depends mostly on which job you're preparing for and what your experience actually is. I *just* finished an interview loop for a FAANG job (got an offer … type of question. If anyone is curious about my FAANG prep -- because I know this is a divisive topic among experienced devs in particular -- …
“the most important part of this post is "Elements of Programming Interviews" imo the other stuff listed kind of distracts from that main point. it can be removed since its all in that book anyway. if anyones reading this, the takeaway should be read Elements of Programming Interviews. multiple times…
“You're not studying optimally if you're struggling for a whole hour on one question. Leetcode patterns take time to learn, and many of those patterns are … unintuitive. They took mathematicians years to formulate, don't knock yourself for not mastering them in a day. I'd say give yourself a time lim…
“Algorithm Design Manual, first half. Half a chapter a day, implementing the stuff you read about. Once you're done with ADM: Elements of Programming Interviews, 3-4 month study plan. Get through half a chapter's recommended questions a day. After those steps are complete: Blind top 75 list on leetco…
“Not the OP, but I believe the most recommended book right now for leetcode style problems is *Elements of Programming Interviews*
“Elements of Programming Interviews in Python is much more complete. If you follow the prep guide in that book you'll nail any leet code interview question
“This approach to interviewing basically has me not even wanting to bother, and I don't have anywhere near your experience. I have a comfy lazy underpaid dev job. I'd love to make more money but I'm 40+ w/a family and don't have time for this s***. You're probably good w/just more Leetcode practice…
“Thank you! It's been a long journey for sure. In 2015 I enrolled at a local public university and paid $5k to take a semester's worth of CS classes. About … nine months before switching to my current job, which more than doubled my comp. In the past two years I've put in a lot of effort outside work…
“All acronyms from grandparent post: DS&A: Data Structures and Algorithms (well-known texts include CLRS aka "Introduction to Algorithms" by Thomas H. Cormen, Charles E. Leiserson, Ronald L. Rivest, and Clifford Stein.) CTCI: Cracking The Coding Interview by Gayle Laakmann McDowell EPI: Elements …
“TL;DR: spend a month or two reading *Elements of Programming Interviews + Grokking System Design (**educative.io* version) and practicing and you can double your salary just like that. I've done it and watched a friend do it *twice* There's also just …
“Read cracking the coding interview and elements of programming interviews. The 20 patterns are just the 20 or so data structures/algos.
“I try to break it down into parts. 1. What kind of problem is this? (graph, linked list, dp, etc) 1. What kind of solutions do I know of to solve problems … problems from a particular category so I can skip some of the cognitive load early on and focus my thinking on solutions instead of recognition…
“Elements of Programming Interviews is a phenomenonal resource. The book comes with 300 problems, solutions, a study guide, and an online judge (like LeetCode) for all 300 problems. It has C++, Python, and Java editions.
“Plan sounds pretty good I'm also an experienced dev going down a similar path to you, only difference is I started 4 months ago. Elements of programming interviews is another solid book and it comes in Java/python or C++. (I would say it's harder but better than CTCI). (Study by question type/spaced…
“Elements of programming interviews might be better
Convinced? Pick up Elements of Programming Interviews in Python
What else does r/cscareerquestions read?
Other books mentioned in the same sub, ranked. Shared-sub overlap with this title breaks ties.
Guides featuring Elements of Programming Interviews in Python
Ranked best-of lists and editorial guides where this book's tracked mentions place it.
Elements of Programming Interviews in Python — frequently asked
What does EPI stand for, and is it about Elements of Programming Interviews?+
Yes. A 42-upvote r/cscareerquestions comment spells it out directly alongside other interview-prep acronyms like DS&A and CTCI (Cracking the Coding Interview), treating "EPI" as assumed shorthand for Elements of Programming Interviews in FAANG-prep conversations.
Is Elements of Programming Interviews actually worth using over LeetCode?+
One detailed r/cscareerquestions reply (↑26) argues yes, calling it "a phenomenal resource" with 300 problems, solutions, a study guide, and its own online judge comparable to LeetCode. It's the single most substantive endorsement in the dataset, and nothing else displayed contradicts it directly.
Which language edition of Elements of Programming Interviews should I get?+
The book ships in C++, Python, and Java editions according to the same 26-upvote comment that recommends it, which frames the choice as picking whichever matches your interview language rather than one edition being definitively better.
Does Reddit talk about Elements of Programming Interviews much?+
Not really — forty-seven mentions across seven years, and most sit inside broader threads about interview burnout or FAANG difficulty rather than being about the book itself. The two exceptions (↑42, ↑26) do the real work of explaining what it is and why someone might use it.