I Stopped Asking “Have I Seen This?”

Hi, I’m Ayush Singh, a final year Computer Science student at NIT Patna. During college, I had the opportunity to intern at Oracle Communications and IIT Ropar.

When Every Problem Felt New

Earlier, every DSA problem felt like a completely different puzzle. I could solve one question confidently and get stuck on the very next one.

I realised I wasn't really learning how to solve problems, I was learning to recognise problems I'd already seen.

Learning to Think Differently

That changed when I discovered takeUforward.

What stood out to me about Striver's teaching was that it wasn't just about reaching the final code. It was about understanding the thought process behind it.

I would often pause a video before the solution and try to predict the next step myself. Most of the time I was wrong, but those mistakes helped me understand the concept much better.

From Questions to Patterns

Slowly, I stopped asking, "Have I seen this question before?"

Instead, I started asking, "What observation am I missing?"

I followed the A2Z DSA Sheet patiently, revised regularly, and focused on understanding why an approach worked rather than simply remembering it.

Eventually, even unfamiliar problems started feeling more approachable because the underlying patterns had become familiar.

A Few Words for the Road Ahead

Don't chase problem counts. Chase clarity.

Treat every problem as a lesson. Understand the intuition, learn from mistakes, and don't rush through topics just to finish a sheet.

The Lesson That Stayed With Me

My placement journey wasn't built on one big achievement. It was built through hundreds of ordinary days of getting stuck, learning, and trying again. That journey eventually led me to opportunities at Oracle Communications and IIT Ropar. For me, takeUforward didn't just help with interviews.

It changed the way I think about problems.