The Offer Was Built Long Before It Arrived

Hi, I'm Shanmukha Pranav Kuruvella, a 2027 graduate from a Tier 3 college in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.

In July 2026, I secured a TCS Prime role through the on campus NQT exam.

The Habit Behind the Result

The biggest advantage takeUforward gave me was structure.

Instead of trying to solve everything at once, I focused on:

• Solving at least one problem properly every day.

• Understanding the complete approach.

• Recognising patterns that could be applied to other problems.

• Following one structured resource consistently.

I completed nearly 92% of Striver's A2Z DSA Course, which helped me understand the different patterns that can appear across data structures.

I Let Each Topic Take Its Time

My preparation happened in iterations.

First Pass:

• Understand the basics of each data structure and learn to identify the topic.

• Second Pass:

• Move towards medium and hard problems.

• Next:

• Explore different approaches and understand the variations within each topic.

• Practice:

• Solve similar problems independently and apply the patterns I had learned.

This helped me focus on understanding rather than simply completing the sheet.

Familiar Patterns Made the Difference

My TCS placement process had four rounds.

OA Round

The online assessment included:

• Aptitude

• DSA

The DSA section had a Greedy problem and a Tree problem, both of which were variations of patterns I had already practised through the sheet.

Interview Rounds

The OA was followed by three interview rounds:

• TR | MR | HR

• The Technical Round covered:

• Projects

• SQL queries

• Computer Science fundamentals

Alongside DSA, I also worked on projects and maintained my academics, achieving a 9.05 CGPA through the 6th semester.

DSA Was a Long Game

One thing I want juniors to know is that DSA doesn't become easy overnight.

For me, it took around a year of consistent effort to become comfortable with DSA while also working on projects and maintaining my CGPA.

My advice is simple:

• Stay consistent.

• Stick to one reliable resource.

• Give yourself enough time.

• Focus on understanding patterns.

• Don't get distracted by too many resources.

The Outcome Was Bigger

After a year of consistent preparation, I secured a TCS Prime role through campus placement in July 2026. The journey taught me that you don't need to master everything overnight.

You just need to keep learning, keep practising, and stay consistent long enough to see the difference.