In CodeVita Season 11, I couldn't solve even one question. I was in my third year and lacked proper DSA preparation.

Some peers cleared Round 1 using Telegram answers — I chose not to follow that path. It was a wake-up call.

I dedicated 1 year to consistent DSA practice (LeetCode, YouTube, Reddit) and reappeared in Season 12.

Solved: 4/6 Questions

Time Taken: 2 hours 40 minutes

No cheating, no shortcuts, just clean code.

Result: Cleared with Global Rank 143

Clash with my lab externals the same day.

4-hour commute + exhaustion killed my focus.

Solved only 1 question only passing public testcases late at night.

Result: Didn’t clear Round 2 (felt crushed).

I didn’t receive the exam mail like others. 3 days before, got the admit card unexpectedly.

Prepared hard for 3 days: Arrays → DP → Graphs → Recursion.

Pattern Generation with RGB Colors (medium recursion)

Tallest Billboard – LeetCode Hard

    Used subset sum + DP to solve.

Solved: Both questions fully

Issue: Bad keyboard, lost time initially, still pushed through.

Mixed technical + managerial panel (2 members)

Heavily grilled on my resume (they noticed my 143 Rank)

DSA-based questions asked one after another.

Got stuck midway — but the AM (manager) helped me think through and encouraged the approach.

Took about 1.5 hrs. Came out feeling decent.

Offer Letter Received: TCS Prime (9 LPA)

Even though I didn’t clear Round 2, TAG saved the day.

Some peers who cleared Round 2 didn’t get offers — likely due to integrity issues. Staying ethical paid off.

Focus on your long-term improvement.

DSA > Cheating. Shortcuts don’t scale.

A bad round ≠ end of the journey.

Practice daily. Study smart.

Opportunities will find you if you stay disciplined + ethical.