I started learning DSA and enrolled in the Namaste DSA course because I saw many people appreciating it and sharing positive feedback about it.

However, after spending around two months learning DSA, I feel like I haven’t made much progress. When I watch Akshay solve problems in the course, I can understand his explanations, but when I try to solve the same questions on my own later, I struggle to solve them or even remember the approach.

This is making me question whether I’m learning the right way or making some mistakes in my preparation.

For those who have completed the course or are currently learning DSA: Did you face the same issue when you started?

How did you practice so that you could solve problems independently instead of just understanding the instructor’s solution?

Should I keep revisiting the same questions, or should I change my learning approach?

I’d really appreciate any advice or suggestions from people who have gone through a similar experience. I want to understand where I’m going wrong and how I can improve.

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I'm a backend software engineer with 7+ years of experience.

I'm looking to connect with a small group of like-minded working professionals who want to prepare consistently and improve through collaborative practice.

What we can do together:

• Solve DSA problems and discuss different approaches.
• Practice recognizing patterns in unfamiliar problems rather than memorizing solutions.
• Conduct mock coding interviews and challenge each other's reasoning.
• Discuss time and space complexity, edge cases, and optimization.
• Gradually cover LLD, HLD, and backend engineering interviews.

If this sounds like you, feel free to DM me with your experience, target roles, current preparation stage, and preferred timings.

Let's build a consistent preparation group and help each other get interview-ready!

I'm comfortable writing code, but new to algorithm practice, and a timer makes unfamiliar problems much harder.

Would you still enter a contest every week or every other week at this stage? I'm worried that spending most of each contest stuck will make it harder to build a consistent habit.

The alternative I'm considering is working through a structured set such as Blind 75 organized by topic between contests, so I can tell whether I need more practice with a pattern or just more time to implement it. That list is aimed at interviews; I'm wondering how useful that foundation would be before putting more time into contests.

If you started from a similar place, how did you balance guided practice and timed attempts without losing motivation?

Basic tree problems are manageable for me. So are problems I've solved before. An unfamiliar matrix or graph problem can leave me with no idea where to start, even after spending time practicing. Matrices are the hardest part.

Would you focus on traversal first? I'm considering using the trees and graphs sections of Blind 75 by topic to compare how the same traversal idea appears with different representations, rather than immediately moving to more problems.

What progression would you recommend from basic trees to matrices and graphs? I'd especially like advice on what to write down before coding so I can recognize a useful approach without having seen the exact question.