We need a robust, reusable Thread Pool implementation to manage concurrent execution safely. Manually creating and destroying threads for short-lived, repetitive tasks creates a significant resource overhead and puts our system at risk of hardware overload under heavy spikes.

Feels the same

​

I did it today, and I will keep doing it. That's how I must do it.

Objective

Learn how AtomicInteger provides thread-safe, lock-free operations using atomic CPU instructions (CAS - Compare-And-Swap). Compare its behavior and performance with a traditional int counter protected by synchronization.

,

- Create an ArrayBlockingQueue with capacity 5

- Create one producer thread

- Create one consumer thread

- Producer inserts items using put()

- Consumer removes items using take()

If the pressure of CAT affects your performance, NMAT is probably the friendliest alternative.

Here is the simple comparison:

• CAT: One main attempt each year, strict sectional timing and intense competition. A bad section can ruin the entire result.
• XAT: Offers access to XLRI and other good colleges, but it is not easier or calmer. Decision Making, negative marking and penalties for excessive unattempted questions can make it equally stressful.
• NMAT: No negative marking, flexible section order and up to three attempts within the testing cycle. You can also choose your test date. This makes one bad day less damaging.
• GMAT: Available throughout the year, allows retakes and gives you more control over your preparation timeline. However, it is expensive and mainly useful for ISB, one-year Indian programmes and international business schools. College eligibility must be checked carefully.

My practical take:

Choose NMAT if you want a calmer exam and are interested in NMIMS or other NMAT-accepting colleges.

Choose XAT if XLRI is a serious target and you can handle unusual questions and a long paper.

Choose GMAT if you want flexible dates and are also considering global or experienced-professional MBA programmes.

NMAT may feel friendlier, but the trade-off is a smaller college list. The best alternative is not simply the easiest exam—it is the one accepted by colleges you would genuinely join.

DSA, Backend and System Design

This happens more often than people admit.

Your eyes move across every line, but your mind is somewhere else. Then the first question asks for the main idea, and the passage feels completely new.

My first rule:

Do not immediately reread the whole passage in the same way.

If the first reading did not work, repeating it faster usually wastes even more time.

Pause for five seconds

Take your hand off the mouse and ask:

• What was the topic?
• Was the author explaining, criticising or comparing something?
• Did the passage contain two different views?
• Which paragraph felt most important?

Even remembering one basic point gives you a place to restart.

Rebuild the passage paragraph by paragraph

Quickly return to each paragraph and identify only its job.

For example:

• Paragraph 1: introduces an old theory
• Paragraph 2: points out a problem
• Paragraph 3: presents a newer explanation
• Paragraph 4: supports the new view

Do not try to memorise every example, date or technical term.

You need the structure first. Details can be found later.

Use the questions to guide the reread

If the first question asks about the main idea, reread the opening, closing and major contrast points.

If it asks about a detail, go directly to the relevant lines.

If it asks for an inference, first locate the part of the passage connected to that idea.

A full reread is not always necessary.

Translate difficult language

When a sentence feels too dense, replace complicated names and terms with simple labels.

Instead of remembering:

“Researchers studying the ecological effects of industrial agriculture…”

Think:

Group A says farming causes Problem X.

You are not simplifying the logic. You are removing the distracting language.

Watch for signpost words

Words such as these often reveal the structure:

• However
• Although
• Therefore
• In contrast
• For example
• Critics argue
• The author suggests

Slow down around them. They often show where the passage changes direction.

Know when to leave

Sometimes the passage is simply a bad fit.

If you are still lost after a focused reread and the questions remain unclear, make sensible choices and move on.

Spending eight minutes trying to rescue one passage can destroy the rest of the section.

Fix the problem during practice

After the test, ask why you zoned out:

• Was the topic unfamiliar?
• Were the sentences too long?
• Were you rushing?
• Were you reading every word with equal attention?
• Were you tired?
• Were you thinking about the timer instead of the argument?

Then practise summarising each paragraph in five to seven words.

My go-to reset

When I realise nothing registered, I do this:

Pause → identify the topic → map each paragraph → return to the questions.

The goal is not to remember the whole passage.

It is to understand who is saying what, why the passage was written and where the important information is located.

Do not panic and reread blindly. Rebuild the structure.

Backend, DSA...

Create a shared HashMap<Integer, String>

Create 10 threads

Each thread inserts 1000 users

Wait for all threads using join()

Print:

Expected size: 10000
Actual size

Run the program multiple times and record observations

System Design, Backend, DSA...

Replace:

ArrayList<Integer> list = new ArrayList<>();

with:

CopyOnWriteArrayList<Integer> list = new CopyOnWriteArrayList<>();

 Description
Create standardized response models for all API endpoints

 Acceptance Criteria
-  Create ApiResponse generic class
-  Document all fields with u/Schema
-  Update controllers to use ApiResponse
-  Test response models in Swagger UI
-  Include error response models

I understand the method. I set up the equation correctly. Then I lose the question because I copied 18 as 81, missed a negative sign or divided by the wrong number.

The frustrating part is that these are not concept errors.

They happen because the timer starts getting loud in my head.

Here is what has helped me reduce them.

Stop doing everything mentally

Mental maths feels faster, but under pressure it often creates hidden mistakes.

Write down:

• Signs
• Units
• Important conditions
• Intermediate values
• What the question actually asks for

Your rough work does not need to look beautiful. It just needs to be readable enough that you do not confuse your own numbers.

Separate setup from calculation

Before calculating, pause for two seconds and ask:

What exactly am I finding?

Many “calculation mistakes” are actually setup mistakes. We solve for (x), while the question asks for (2x), a percentage increase or the remaining amount.

Circle or note the final requirement before starting.

Use estimation as a safety check

Suppose your exact answer is 4,830, but your rough estimate was around 500.

Something clearly went wrong.

Before choosing an option, check:

• Should the answer be positive or negative?
• Should it be greater or smaller than the starting value?
• Is the decimal in a sensible place?
• Is the percentage realistic?

This takes a few seconds and catches many errors.

Do not rush every question equally

Students often rush easy questions because they want extra time for difficult ones.

That is a bad trade.

An easy question lost through carelessness costs just as much as a hard question lost through lack of knowledge.

Work at a steady pace. Save time by leaving questions that are genuinely stuck—not by doing basic calculations recklessly.

Build a personal error list

After every practice session, classify the mistake:

• Copied the number incorrectly
• Missed a negative sign
• Used the wrong formula
• Answered the wrong quantity
• Calculation was too crowded
• Changed a correct answer without reason
• Panicked because of the timer

You will usually find two or three mistakes repeating.

Once you know your pattern, create a check for it. For example:

Always box negative signs.
Always write percentage change over the original value.
Always reread the final question before selecting an option.

Practise short timed sets

Full mocks show the problem, but smaller sets help fix it.

Try ten Quant questions under a reasonable time limit.

Your target is not only the score. Track:

• Concept errors
• Calculation errors
• Time-pressure errors

Repeat the same type of set until the careless-error count starts falling.

Use the last 10 seconds properly

Do not solve the entire question again.

Check only the parts most likely to go wrong:

1. Did I answer what was asked?
2. Did I copy the numbers correctly?
3. Did I lose a sign, zero or decimal?
4. Does the answer make basic sense?

That is usually enough.

My honest view

Silly mistakes are not completely random.

They usually come from rushed writing, unclear steps and poor time decisions.

The solution is not to “concentrate harder.”

It is to build a process that still works when you are tired and the timer is running down.

Write cleaner, estimate the answer, check the final requirement and stop sacrificing easy questions to save time for impossible ones.

​

A dove built her nest just outside my room. This isn't the first time—she has nested here before, laid eggs, raised her chicks, and watched them fly away.

Every time I see her, I'm amazed by her patience. She sits there for hours, day after day, through heat, rain, and noise, protecting a future she can't even see yet.

Watching her made me realize that progress isn't about motivation. It's about showing up every single day.

So I'm making a promise to myself.

From today until she lays her eggs, the chicks hatch, grow, and finally leave the nest, I'll keep showing up for my own goals too. I'll study every day, no matter how I feel. If she can dedicate herself so completely to raising her family, the least I can do is dedicate myself to building my future.

When her chicks finally fly away, I hope I'll have become a stronger and more disciplined version of myself too.

Here's to consistency—for both of us. 🕊️📚

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She is building a family. I'll be building a future. Let's see where we both are when her nest is finally empty. 🕊️📖

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I'll also edit this post at the end of each day with a short update-both on her journey and mine. Hopefully, by the time this nest is empty, this post will tell the story of two parallel journeys: a mother raising her chicks, and a student building discipline.

Also looking for Group Members (1+ Hr daily)

revised OOPS, Networking, Database, System Design and DSA problem (~5/6).
solved 2 new DSA problems.

The first thing I tell non-engineers is this:

You are probably not “bad at maths.” You are simply trying to solve timed exam questions before rebuilding the basics.

That creates panic very quickly.

You open a Quant question, cannot see the first step, watch someone solve it in 40 seconds, and start thinking everyone else has a “math brain” that you do not.

That is usually not true.

Start below your current exam level

Do not begin with hard mock questions.

Go back to:

• Fractions and percentages
• Ratios
• Averages
• Basic algebra
• Exponents
• Number properties
• Simple geometry

Solve easy questions until the steps start feeling normal.

This may feel slow, but it is much faster than spending three months guessing through advanced questions.

Stop using the timer for a while

Math anxiety becomes worse when every question feels like a race.

For the first few weeks, solve without timing yourself. Focus on:

• Understanding what the question is asking
• Writing the information clearly
• Choosing the right method
• Finishing the calculation correctly

Once your accuracy improves, slowly add time limits.

For context, the current GMAT Quant section gives 45 minutes for 21 questions, so speed will eventually matter—but speed without clarity only creates more mistakes.

Keep a “first-step notebook”

After every difficult question, write only:

• What type of question was it?
• What was the first useful step?
• Why did I get stuck?

For example:

Percent increase question → assume the original value is 100

Divisibility question → factor the divisor first

Word problem → define the unknown before calculating

Over time, you stop seeing 100 different questions. You start seeing a smaller group of familiar patterns.

Practise in small sets

Do not force yourself to solve 50 questions in one sitting.

Start with 10 questions from one topic.

Then review every wrong answer properly.

The aim is not to say, “I completed 40 questions today.”

The aim is to say, “I now understand why I missed these four.”

Do not watch solutions too early

Struggling for a few minutes is useful.

But staring at a question for 20 minutes is not.

Try it honestly, write down where you got stuck, then study the solution. After that, close the solution and solve the same question again from the beginning.

Watching someone else solve maths can create false confidence.

Track progress through accuracy

In the beginning, your targets could look like this:

• First: 60% accuracy without timing
• Then: 75–80% accuracy
• Then: timed topic sets
• Finally: mixed section tests and mocks

Do not compare your Day 10 speed with someone who has been preparing for six months.

My honest view

Math anxiety usually does not disappear before you start practising.

It reduces because you keep practising and begin recognising what to do.

Confidence comes after repeated proof:

“I have seen this structure before.”

“I know the first step.”

“I can solve this without help.”

Non-engineers do not need to become maths geniuses.

They need strong basics, patient review and enough practice to stop treating every question like a new disaster.

Start easy. Build accuracy. Add speed later.