My Competitive Programming Journey (and how to practice)

Summary

This video script narrates the speaker's journey in competitive programming, detailing their progression from a novice to an International Grandmaster on platforms like Codeforces and Code Chef. The speaker shares their experiences with contests, the importance of learning from failure, and the value of practice and perseverance. They also discuss the significance of maintaining a healthy mindset and sleep schedule, and how starting a YouTube channel contributed to their focus and improvement.

Takeaways

• 😀 The video is about the speaker's journey in competitive programming, sharing their experiences and resources used for practice and learning.
• 🏆 The speaker has achieved high rankings on platforms like Codeforces and Code Chef, reaching International Grandmaster and Seven-Star status respectively.
• 🔑 The speaker emphasizes the importance of not just learning from success but also from failure, using it as motivation to improve.
• 📈 The speaker's initial experience with USACO (USA Computing Olympiad) contests was a mix of early success and later struggles, highlighting the ups and downs of competitive programming.
• 📚 The speaker found value in using the USACO training platform, despite its outdated reputation, for its format that encourages problem-solving without relying on editorials.
• 🤝 Having friends to compete with and learn from is recommended as it adds a fun and competitive element that can motivate practice.
• 🌐 The speaker mentions the importance of participating in contests on various platforms to gain diverse experiences and improve different aspects of problem-solving.
• 🧠 The speaker suggests that at higher levels of competitive programming, the focus should be on improving general thinking abilities and mastering basic concepts.
• 💤 Fixing one's sleep schedule is highlighted as a significant change that helped the speaker perform better in contests, emphasizing the importance of being well-rested.
• 🎥 Starting a YouTube channel to create content related to competitive programming helped the speaker stay focused and make the most out of their practice sessions.
• 🔄 The speaker's journey shows a continuous cycle of practice, contest participation, learning from mistakes, and refining strategies to improve in competitive programming.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the video?

The main topic of the video is the speaker's journey in competitive programming, including the resources and strategies they used to improve their skills.

What does the speaker consider as important resources for practicing competitive programming?

The speaker mentions websites and platforms such as USACO training, Codeforces, Code Jam, and Kickstart as important resources for practicing competitive programming.

What is USACO and why is it significant in the speaker's journey?

USACO is the USA Computing Olympiad, which serves as a qualification scheme for IOI, the International Olympiad in Informatics. It was significant in the speaker's journey as it was their introduction to competitive programming and a platform where they gained initial experience.

What was the speaker's initial experience with the USACO contest?

The speaker's initial experience with the USACO contest was positive; they managed to get a perfect score in the Bronze division, which allowed them to immediately take the Silver division contest.

How did the speaker's performance change from the Bronze to the Silver division in USACO?

The speaker's performance significantly dropped when moving from the Bronze to the Silver division, where they initially only solved one test case out of 30.

What is the speaker's approach to dealing with failure in competitive programming?

The speaker's approach to dealing with failure is to not dwell on it and instead use it as motivation to improve and overcome the challenges in future contests.

What is the significance of the speaker achieving International Grandmaster on Codeforces and 7-star on Code Chef?

Achieving International Grandmaster on Codeforces and 7-star on Code Chef signifies the speaker's high level of expertise and success in competitive programming, indicating their growth and progress over time.

What role did the speaker's friends play in their competitive programming journey?

The speaker's friends introduced them to competitive programming and having friends to compete against motivated the speaker to practice and improve.

What advice does the speaker give regarding sleep and its impact on performance in contests?

The speaker advises fixing one's sleep schedule to ensure they are well-rested and energized for contests, as being tired can negatively impact performance.

How did the speaker's experience with YouTube influence their competitive programming practice?

The speaker started making YouTube videos, which helped them stay focused on their goals, make the most out of unofficial rounds, and practice more effectively.

What is the speaker's view on the importance of thinking and problem-solving skills at higher levels of competitive programming?

The speaker believes that at higher levels, thinking and problem-solving skills are crucial, and that mastering basic concepts along with these skills is key to success in contests.