Table of Contents
Introduction
Before we focus on Codeforces, let us understand why do we need it?
Well, Competitive programming has become the new buzzword these days. It’s a highly competitive mental sport that involves complex problem solving and efficiency. This comprises of practicing and participating in various contests being held by various sites.
One of the most popular sites for competitive programming is Codeforces. In this article, we will be discussing how to get you started with Codeforces to hone your skills in competitive programming.
Codeforces is a well-known site among competitive programmers.
This is a well-recognized Russian site around the world for its exclusive contests which test the coding skills of coders around the world. Most of the contests are rated and also provided with tutorials for every problem asked.
The best thing about this site is you can hack or challenge other’s solutions and can earn points through it. Around six contests are organised every month.
Eligibility Criteria for Codeforces 2021
Anyone who has a knack for programming and wants to solve interesting problems can participate in various programming contests being held by Codeforces.
It organises various levels of competitions for different levels of coders and programmers.
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Contest Pattern of Codeforces 2021
Codeforces organises monthly contests, quantitatively 6 contests every month. Each contest comprises five or six questions which have to solved under 2.15 hours generally. The solutions and participants are ranked on the basis of efficiency, run time and submission time.
Most of the problems are constraint-based and will give Time Limit Exceed error and hence your program needs to be efficient for large inputs too. Winners of the contests receive monetary rewards and top performers also receive recognition in the community of competitive programming.
Previous Asked Questions During Codeforces 2021
Questions widely range from simple mathematics problem to difficult algorithmic problems. Previous contests questions include topics like:
- Number Theory
- Greedy Algorithm
- Binary Search
- Dynamic Programming
- Divide and Conquer
- Hash tables, maps
- Binary Indexed Tree or Fenwick tree
- Segment Tree (RMQ, Range Sum, and Lazy Propagation)
- Bit masking algorithms
- String matching algorithms like KMP, Rabin Karp, etc.
- Graph algorithms like DFS, BFS, Dijkstra, MST, etc.
You can also check out the Coding Ninjas’ CodeStudio for a clear understanding of the above topics from industry experts.
Prerequisites to Participate in Codeforces 2021
One must have a stronghold of data structures and popular algorithms in a particular language. Codeforces supports more than 10 languages including Java, CPP, C, Python, Golang, JavaScript, etc, and many more and you can easily write your code and submit IT to check your submission correctness.
Preparation Tips for Codeforces 2021
Start with learning data structure and algorithm and keep practicing in various other platforms like Code Chef, Codeforces, CodeJam, etc. which will help to improve problem-solving skills. Practise 30-40 previous contest problems whose ratings are 800-1000 to get the idea of which type of questions are asked in the contest.
Only the first few contests would not help you get into the top ranks but obviously, it will take time and effort. It will take around 1-2 months of consistent efforts to get a decent position among the coders.
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After giving a contest checkout the editorials and videos about solving those problems which you weren’t able to solve. You can also check other contestant’s codes after the contest to see how efficient others programs can be and learn from new algorithms. Practice and consistency are the keys.
How to Register for Codeforces 2021?
You can visit the Codeforces site and register for any upcoming contest or any running contest.
Frequently Asked Questions
Register into any contest and start solving previous contest questions before the main contest. Then give the main contest and check your level of understanding and problem-solving. Keep practicing.
Consistency is the key. You have to be consistently participated in the regular contests and keep yourself updated with the efficient ways of solving a problem. The more techniques you have under your sleeve the better you have the chance of solving a problem.
Codeforces organizes contests for beginners to expert levels and consists of problems that can be solved by beginners too.
You have to consistently practice and keep participating in contests organized by Codeforces and once, you get the hang of it, it will be interesting and fun to solve various problems. Continuous problem solving will definitely boost your logic building and quickly think of a solution.
Sometimes it takes around 3-4 months of the continuous effort to get a decent rank in the contests but ranks do not matter much when you’re learning. I would suggest you always participate in these contests no matter how much your ranks drop.
Conclusion
It’s not easy to be the expert or the top performer in a contest but hard work and efforts do play a vital role. Not giving up due to dropping points will surely result in a good performance in few weeks. Always keep practicing and learning from your mistakes.
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Hope this article helps an aspiring developer and programmer to get started with codeforces and ace the contests.
By Aniruddha Guin
