light42's blog

By light42, history, 9 years ago, In English

It's been roughly 2 years since I compete in Codeforces and even 4 years since I first dive into competitive programming. My problem solving skills indeed improved but not significantly. I tried my best to solve many problem as possible but those problems is quite hard to solve with my current skills right now. And yet there's 5 months left before next ICPC regional and there'll be new contestansts stronger than last year's from my country. I really want to go to WF even if it's only once before I quit and focus to became developer... But it's really hard. I'm tired...

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9 years ago, # |
  Vote: I like it +13 Vote: I do not like it

I think, you need this and this

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    9 years ago, # ^ |
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    Thank you, I actually had read both blogs a long time ago. The dreammoon ones isn't actually about training tips but more like story-telling about his training for competition. I can't really implement his method because as he said : "My study method has wasted me many many time." . And now I'm trying I_love_Hoang_Yen method and still stuck fighting because now I'm solving less suitable problems for my level.

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      9 years ago, # ^ |
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      What do you mean by "less suitable problems for my level"?

      Anyway, my tip:

      1. Find a training partner. If you can't find one, secretly pick a person (preferrably a person that's on the same 'level' as you (or better!), and still fighting/learning too). Make that person your 'standard' rival, i.e., solve what he has solved (or even solve problems that he's still struggling on), take part in contest(s) where he takes part, etc.

      2. Once you feel that you've already got past him/her ('stronger' than him/her), repeat point (1).


      I've done the method I explained above since I was in high school (I'm a Uni student now). For me, I feel that this is the best way to get better in competitive programming. Don't ever give up.

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9 years ago, # |
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I know how you feel (

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9 years ago, # |
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you can do it <3

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9 years ago, # |
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Take me as an example)))

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9 years ago, # |
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Don't listen to everyone who tell you: You can do it! You can be red-coder if you really want to! It's just a matter of time and your work.

Let me say something: It isn't.

If you ever heard that, ask them, why they can't beat tourist? It's so simple after all, they just need to work harder!

Everyone has their own limit. You can push yourself to it, but you can't go beyond it. Not everyone can be Messi or Ronaldo and not everyone can be grandmaster on Codeforces (at reasonable time). Of course, you can work hard for 10 years and eventually achieve it, but is it really worth it?

You say you're tired. I understand you. Probably you see and meet guys everyday, that grasp new ideas and concepts on-the-fly, but you need hours or even days to finally get it. You try work even harder and harder, but it doesn't change a lot. And you get frustrated.

The sad thing is that's the way that world runs. And you can't change it. So... is there something you can do?

Just enjoy it. Enjoy every little thing that you learned today. Be grateful that you can do what you like and don't compare yourself to others — there always will a lot of guys that are way better than you (especially in Asia). Try to surround yourself with smart people and appreciate their company. And maybe some day you will come to a conclusion that...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7S94ohyErSw

;)

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    9 years ago, # ^ |
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    This is the most honest advice I get from this blog :D. Thank you. It maybe true, or maybe you're just too realistic. I'd lots of thoughts about this one, and decide this year will be the last year I devote myself to cp.

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    9 years ago, # ^ |
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    Deserves an upvote. I agree with you man! Its just so hard to solve even div2 B or C in 2 hours,,, and sometimes, I can't even get A right, and sometimes I can't even code it. I used to be very confident in the beginning about my intellect, and then I also read people's comments like "Its only a matter of practice and time before you're in div1" , but its not, is it. :/ Not all of us are meant for greatness.

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      9 years ago, # ^ |
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      Dude, I think you're a little bit wrong. Solving problem A and B is easy. The key is to solve any problem as much as possible and be patient. I'm even can't solve any problem at all in my first round. The hard part for me right now is how you can solve more than 2 problems in codeforces round on regular basis.

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        9 years ago, # ^ |
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        I was talking about me. that I can't solve problems during contest. Not sure if its lack of knowledge or practise or that I keep getting cold feet at the very thought of contest, or all the above, but some thing's not quite right with me and PC :/

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9 years ago, # |
  Vote: I like it +13 Vote: I do not like it

Well, we do CP because we like CP, so if you don't like CP, then don't do CP.

But, if the problem is that you don't feel the progress, then it means that there's something you're doing wrong. Maybe the way you train: do you know all the theory behind the problem you are trying?, or maybe the problems you pick: is this problem a challenge for you knowledge? it's too hard? too easy?.

If you say this is going to be your last year, then I think you know all the topics of this book: http://www.comp.nus.edu.sg/~stevenha/myteaching/competitive_programming/cp1.pdf (there are two editions more, but the first edition is free). (Also use this page: http://uhunt.felix-halim.net/)

Ohh man, the topics in this book are very poor explained? Well, search for this topics on the internet until you domine all of them.

I'm not an expert, as you can see, I'm just blue at CF, but the way to improve is easy to see, the hard part is in follow this way: It's easy to say: "I have to learn: BFS, DFS, MST, TOPSORT, Euler path/circuit, Dijkstra, Bellman-Ford, Floyd-Warshall, etc. etc. etc.", but it's really hard to learn all of them and to apply then when you need it, and this is where you have to practice. Are you bad in DP? then practice DP, until you can solve the problems with DP you couldn't solve before.

This is my advice.

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    9 years ago, # ^ |
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    Actually I'm training with help of that book. Check my username on uhunt (light42) :D

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      9 years ago, # ^ |
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      That's perfect, you have even more problems solved than I, you have a lot of problems solved from the first and second chapter, now try the next ones! :D

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    9 years ago, # ^ |
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    actually BLUE is expert in CF rating :)

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9 years ago, # |
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My friend , you shouldn't give up because you're tired , this is necessary if you want to do great things like going to ICPC, the problem is when you are training you don't focus 100 % , no one can do it but I mean you don't just think about problems you are solving , you think also what the others are doing this will make your energy less,make you tired more than usual and makes you more able to give up. so focus that you want to go to ICPC and you will face a lot of good people in competitive programming , don't think about your friends in university (what are they doing now or what they are learning now)>>(don't compare your self with others you know) I talked a lot about this because I decided to give up for this problem but I took a break for a week and I stopped comparing my self with the others and I feel better now. one last thing : try to enjoy what you are doing this will make you unable to feel boring ,make better results and improve your skills faster :) //sorry if there are language mistakes in my comment//