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virtual_contest_practice's blog

Topcoder Div 1 level 1 difficulty
By virtual_contest_practice, history, 7 years ago, In English

Some times topcoder div1 level 1 is very difficult like around <40% people actually get a score(or submit). In those SRMs even the people who get 0 will have their rating increase if their rating lies in between 1200-1300. Also they are very difficult compared to usual questions (i mean i saw some red guys in room who just leave/give incorrect submission to that and solve the div 1 medium) that it requires some small out of box trick which is very hard to come up with.They are enjoyable in solving but it actually is no good when <50% people could solve that question in contest.ex:SRM 713, SRM 710, SRM 697,SRM 696(two such consecutive contests can cause devastation of rating and confidence) etc.I can actually show some recent div 1 level 2 problems which are easier to solve than those.Those questions are very good but from contest sense it is no good to see >50% of people in div 1 getting a score of 0.Is there any reason to actually prefer such questions.I have personally seen many coder's rating dropping from 2100 to 1500-1600 post SRM 680.

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Comments Comments (4)
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7 years ago, # |
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Why are you writing this here but not on the Topcoder?

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7 years ago, # |
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I don't think TC is deliberately making Div1Easy harder to harass people. They just proposed some problem which seems to be "slightly harder" then Div1Easy, and it just turned out to be not. Some authors might deliberately did, but I think the number will be very low. I believe in TC problemsetter's morality.

I also agree that Div1Easy should have reasonable difficulties, especially regarding the fact that TC have quite extreme system (Only 75min, Only 3 problems, can't withdraw when opening problems etc)

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7 years ago, # |
← Rev. 3   Vote: I like it +5 Vote: I do not like it

Recently, the difficulty of Div1Easy is definitely increasing than SRM 500s, and I couldn't solve SRM 710 Div1Easy in the contest time. (But SRM 713 Div1Easy is hard but 250pts, I think it should be 300pts...)
I think there are two reasons: First, in SRM 500s, "Div1Easy and Div2Medium is the same problem" is usual, but recently not (I don't know why). Second, writer wants to make "good problem", and the quality of the problems are definitely increasing than SRM 500s. But making really good problem with easy difficulty is very hard.

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7 years ago, # |
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I feel like it's quite easy to get into div1 by solving div2easy + med. But then div1easy is harder than div2med and I don't solve anything :D

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