Competitive Programming is a sport, I mean literally. Take any sport, let’s consider cricket for that matter, you walk in to bat for the first time. Swing and a miss, do it couple of times and you’ll eventually hit one over the ropes. Now, consider a programming contest as a game of cricket, metaphorically. Compile a code and submit, you may get a WA (Wrong Answer). Make changes to code and eventually you will get your first AC (Accepted/Correct Answer).
Competitive programming is a mind sport usually held over the Internet or a local network, involving participants trying to program according to provided specifications. Contestants are referred to as sport programmers. Competitive programming is recognized and supported by several multinational software and Internet companies, such as Google[1][2] and Facebook.[3] There are several organizations who host programming competitions on a regular basis.
A programming competition generally involves the host presenting a set of logical or mathematical problems to the contestants (who can vary in number from tens to several thousands), and contestants are required to write computer programs capable of solving each problem. Judging is based mostly upon number of problems solved and time spent for writing successful solutions, but may also include other factors (quality of output produced, execution time, program size, etc.)Typical such tasks belong to one of the following categories: combinatorics, number theory, graph theory, geometry, string analysis and data structures. Problems related to artificial intelligence are also popular in certain competitions.Irrespective of the problem category, the process of solving a problem can be divided into two broad steps: constructing an efficient algorithm, and implementing the algorithm in a suitable programming language (the set of programming languages allowed varies from contest to contest). These are the two most commonly tested skills in programming competitions.
C++ is by far the the most popular language of choice for competitive programmers across the world as it is usually faster than Java and Python, and most of the resources are available in C++. C++ also has a vast library called STL(Standard Template Library) which makes life a lot easier for competitive coders. To prepare for competitive programming, Adapt the habit of reading which most of the youngsters don’t have nowadays. Write before coding– Implement all algorithms yourself rather than copying from someone else. Make yourself written notes while studying these concepts. Mathematics is great area to start competitive programming.First of all study all the concepts of the programming language deeply. Follow a hierarchical approach. Try to start coding using simpler problems. Implementation in real life.
If people want to get into competitive programming, they should start with sites like CodeChef, Codeforces, Topcoder, CoderByte, Hacker Rank and many others. Codeforces is a social network dedicated to programming and programming contests. On the other hand, it is a platform where contests are held regularly, the participant’s skills are reflected by their rating and the former contests can be used to prepare.
The programming community around the world has created and maintained several internet-resources dedicated to competitive programming. They offer standalone contests with or without minor prizes. Also the past archives of problems are a popular resource for training in competitive programming.
Yes, competitive programming is not the only way to master these qualities but it is one of the best ways to do so. Give it a shot, if you enjoy it, it’s worth it. You will be rewarded with objective benefits. If you don’t, even after repeated trials, give yourself a break.
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