Competitive Programming (CP) Roadmap
Pick a Programming Language
- Choose a programming language, preferably C++.
- Recommended resource: learncpp.com
Learn Basic Syntax
- For C++, basic syntax can be learned in the initial chapters of CP Handbook.
- Read the first 4 chapters of the CP Handbook.
Start Participating in Contests
- Begin solving contests on CodeForces, CodeChef, and Atcoder.
- After each contest, attempt to solve 1-2 additional problems beyond what you solved during the contest.
Continue Learning
- Read the next 4 chapters of the CP Handbook.
- Alternatively, you can learn from YouTube channels:
Practice Problem Solving
- Start solving problems on CSES, which contains classical problems essential for CP.
- Use cp-algorithms.com for specific algorithm explanations.
- Refer to USACO Guide for topic-wise problem selections across various difficulty levels.
CodeForces Rating vs Topic List
0-999 Rating
Vital Topics
- Brute force (trying every possibility)
- Sorting (using your language's library function)
- Strings (familiarity with handling them)
- Number theory: floor, ceil, modulo – Number Theory for CP
- Basic time complexity (Big-O notation)
Helpful Topics
- Number theory: divisors, factorization – Number Theory for CP
- STL/your language’s library (e.g., cppreference.com)
- Binary search – Binary Search tutorial
- Two pointers
- Binary + bitwise operations – Bitwise Operations for CP
1000-1199 Rating
Vital Topics
- Brute force (trying every possibility)
- Sorting (using your language's library function)
- Strings (familiarity with handling them)
- Number theory: divisors, factorization, floor, ceil, modulo
- STL/your language’s library (e.g., cppreference.com)
- Time complexity (Big-O notation)
Helpful Topics
- Binary search
- Two pointers
- Binary + bitwise operations
- Dynamic programming – Dynamic Programming Introduction
- Basic combinatorics – Combinatorics for CP
- Basic range queries (e.g., prefix sums)
1200-1399 Rating
Vital Topics
- Number theory: factorization, modular arithmetic, gcd/lcm, prime factor representation
- STL/your language’s library (e.g., cppreference.com)
- Binary search
- Two pointers (rarely)
- Basic combinatorics
- Basic range queries
- Recursion – Recursion for CP
- Dynamic programming
Helpful Topics
- Binary + bitwise operations
- Graphs/trees
- Disjoint Set Union (DSU)
- Segment trees (as overkill) – Segment Tree Tutorial
- String algorithms (e.g., hashing)
1400-1599 Rating
Vital Topics
- Number theory: factorization, modular arithmetic, gcd/lcm, prime factor representation
- STL/your language’s library (e.g., cppreference.com)
- Binary search (two pointers, rarely)
- Basic combinatorics
- Basic range queries
- Recursion + Dynamic programming
- Basic graphs/trees
- Proofs
- Constructive problems (requires practice)
Helpful Topics
- Combinatorial techniques
- Probability/expected value (rarely)
- DSU
- Advanced graph techniques (e.g., shortest paths, MST)
- Segment trees
- String algorithms (e.g., hashing)
- Basic game theory
1600-1899 Rating
Vital Topics
- Dynamic programming
- Basic graphs/trees
- Number theory: factorization, modular arithmetic, prime factor representation
- Basic combinatorics, probability, and expected value
- Bitwise operations
- Data structures: segment tree, STL (library)
- Game theory (relatively rare)
- Proofs
- Constructive problems (practice required)
Best of luck on your Competitive Programming journey!
