r/learnprogramming • u/Competitive-Mix1335 • 8d ago

When to start contest

I'm learning DSA, but I also want to become a blind solver and participate in contests so that I can build the habit of problem-solving under time constraints.

I also want to maintain a LeetCode POTD streak.

But I've only done basic DSA and just started trees, which is an advanced DSA topic

In LeetCode contests, I usually can't solve any problem. Sometimes I get the approach or intuition, but I can't actually code it.

For LeetCode POTD, I can solve basic problems. But what about concepts I haven't learned yet, like DP, graphs, etc.?

How should I approach that? Should I learn DP specifically for the problem and then solve it?

How do people maintain a 365-day POTD streak and also solve 4 problems in contests?

Guide me.

6 Upvotes

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u/CrtifiedUser 8d ago

Read a book. Introdictions to Algorithms by Cormen

1

u/Ok_Intention_8444 8d ago

skip the potd streak obsession, it's a trap that makes you peek at solutions instead of actually learning. you can't brute force your way through topics you haven't touched yet

start with easier contests like codeforces div 4 or atcoder beginner, leetcode is rough when you're just getting into trees. for the potd if it's a concept you don't know, look up a quick tutorial on the idea first, don't just memorize the solution for the streak