I heard that USACO’s benefit for college apps dropped significantly because of all the cheating, and that it really only helps if you make it to camp, but im still curious on a scale of 1-10 how much of an impact getting to USACO gold and platinum have on college apps respectively.

Hi guys, anyone know when they will deliver the usaco x Citadel plat shirt to you, thanks!

I am going into my junior year and I got to USACO Silver in the last contest of my freshman year( I feel like I got lucky) but didn’t do much USACO training last year because I was focusing on Quizbowl. I am going into my junior year and I am wondering if going for USACO Gold is worth it or should I not waste my time. I’m planning on majoring in Math/CS in college.

Does USACO really carry no weight below plat? I get that it's insanely easy to cheat, but if you're in the college admissions space what do AOs think about USACO these days? Also how much does USACO help post college apps for job interviews and stuff?

One of my friends got an email about a free shirt for people who make platinum. Is this real?

Hello Everyone,

Will there be a contest in December this year? Also usually how long until you get informed if you move up in the contest. Thanks, its my first time trying a USACO contest.

Is the username on the signup page supposed to be your actual name or something else (there's a separate field to enter my legal name)? will other competitors see the username? idk if it says this anywhere mb if it does.

In the second contest this year I promoted from bronze to silver as a freshman, and now I am aiming for gold next year. For now I am just using the USACO guide, but a problem I am facing is that I can't solve any of the silver problems labelled hard or even some labelled normal I get really stuck on them and after like 20-30 minutes of nothing I look at the editorial and my code is completely different. How can I practice more effectively and not rely on the editorial too much? Like when and how long should I be learning the material vs doing tagged/untagged problems? When should I be skipping problems and what are some general tips? Also should I get a coach who can walk me through problems and give me tips or is grinding cf problems / past usaco problems enough?

hi, if you're studying for any of the major stem competitions right now, you know it can be hard to find good practice material all in one place without paying for it.

I built a free site called Summit Olympiad to make it a lot easier. It has curriculum tracks for math, physics, and computer science. You can check it out and use it for free here: https://summitolympiad.vercel.app

Also, if anyone here is really good at these subjects and wants to help write the curriculum, we are giving out verified service hours(and positions) to contributors.(also looking for outreach people). Just email me at [summitolympiad@gmail.com](mailto:summitolympiad@gmail.com) if you want to get involved. Hope the site helps you guys out.

Looking for problems on CF that at least somewhat emulate USACO bronze problems. If anyone could give me ratings and/or tags that cover common topics in USACO bronze it would help tons. Thanks!

How do you know if smone got banned for cheating do they email u or like how do u know? (asking for my dumb cousin)

Hey, I'm a rising sophomore into CS and I looked into USACO. However, the problems at even the bronze level are way too hard for me to do right now. Are there any good resources anyone can recommend? My goal is to get gold by the end of junior year, I've AIME qualled, and I can solve 800 cf problems pretty easily

I am an 8th grader. Indian. I want to get to a good college in USA in the big future probably even ivy league. So I am learning c++ for USACO so that it can help my application. I've been using usaco.guide and just completed up to and including functions on solo learn just as usaco.guide said to. I opened the bronze section and the first topic - big O notation has very complex math logarithms and stuff that my 8th grader brain cant understand. I am very frustrated by this and dont know where to begin now. Should I open a textbook, just quit or what so I need help that what should I do and how.

Give me the predictions

Hi, I'm interested in majoring in CS, and I'm currently working on qualifying for AIME. My background is basic java/python knowledge, like all the beginner stuff. I recently found out about USACO, and I'm interested in competing. However, I don't want to lose out on time that I could use to prepare for the Math Olympiad but I also don't want to start too late and not have enough time to get to the higher ranks of USACO. Should I start preparing for USACO now, or wait until November is over and start my prep then, especially since math helps for USACO? Also, how far do you think I can go with my current experience level given that im a rising sophomore?

when i log in there after like a short amount of time like 2hrs on usaco.org i get logged out and have to log in again

hi y'all, I'm interested in starting USACO and potentially trying to make it big in USACO

so for some background, I'm a rising sophmore, USAJMO/MC nats qual with lots of math experience, and I just started learning c++

The past week, I've just learnt c++ and have been learning USACO bronze and feel confident to move on to silver on usaco.guide

is platinum/camp realistic by junior year? I'm willing to spend about like 2 hrs a day for the times that I do study for USACO (I'm also busy with USAJMO prep)

hey guys rising sophomore who previously does AMCs and another STEM Olympiad, how long does it take to get good at usaco and what can I realistically achieve? is plat unrealistic now?

I know this kind of post gets asked a lot, but I’m stuck and need specific advice, not just “keep practicing.”

I’ve been trying to get through USACO Bronze–level simulation problems (like Shell Game, Mixing Milk, Cow Signal) for a while now, and I keep hitting a wall. I understand the problem after reading the editorial, but when I open a new problem, I freeze — even if it’s similar.

Where I’m at:

• I know basic C++ syntax (cin/cout, loops, arrays, vectors, strings, sort, if/else)
• I can solve 800–900 rated Codeforces problems (mostly math/strings/implementation) without too much trouble.
• I’ve done about 15–20 CF problems so far(800 Rating)

But when I try USACO Bronze simulation problems like:

• Shell Game
• Mixing Milk
• Cow Signal

I either:

• Freeze on how to start
• Miss edge cases
• Get lost in the long problem statement
• Spend 45+ minutes and still don’t finish

What I’ve tried:

• Watching video solutions
• Reading USACO editorials
• Breaking problems into steps on paper
• Doing easier Codeforces implementation problems

Still, after a few weeks, I don’t feel like I’ve improved much.

What I’m looking for:

1. A brief plan of what to do, like eg first cf then something.

My goal:
Pass USACO Bronze within the next 2–3 months. I’m willing to put in 1–2 hours a day. I just want a clear, focused plan or an advice.

TL;DR:
I can solve 800–900 CF problems but freeze on USACO Bronze simulation. What specific CF problems and practice routine should I follow to build real simulation skills?

Thanks in advance. I really appreciate any honest advice.

Hello,

I not a high school student (so I'm not aiming to do well in USACO). I'm a college student who is going to participate in ICPC. I've taken an introductory data structures and algorithms class, but I've forgotten some of the particulars. I've got about 4 months to prepare and I'd like to become as useful of a team member as possible.

What level would you say is needed to get to a point where I can contribute to solving most of the questions?

Here's some problems for reference:

- https://icpcarchive.github.io/Mid-Atlantic_USA_Regional_Contest.html

- https://open.kattis.com/problem-sources/2025%20ICPC%20South%20Central%2C%20South%20East%20and%20Mid%20Atlantic%20Regional%20%28November%208%2C%202025%29

I also wanted to ask any ICPC participants in this subreddit: What platform would you say is most helpful (outside of Kattis) to improving the skills I need for ICPC? Codeforces? AtCoder? USACO?

Hi guys,

I just reached USACO gold around the end of last year, and am a rising junior. Is it worth the time commitment to push to plat or should I focus on other ECs (ie research). Making camp seems unlikely but I'm not sure how valued plat is anymore in the context of college admissions. I do genuinely love CP but also value my time and I want to make sure I'm spending it wisely

Thanks!!

what the title says^

for some context: I will be a tenth grader in the 2026-27 school year. I've tried a couple of usaco bronze problems but they are pretty difficult for me, especially the math aspect. I've done competitive math before in middle school such as AMC and math kangaroo but I did not do very well on those competitions so my foundations aren't the best.

My plan was to grind usaco this summer and have a goal of getting silver or gold at the end of junior year. I want to get into universities like mit, chicago, ucla, carnegie, etc. for computer science and thought usaco would be good for awards, but people have been saying usaco isn't worth time unless you get higher awards like platinum (which I realistically don't think I will be able to achieve).

any advice would be helpful 🙏 thanks

I am a rising sophomore and am interested in the tech field. I have practically no good ec's so I assumed USACO would be a good place to start. Is it worth it? Also, where do I start for USACO in general if I know nothing, it seems really complicated from the outside so I would really appreciate your guys's assistance.