Hi everyone,

I'm currently trying to improve my competitive programming skills and would appreciate some guidance. Here's a summary of my situation:

Current Progress:

• I solved more than 150 problems in Leetcode and very familiar with data structure and algorithms (In Leetcode Weekly contest, I can easily solve 3 problems out of 4).
• I regularly participate in Codeforces contests.
• Typically, I can solve the first two problems. But sometimes I also struggle with B problem (when I sees like problem was a new pattern to me).
• But, I consistently struggle with the C problem.

My Approach:

• During the contest, I attempt to solve the 3rd problem but often fail to come up with the optimal solution.
• After the contest, I read the editorial to understand the correct approach.
• I notice that the main reason I fail is because I encounter new pattern types of problems that I haven't seen before.
• (Ex: In a question, I come up with one scenario where brute force operation takes O(n^2) but I can't come up with solution of O(n) then after reading editorial they solved it using prefix-sum. I am already familiar with prefix-sum and I also know when to use it , but I never seen a scenario like that for which I never think prefix-sum also works. This is what new pattern means to me and this what is my problem.)
• I always remember these approach for future reference in case a similar problem appears.

Challenges:

• Despite attending over more than 15 contests, I haven't yet encountered a C problem that I could solve using an approach I learned from a previous editorial.
• I feel like I'm only remembering the lot of approaches for the particular pattern problem for no use.

Questions:

• Is my current method of learning from editorials after each contest effective, or do I need to change my approach?
• What strategies or practices can help me better recognize and solve new pattern problems during contests?
• How can I improve my problem-solving skills to break past this plateau?