Hey Codeforces :D

I’m Harmit H_a_r_M_i_t Khimani, and I’ve been steadily working on my competitive programming skills with the goal of reaching Candidate Master. I’ve made decent progress so far, but I know there’s still a long way to go, so I’d really appreciate any insights to help me level up faster.

Here’s my profile if you’d like to take a look.

I’m looking for advice and would love feedback on a few things:

• Speed and Accuracy Under Pressure:

  • How do you stay fast and accurate when time is tight and pressure kicks in?

• Consistency in Contests:

  • How do you deal with rating ups and downs? What helped you stay steady?

• Solving 1600–2000 Rated Problems:

  • What’s your approach to consistently crack problems in this range?
  • Any particular patterns or problem types that helped you improve?

• Underrated Resources / Practice Methods:

  • Any lesser-known tools, routines, or platforms that helped boost your performance?

• Balancing Competitive Programming with Placements:

  • I’m in my 3rd year and our placements will start in 3–4 months. So I also need to manage time for LeetCode, CS core subjects, and improving communication skills.
  • How do you balance all this without losing consistency?

A Few More Things:

• Mindset and Motivation:

  • Progress can feel slow at times. Some contests just don’t go your way. How do you keep yourself motivated during slumps?

• Post-Contest Analysis:

  • What’s your method to review performances and learn from them effectively?

• Practice Routine:

  • Do you follow a fixed schedule, use virtual contests, or focus on topics one at a time?
    How do you simulate real contest pressure while practicing?

And lastly, I know recently there’s been a lot of talk around cheating and unfair means during contests. Personally, I want to go the honest way and improve based on my own hard work and efforts. I believe that’s what makes the grind truly worth it, even if the growth takes a bit more time.

Whether you're a Candidate Master, Master, or someone who's been through this grind, your insights can help a lot — not just me, but many others on a similar journey.

Thanks in advance for your time and advice. Let’s all keep getting better together! Feel free to drop your thoughts or DM me — I’m always up to chat and learn.

— H_a_r_M_i_t