Why the quality of tasks in recent contest is getting worse?↵
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Before, codeforces tasks often requires data structures and algorithms like graphs, binary search, and techniques like dp and d&c, but in recent contests (not all, but most), most of the tasks don't require them. Those tasks only requires observations to solve. For example in [contest:2147] qA-D, I can't see any dp, any graphs, any data structures, but only stupid observations and greedy is needed. I dislike this style very much.↵
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First of all, usually the observations are not easy to prove, therefore most contestants are solving them by pure guessing. This is basically “if u can guess it correctly, you can solve the task or else you will waste 3 hours to debug a wrong solution”. This is requiring more luck than real skills to get good results.↵
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Second, this is making hard work useless. Before, people can improve their codeforces performances by learning more algorithms or techniques and practising. Now, practising is a lot less important as the only skill required for getting good results is observing and guessing patterns.↵
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Actually, not only codeforces contest have this issue, but even in IOI style contests (for example APIO2025 which have two interactive and one greedy with strange observetion, and IOI2025 day 1 which have 3 non-batch tasks), data structures and algorithms is becoming more and more rare.↵
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I am not writing this because I'm angry for my large rating drop, but I really think this style is making lots of negative impact on competetive programming.↵
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I sincerely hope OI contests can be great like before.↵
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(sorry for my bad grammar)_Upd : many of the comments are saying codeforces contests are good for their observation based style. I DO NOT think it is wrong, but i think it would be bad if the task requires ONLY observations but not data structures and algorithms. A task is also bad when it only requires dsa knowledge . A true good task should require BOTH of these skills and they are BALANCED._
↵
Before, codeforces tasks often requires data structures and algorithms like graphs, binary search, and techniques like dp and d&c, but in recent contests (not all, but most), most of the tasks don't require them. Those tasks only requires observations to solve. For example in [contest:2147] qA-D, I can't see any dp, any graphs, any data structures, but only stupid observations and greedy is needed. I dislike this style very much.↵
↵
First of all, usually the observations are not easy to prove, therefore most contestants are solving them by pure guessing. This is basically “if u can guess it correctly, you can solve the task or else you will waste 3 hours to debug a wrong solution”. This is requiring more luck than real skills to get good results.↵
↵
Second, this is making hard work useless. Before, people can improve their codeforces performances by learning more algorithms or techniques and practising. Now, practising is a lot less important as the only skill required for getting good results is observing and guessing patterns.↵
↵
Actually, not only codeforces contest have this issue, but even in IOI style contests (for example APIO2025 which have two interactive and one greedy with strange observetion, and IOI2025 day 1 which have 3 non-batch tasks), data structures and algorithms is becoming more and more rare.↵
↵
I am not writing this because I'm angry for my large rating drop, but I really think this style is making lots of negative impact on competetive programming.↵
↵
I sincerely hope OI contests can be great like before.↵
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