What is Competitive Programming?

Competitive programming is the hustle of the mind to solve a given problem using coding or programming under given conditions. In competitive programming, the code used for solving the problem must be time and space-efficient. Competitive programming includes two tasks, one is to write the algorithm for solving the problem and the other task is to implement the algorithm in an efficient way. 

• To design the algorithm, you should understand the problem first, then you should start writing the algorithm. Problem-solving and mathematical skills are very important for designing algorithms.
• To implement the algorithm, you should know at least one programming language. There are various programming languages available which are very popular in competitive programming. Out of all programming languages, most of the programmers prefer using C++ programming language for contests or for competitions. 

Only having the knowledge of algorithms and their implementation in programming language doesn’t mean you will perform best in competitive programming, the programmer also needs to write the code in less time. Programmers must write the code very quickly and efficiently in competitive programming contests for better performance.

Programming languages that can be used for competitive programming:

There are a number of programming languages available for competitive programming like C++, Python, Ruby, Java, and Kotlin. The most preferred programming languages for competitive programming are C++ and Java. 

C++ is very popular and widely used for competitive programming because it has STL (Standard template library) which makes the coding efficient and effective. C++ STL has many templates available that can be used directly. It includes stacks, trees, graphs, arrays, etc. These templates increase code efficiency in competitive programming.

Java is the second most popular language used for competitive programming. Java is also rich in libraries and templates which increases its productivity. The main feature of using Java in competitive programming is that the code of Java can be run on any machine. The code written once in Java can be used on any machine for running purposes. Java supports better exception handling which can be used in competitive programming.

Python is also best suitable for competitive programming. Python is widely used because of its simplicity and ease of use. There are various extensible libraries & functions which are very useful in competitive programming. Python has several more features like code indentation, flexible number of arguments, the functions of python which are used to return more than one value, makes it very efficient for competitive programming.

These three languages, among others, are very popular for competitive programming. But out of all, C++ is the most used in competitive programming. Mastering a single programming language is the best option for competitive programming but it is good to learn more languages so that you will have more options to choose from according to the suitability of the given problem. However, C++ or Java should be your preferred language as some contests don’t allow other languages including Java-script, Ruby or Kotlin.

When or where to start learning competitive programming?

You can start learning about competitive programming anytime. It’s never late to start learning. But, to crack a programming contest and get placed in a well-reputed product-based company, you must start learning competitive programming as early as possible. There are multiple platforms where you can start learning competitive programming and participating in contests.

Some popular competitive programming contests: There are a number of contests for competitive programming which are organised online. Big IT companies organise these contests for hiring purposes as well. Some of the popular Competitive Programming Contests are discussed below:

Google Code Jam: It is an international coding competition run online by the biggest IT giant, Google. In this contest you will be given a set of algorithmic problems and you have to solve them in a limited time. You have to make sure you follow all the conditions like the languages that you can use and the time and space complexity required. Anyone can participate in this contest and compete with programmers from all over the world. You can win cash prizes if your performance is best among all and there are many rewards for runner-ups too. 

Google Kickstart: It is just like the programming contest Google Code Jam, but the difference in this contest is that it is specially for those who are new to coding. This contest is for beginners of programming. You can start competitive programming by applying for this contest. You have to solve algorithmic problems in this contest and your problem solving skills will improve from these competitions.

ACM-ICPC: This is just like the Olympic games which happen worldwide for different sports, but this contest is for programmers. It is an Olympic of competitive programming, only for college students. It is the largest Student Programming Contest in the world. ICPC means International Collegiate Programming Contest. Big IT companies sponsor this contest and give job placement offers to the winners of this contest. So, participating in these kinds of contests can be very beneficial for you.

Facebook Hackercup: This is also a Contest of competitive programming. Facebook offers job placement to the winners of this contest, or we can say it is a hiring challenge of Facebook to get placed. 

Codechef Snackdown: Codechef is a big platform which organises a number of programming contests regularly for programmers from all over the world. Codechef also provides a platform where you can learn programming by solving the problems and after learning you can apply for these contests from where you can assess your learnings and win many rewards.