Roadmap to Reach 1400 Rating on Codeforces in
1.5 Months (27 Feb - 12 April 2025)
Key Metrics & Strategy
Current Status: 800 rating
Target: 1400 rating (with buffer for contest variance: aim for 1500-level problem-solving ability)
Available Time:
Daily (Mon-Tue): 2.5 hrs (8 PM - 12:30 AM)
Daily (Wed-Fri): 8 hrs (1 PM - 1 AM with breaks)
Weekends: 14 hrs (Sat: 1 PM - 8 AM next day with all-nighter / Sun: 12 PM - 1 AM)
Holidays (21-23 Mar): 10 hrs/day
Contest Schedule:
Div 2 contests every Thurs (8 PM IST) + additional Div 3/4 contests
Critical contests: 27 Feb, 28 Feb, 6 Mar, 13 Mar, 20 Mar, 27 Mar, 3 Apr, 10 Apr
Weekly Breakdown & Daily Timetable
Week 1 (27 Feb - 5 Mar): Core Foundation Building
Focus: STL mastery, binary search, two pointers
Resources:
STL: Codeforces EDU C++ STL [1]
Binary Search: A2OJ Ladder Div2A Problems [2]
Two Pointers: Codeforces EDU Two Pointers [1]
Daily Schedule:
Time Slot Activity
1 PM - 4 PM Learn STL (vectors, sets, maps, priority_queue) + solve 10 implementation problems
4 PM - 6 PM Binary Search theory + solve 8 problems (800-1000 rating)
7 PM - 10 PM Two Pointers + solve 6 problems (1000-1200 rating)
10 PM - 1 AM Mock Contest (Virtual Participation in Div 3) + analysis
Goals:
Solve 80 problems (50% 800-1000, 30% 1000-1200, 20% 1200-1400)
Target rating after contests: 950-1000
Week 2 (6 Mar - 12 Mar): Graph Theory & Greedy
Focus: BFS/DFS, greedy algorithms, contest strategy
Resources:
BFS/DFS: CodeNCode Graph Playlist [3]
Greedy: Codeforces EDU Greedy Algorithms [1]
Daily Schedule:
Time Slot Activity
1 PM - 3 PM BFS theory + solve 5 maze/grid traversal problems
3 PM - 5 PM DFS + backtracking (8 problems: 1200-1400)
5 PM - 7 PM Greedy algorithms (sorting-based, activity selection) + 6 problems
8 PM - 11 PM Contest participation (Thurs) + post-contest analysis
11 PM - 1 AM Upsolve 3 contest problems + revise STL
Goals:
Solve 60 problems (40% graph, 40% greedy, 20% mixed)
Target rating: 1100-1150
Week 3 (13 Mar - 19 Mar): Dynamic Programming & Advanced Topics
Focus: DP (knapsack, LCS), bitmasking, number theory
Resources:
DP: Aditya Verma DP Playlist [3]
Bitmasking: CP-Algorithms Bitmask Guide [1]
Daily Schedule:
Time Slot Activity
1 PM - 4 PM DP (knapsack, LCS) + solve 6 problems (1300-1500)
4 PM - 6 PM Bitmasking + combinatorics (5 problems)
7 PM - 10 PM Number theory (GCD, primes) + 4 problems
10 PM - 1 AM Mock Contest (Div 2 Virtual) + analysis
Goals:
Solve 50 problems (50% DP, 30% bitmasking, 20% number theory)
Target rating: 1250-1300
Week 4 (20 Mar - 26 Mar): Consolidation & Mock Contests
Focus: Speed training, contest simulation, weak topic revision
Schedule:
21-23 Mar (Holidays): 10 hrs/day dedicated to mock contests + revision
Key Activities:
3 full-length Div 2 contests daily (8 AM, 2 PM, 8 PM)
Post-contest analysis with focus on time management errors
Targeted practice on persistent weak areas (e.g., DP, graphs)
Goals:
Solve 120 problems (mix of 1200-1600)
Target rating: 1350-1400
Week 5 (27 Mar - 2 Apr): Advanced Graph & Segment Trees
Focus: Dijkstra, DSU, segment trees
Resources:
Dijkstra: WilliamFiset’s Algorithm Guide [1]
DSU: Codeforces EDU DSU [1]
Daily Schedule:
Time Slot Activity
1 PM - 4 PM Dijkstra’s algorithm + solve 5 shortest path problems
4 PM - 6 PM DSU + 4 problems (1400-1600)
7 PM - 10 PM Segment trees (range queries) + 3 problems
10 PM - 1 AM Contest participation + post-analysis
Goals:
Solve 40 problems (graph: 50%, DSU: 30%, segment trees: 20%)
Target rating: 1400-1450
Week 6 (3 Apr - 12 Apr): Final Push & Contests
Focus: Contest strategy, speed drills, problem patterns
Key Activities:
Daily virtual contests (Div 2/3)
Upsolve all recent Div 2A-D problems from March 2025 contests
Revise error logs and high-frequency problem types
Goals:
Maintain 1400+ rating in 2 contests
Solve 100 problems (1500-1700)
Critical Success Factors
1. Contest Performance:
Solve A in <15 mins, B in <30 mins to gain rating consistently [4] .
Skip problems >1600 difficulty to avoid time sinks [5] .
2. Resource Prioritization:
Use A2OJ Ladder for structured practice [2] .
Refer to CP-Algorithms for quick theory [1] .
3. Error Logging:
Maintain a spreadsheet of incorrect submissions with reasons (e.g., overflow, edge
cases).
4. Health Management:
Sleep 6 hrs/night (except Sat all-nighters).
Use Pomodoro technique (25-min focused intervals).
Expected Progress Timeline
Date Range Target Rating Problems Solved Key Topics Covered
27 Feb - 5 Mar 1000 80 STL, binary search
6 Mar - 12 Mar 1150 60 BFS/DFS, greedy
13 Mar - 19 Mar 1300 50 DP, bitmasking
20 Mar - 26 Mar 1400 120 Contest simulation
27 Mar - 2 Apr 1450 40 DSU, segment trees
3 Apr - 12 Apr 1400+ 100 Speed drills
Contest-Specific Tips for 27-28 Feb Contests
1. 27 Feb (Thurs):
Solve A (800) within 10 mins using STL.
Attempt B (1100) with binary search/two pointers.
Skip C if >1400 difficulty.
2. 28 Feb (Fri):
Prioritize speed: solve A+B in <40 mins combined.
Partial submissions on C for extra points.
By following this roadmap rigorously, you can realistically achieve 1400+ by 12 April 2025 while
balancing academic commitments [6] [7] . Adjust problem counts based on daily energy levels,
but maintain ≥80% of the weekly targets.
⁂
1. https://competitive-programming.cs.princeton.edu/resources
2. https://codeforces.com/blog/entry/126371?locale=en
3. https://www.reddit.com/r/Btechtards/comments/1bniob6/complete_competitive_programming_dsa_guid
e_that_i/
4. https://codeforces.com/blog/entry/60396
5. https://www.reddit.com/r/codeforces/comments/1d64p8y/need_advice_for_competitive_programming/
6. https://www.sololearn.com/en/Discuss/2170325/how-much-time-should-be-invested-daily-for-being-a-
pro-at-competitive-programming
7. https://codeforces.com/blog/entry/72591
