This is a question that has been asked a lot to me by many GATE aspirants. For reference, I do CP quite on a regular basis. I am rated as Candidate Master(2026 Rating) on Codeforces and 5🌟(2060 Rating) on Codechef. I am AIR 3 in GATE CSE 2019.
So, let me start with the timeline of my four years in BTech. In the first year, I only focused on my college subjects and did very little programming on the platforms. I started my Competitive Programming Journey from the third semester. I consistently did practice questions on various platforms like Codeforces, Codechef, Hackerrank, and HackerEarth. There are times when you might spend multiple days on a single question but that's ok because it's important to improve your CP skills. I took part in many Intra and inter-college competitions. One must understand that you should do CP only if it's your passion otherwise you can easily get fed up by the dedication it requires. After my fifth semester, I got qualified for ACM-ICPC Kolkata-Kanpur Regionals and went there which was an amazing experience. However, during all this I never compromised my studies of my BTech subjects. I regularly attend all the classes and maintains a good CGPA(9.6/10). This is the only reason why I am able to prepare easily for the GATE.
I started my GATE preparation in the sixth semester. Though my concepts were clear, I needed proper guidance and a timeline for the preparation. Therefore, I took an online course in BrainStorm Achiever, New Delhi. My reasons for the online course were flexibility in watching videos, the option to skip the videos, or fast forward them according to my comfort level and avoiding the commutation time for the coaching. During the preparation period, I went for an internship at HackerRank, Bangalore.
Finally, for those who want to manage both CP and GATE together I would suggest learning your BTech subjects well because your GATE syllabus comprises of these subjects only and keep practicing CP questions as consistently as possible.
P.S: I intend to keep this post short for an easy read. Comment your queries(if any) in the comment box below.
Sir, as you said you started your gate preparation from 6th sem so I want to know if you still did cp(after 6th sem) along with the preparation and did you focus more on gate or you paid equal attention to both of them?
ReplyDeleteI roughly paid equal attention to both until the last 3 months before the exam. During the last 3 months(Nov-Jan) , my main focus was GATE.
DeleteIs it possible to start cp again after gate as there would many months before joing for MTECH? And also thanks for sharing the jourbey.
ReplyDeleteYes sure. However, you should start with the placement perspective. For that I'll suggest practice on Leetcode, InterviewBit and GFG
DeleteSir I am in 5th sem of my college can i start competitive programming now.and from which platform i have to start??
ReplyDeleteYes you can very well start now. I'll recommend to start with code monk Hackerearth tutorials and some blogs. Then practice questions on Codechef and Hackerearth. Then gradually move to codeforces and give short contests there.
DeleteSir, I am in the 5th sem now. I have been preparing for GATE for a year but due to some reasons, I messed up with my preparation at the end. Most probably I'll go for GATE again in my 4th year. In this one year, I have completed the whole syllabus of GATE but I am not comfortable with some subjects like maths,COA,CN,CD etc. Having said that I have my basics clear in half of the subjects in GATE, what should be my strategy regarding CP and GATE if I want to dedicate 1 to 2 hours for CP and 7 to 9 hours for my GATE preparation daily? Please note: I am an absolute beginner in CP. I have only solved 30 questions in Hacker Rank till date.
ReplyDeleteHello Alapan, for CP I'll recommend to start with code monk Hackerearth tutorials and some blogs. Then practice questions on Codechef and Hackerearth. Then gradually move to codeforces and give short contests there. For GATE I think your path will be smooth given the time you have alloted for it :)
DeleteThanks a lot sir. One more question, what are the things you would suggest
Deleteme to excel in both the fields? Like if you would suggest to read standard text books or I better devote that time for solving more questions.