5 Things I Wish I Knew Earlier About Competitive Programming | 5 Coding Mistakes To Avoid!

In this video, I’ll share the 5 most common mistakes college students make while learning Competitive Programming (CP). From solving problems without proper brainstorming to taking unstructured notes on paper, memorizing solutions blindly, spending too much time on one problem, or focusing only on CP and ignoring other skills, these mistakes silently hold you back. I'll walk you through each mistake, show you how to fix them, and help you develop better habits for interviews and contests. Whether you're targeting ICPC, MAANG interviews, or just want to improve your problem-solving mindset, this video is for you. Leave a like, comment, and subscribe for more. Check out AlgoZenith: https://maang.in/ ----------------------------------------------- ⏱️ TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - The Problem With Competitive Programming 00:52 - How to do Competitive Programming the Right Way 01:36 - Mistake #1 03:13 - Mistake #2 04:27 - Mistake #3 07:02 - Mistake #4 08:23 - Mistake #5 09:44 - What Else to Focus On? 10:53 - Final Takeaway 11:31 - Outro ----------------------------------------------- 😃 ABOUT ME I’m Vivek, an engineer, Ex-Googler, ICPC World Finalist turned educator, and founder of AlgoZenith. I’ve taught Data Structures, Algorithms, and Competitive Programming to over 3000+ students and worked with 10+ engineering colleges to bridge the gap between college learning and real-world tech careers. Through AlgoZenith, I help students crack top product-based companies and become industry-ready. On this channel, you’ll find videos on coding strategies, roadmaps, interview prep, problem-solving techniques, and everything you need to level up your software career. If that’s your thing, do subscribe and hit the bell icon so you don’t miss a thing 🙂 ----------------------------------------------- 📲 SOCIALS Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vivekgupta.ai/ Twitter: https://x.com/vg19988 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/acraider/ Codechef (5 ⭐️): https://www.codechef.com/users/acraider Codeforces (Master, max. 2269): https://codeforces.com/profile/acraider ----------------------------------------------- 🏷️ TAGS 5 Things I Wish I Knew Earlier About Competitive Programming | 5 Coding Mistakes To Avoid! competitive programming, cp mistakes, how to get better at cp, competitive programming tips, dsa preparation, coding interview prep, maang coding tips, cp for beginners, icpc preparation, debugging in cp, clean code in cp, how to take notes in cp, how to learn dsa, programming roadmap, coding roadmap 2025, common mistakes in cp, placement preparation, coding for internships, top 5 coding mistakes, cp interview tips ----------------------------------------------- #️⃣ HASHTAGS #coding #interview #placement