Is it just me or do you also constantly keep on refreshing the standings page few hours after a contest to check your rating change??

If you've spent time on Codeforces, you've probably experienced these:

1. Submitting and praying it’s not Wrong ans on test 2.
2. Thinking you've solved problem C, but it’s TLE.
3. Seeing "Pretests Passed" and celebrating too early.
4. Getting a hack in Educational Round and feeling like a genius.
5. Copy-pasting someone’s template and not understanding half of it.
6. Checking rating updates like it’s stock market news.
7. Getting -100 in a contest and swearing you’ll quit CP (but never do).
8. Seeing Div 1 problems and wondering if they are even real.
9. Hoping for an easy A but getting an implementation nightmare.
10. Saying “just one more problem” and then realizing it’s 3 AM.

Which ones do you relate to? Drop your favorite Codeforces moment in the comments!

1. Rating Isn’t Everything

Many beginners (including me) are obsessed over rating, but the real goal should be skill improvement. A higher rating is just a side effect of getting better at problem-solving.

2. The Real Game Starts After the Contest

Most learning happens after a contest, not during it. Upsolving is where you bridge the gap between where you are and where you want to be.

3. Debugging is a Skill

Competitive programming isn't just about solving problems—it’s about solving them correctly. Learning to debug fast (without relying too much on IDEs) is an underrated skill.

4. Problem Tags Can Trick You

Relying too much on problem tags can slow down your growth. If you always filter problems by tags, you might miss out on developing raw problem-solving skills.

5. Never Trust Sample Cases Blindly

Many problems have weak sample cases that don’t expose hidden edge cases. If your solution passes the samples but fails on submission, try these:

Test with all zeros, all ones, or sorted arrays Try minimum and maximum constraints

Conclusion

There’s a lot more to Codeforces than just solving problems. These small realizations have helped me a lot, and I hope they help you too. What are some unwritten rules you’ve learned? Let me know in the comments!