I, ssk4988, just barely managed to become a GM in Codeforces Round 1004 (Div. 1). It wasn't due to SpeedForces, so that's cool. I've been aiming to become a GM for a while now. Check out this list of goals I made back in August 2023 when I became a Master:

... It didn't go according to plan. I got lucky to break 2200 in April 2024 (way after Winter 2023), and got to 2300 by the end of August 2024. This is just at the edge of the end of Summer 2024 when I had set the goal of becoming a GM. Then I obliterated 8 months of progress in 2 contests and I thought I was never going to make it. I'm still not sure what changed for me but I locked in and was able to start performing like a GM for a few contests (though I still tanked in between).

So I'm here, 6 months after my original goal, but I'm just happy to have done it.

Some things that helped me:

1. Solving harder-rated problems (think 2400-2600) and trying to do this in a short amount of time. Surprise surprise, practicing hard problems makes you better.

2. ThemeCP. I didn't do it for that long or that many times, but I think it's a great strategy for daily practice and I genuinely thought I was getting better for the short time when I was doing it. It's just a little difficult to sustain.

3. Only a few (100) 2400s...

I'd like to apologize to anyone who clicked on this blog expecting actual advice on becoming a master. That is not what this blog is about. This blog post is a continuation of the series "How to become a Master". Part 1 is available here. As you may already know, Mike Mirzayanov holds a magical event every year centered around the New Year where you can both change your rank and your handle. Of course, the rank-changing feature is much more interesting for anyone who wishes to become a Master or higher. To activate it, you can go to your profile page, click on the Magic tab, and choose a new rank. For it to work, you must believe in Santa Claus!

I'd like to apologize to anyone who clicked on this blog expecting actual advice on becoming a master. This post is a sequel to my previous post titled "How to not become a Master", so I thought that this would be a complementary title.

Previously:

Now:

It seems in the previous contest I participated in, I earned an extra rating point, so this contest was now able to get me to master.

I don't think I'm qualified to give advice on how to become a master since I nearly didn't. But here's what you should do:

1. Get good enough to have a rating of 2099 after a contest.
2. Wait for ratings to get rolled back.
3. Get +1 after ratings are fixed.

I never thought that I'd say this, but thanks, cheaters!

Part 2 will be released in a few days (hopefully).

Update: I guess it only took a few hours. Here's Part 2.