The eternal debate: grind Codeforces or build projects? The honest answer depends on your target companies.
Where CP genuinely pays
- Google, Amazon, Microsoft, trading firms, top startups — their interview bar (DSA medium/hard under time pressure) IS a coding contest
- A high rating (Codeforces 1600+/CodeChef 4★+) is a real resume signal for those companies
- Contest reflexes remove interview panic — 45-minute problems feel long after 2-hour contests
Where it's overkill
- TCS/Infosys/Wipro tests are LeetCode-Easy level — CP is a bazooka for a fly
- Startup/product web roles hire on projects + fundamentals; a 1400 rating with zero projects loses to solid GitHub with zero rating
- Segment trees and heavy math almost never appear in industry interviews
The balanced plan
Service companies + web roles: our 24-problem judge + LeetCode Top 150 + real projects. Big tech ambitions: add contests, aim Codeforces 1400–1600, keep one project alive alongside. Either way: contests supplement fundamentals, never replace projects.
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