Hey everyone!

I’m a 3rd-year undergrad, and I really want to get better at competitive programming. Right now, on the basis of the other cp platforms, I feel like I’m decent, but not good enough. If I keep doing what I’m doing, I feel like I’ll get stuck at 1600-1700 (Expert) and won’t go further. I want to break that ceiling, but I don’t know how to go about it.

Here’s where I need your help:

• Resources: What are the best resources to learn advanced stuff? Like, not basic things but topics like Segment Trees, Union-Find, Fenwick Trees, Persistent DS, etc. Any good YouTube playlists, blogs, or books you’ve used and liked?
• Contests: How do you approach contests? Like, how do you pick problems and manage time without panicking? After a contest, how do you upsolve? Do you only do problems you couldn’t solve, or should I re-solve the ones I did?
• Practice: How do I know what problems to solve? Should I focus on problems around my rating or push myself to do harder ones? How do I balance “grinding easy problems” vs. learning new concepts?
• Advanced Topics: What are the must-know advanced topics that really help in contests? Where can I find resources to learn these?
• Time Management: I have time to practice daily or at least weekly (I’m planning for higher studies, so I can afford to spend some time). What kind of practice routine actually works? I’d love to hear from people who’ve been in this situation or who’ve broken through this “plateau.” Any advice, personal experiences, or tips would mean a lot!

Thanks a ton in advance!!