Adelaide University Competitive Programming League Round 1
An experience that challenged and reshaped my approach to preparation was during Round 1 of the Adelaide University Competitive Programming League. As an RSP graduate (an intensive programming bootcamp) and someone who was experienced in algorithmic-style questions. I entered the competition with the assumption that my prerequisite knowledge and sucess in solving algorithmic questions in a controlled environment would be sufficient to perform well in a pressured contest
The event was structured around solving a series of algorithmic problems under a strict time constraint, and I teamed up with a few friends to form our team, humorously named Overcooked, which was a popular video game at the time. Overcooked was ironically the perfect description of our mental state after the competition, as despite our experiences and confidence, we drastically underperformed, managing to solve only one problem throughout the entire session. The core reason for this wasn’t a lack of capability, but rather a lack of preparation. I hadn’t reviewed past contest problems or practised similar question formats beforehand, and as a result, my problem-solving felt scattered and rusty.
During the event, I realised that brute technical knowledge was not enough. The contest required practiced intuition, which can only be developed through consistent exposure to similar formats. I also realised the importance of team coordination and problem selection strategy, which we had overlooked entirely, as our “strategy” was to have one member solve a question while the other two rest and socialise. The logic behind the strategy was so that the member solving the question can be the most mentally “refreshed“, but also, the strategy was developed due to arrogance and overconfidence in our abilities.
After the competition, I reflected on how complacency resulted in our underperformance. The experience became a humbling reminder that, to be blunt, confidence without preparation can lead to delusion, especially in competitive or time-critical environments. It taught me that even when I feel capable, each opportunity, whether academic, professional, or competitive deserves its own focused preparation.
Since that round, I began setting aside time to practise timed algorithmic questions regularly, revisiting topics and concepts on a regular basis. The lessons learned from the competition directly influenced my approach in subsequent competitions and team projects, where I placed greater emphasis on readiness.
This experience changed the way I prepare for technical challenges in general. I now treat every opportunity, no matter how informal or familiar it may seem, with intentionality and respect for the process. In doing so, I’ve grown not just as a programmer, but as a more disciplined engineer. As a result, our team saw increasingly better performance for AUCPL round 2 and round 3, and we aim to continue our success for future rounds.
