Pre-Xtreme 1 – Competitive Programming Workshop

1. Workshop Details

Title: Pre-Xtreme 1 – Competitive Programming Workshop

Date: 18/10/2025

Duration: 2 hours

Location/Platform: Microsoft Teams

Organized by:
IEEE Computer Society ENIT Student Branch Chapter
IEEE Computer Society ENSI Student Branch Chapter
and ENSI Competitive Programming Club

2. Objectives

The workshop aimed to enhance participants’ problem-solving and algorithmic thinking skills in preparation for the IEEE Xtreme competition. The session focused on improving understanding of C++ programming fundamentals, time complexity analysis, and optimization strategies for efficient coding under contest conditions.

3. Summary of Activities

  • Key topics covered:

    • C++ fundamentals and templates for competitive programming

    • Understanding time limits and performance constraints in coding contests

    • Big O notation and time complexity analysis (O(1), O(n), O(n log n), etc.)

    • Complexity in arrays, vectors, sets, and maps

    • Prefix Sum technique and its applications in range sum problems

  • Main exercises and demonstrations:

    • Walkthrough of problems such as:

      • Calculating Function (Codeforces 486A)

      • Static Range Sum Queries (CSES 1646)

      • Same Differences (Codeforces 1520D)

    • Hands-on implementation of the Prefix Sum technique

    • Practice problems for IEEEXtreme preparation

  • Tools and methods introduced:

    • C++ Standard Template Library (STL)

    • Codeforces and CSES problem-solving platforms

4. Attendance

Number of participants: 39

5. Outcomes & Conclusion

  • Skills or knowledge gained:

    • Improved understanding of algorithmic efficiency and complexity analysis

    • Strengthened problem-solving techniques using C++

    • Practical familiarity with competitive programming platforms and strategies

  • Conclusion:
    The workshop successfully provided a solid foundation in algorithmic thinking and C++ problem-solving, empowering participants to approach contest challenges with greater confidence and efficiency.