Why dont codechef make a scheme in such a way that they provide the test cases for the students who are working on that question?
This is available on codeforces and topcoder.
Please do consider this into account.
Dear friends please do support this if you agree with me
Ofcourse i can understand…Even i am also a newbie…hmm let me say let the test cases be available to people atleast who have already solved-atleast that way??
Or may be who have higher rating say above 2000+?
I just said it because just to see how a tester has to work…
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I think codechef does not give the test cases so that the people who solve these questions in practice will have to debug their codes themselves. If one has access to the test cases then whenever one gets a WA, without taking a second look at their code he/she will simply see the failing test case. At least I have found myself doing this many times on codeforces and topcoder. Codechef sees itself as more of a tool to improve one’s coding skills instead of just organizing contests. While many may argue that a lot of time is wasted because of constant WAs, it improves your debugging skills.
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I wud suggest you should not do like that…
People should use it in the proper manner…
This has been widely debated after every contest and people have different views about it. You might not realize but finding test cases where your code fails is as important if not more as getting the right algorithm.
People will come up with a not so perfect algorithm and will just modify it based on what test cases it fails and eventually get AC. Once you know where it fails you will think it was just a minor fault and rectify it but you wont improve/learn much about test case generation and thinking about corner cases.
I think you should see this thread for previous discussion on this.
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yea understood…But as i said it should be given and it should be utilised in the proper manner…
The 2nd part of your statement is the problem. Code chef has a lot of beginner’s unlike Topcoder and Codeforces and they will be tempted to see the test cases so test cases will not be properly utilized.I feel the current system is great while learning though i must admit it gets a bit frustrating later on. But no complaints from my side.
the main goal here is to produce good coders who can think of the logic + write the code + debug it, all by themselves.
One needs to rack their brains and correct their code themselves. This is the way one learns…Debugging is an art, one needs to be patient
Developing the code after looking at the solution wont help in developing this art.
Hello,
Look, @bipin2, why do you want them so badly?
How will they help you if your algorithm is 100% wrong? So you can fill your code with printf() statements?
As many people said here, providing the test cases spoils the entire fun of upsolving a problem and you should face every problem like if it is a totally new and challenging problem, because that’s the only way you can improve and push yourself forward…
Thinking about corner-cases for a given problem and trying to put yourself on setter/testers’ shoes is a great exercise that I’m sure, most of the top coders do quite frequently…
Instead of asking for test cases, look at editorials, look at public solutions, read books and above all… find new ways to code the things that look impossible to you now… And you will learn greatly
Best,
Bruno
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It’s true that having to debug your code by yourself is better experience than getting the test case at which it fails, but there’s one major drawback: time.
Trying to find the failing test case can take a lot of time, especially if it’s because of a more intricate mistake. It took me days to find the fail in problem MLCHEF of September Challenge, and I was getting really desperate at the end, because it was only visible at some large inputs. Imagine how many other problems you could solve in that time…
I think that one can gain much more experience by solving several problems than by looking for the failing test case, while spending the same amount of time. It’s good to have sites that require you to do so (for that bit of training), but in general, it’s not the better choice.
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