USACO Guide

USACO Guide USACO Guide

A free collection of curated, high-quality resources to take you from Bronze to Platinum and beyond.

Created by the CP Initiative

Learn USACO. Efficiently.

Stop wasting time searching for problems and tutorials. The USACO Guide provides a comprehensive, organized roadmap carefully designed and crafted for USACO contestants – available to everyone, for free.

Resources
CPH
8.1 - Two Pointers

solutions to the problems above
IUSACO
14.1 - Two Pointers

above + mention of max subarray sum
CF
CF Edu

video explanation of two pointers
CF
CF Edu

video explanation of two pointers

Curated Resources

Learn new topics from a vetted list of high-quality resources. If one resource doesn't click, look at another!

Extensive Problemsets

Practice each topic with extensive problemsets and solutions covering a wide range of difficulties.

Status Source Problem Name Difficulty Tags
CSES
Restaurant Customers
Easy
Show Tags Prefix Sums, Sorting
Silver
Mountain View
Normal
Show Tags Sorting
Silver
Stuck in a Rut
Normal
Show Tags Sorting
Gold
Splitting the Field
Normal
Show Tags Prefix Sums, Sorting
CF
The Smallest String Concatenation
Normal
Show Tags Sorting
Resources
CPH
8.1 - Two Pointers

solutions to the problems above
IUSACO
14.1 - Two Pointers

above + mention of max subarray sum
CF
CF Edu

video explanation of two pointers
CF
CF Edu

video explanation of two pointers

Progress Tracking

Use our progress-tracking tools to track your progress in the Guide and stay motivated.

Help when you need it

Get help from other community members in the USACO Forum.

Status Source Problem Name Difficulty Tags
CSES
Restaurant Customers
Easy
Show Tags Prefix Sums, Sorting
Silver
Mountain View
Normal
Show Tags Sorting
Silver
Stuck in a Rut
Normal
Show Tags Sorting
Gold
Splitting the Field
Normal
Show Tags Prefix Sums, Sorting
CF
The Smallest String Concatenation
Normal
Show Tags Sorting

Trusted by thousands.

Trusted by thousands. Trusted by thousands.

This guide is written by top USACO contestants, including two-time IOI winner and USACO Problemsetter Benjamin Qi.

Registered Users
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Github Stars
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Created by the CP Initiative.

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USACO Classes

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USACO IDE

A realtime collaborative online IDE designed for competitive programming and USACO.

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USACO Groups

A Learning Management System fully integrated with the USACO Guide. Perfect for clubs or group study sessions.

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Club Curriculum

Join our competitive programming club network to get access to exclusive club curriculum and resources!

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Competitive Programming Contests

Participate in high-quality programming contests targeted towards pre-college students!

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Competitive Programming Workshops

Access workshops providing everything you need to know about USACO.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the USACO?

USACO stands for the USA Computing Olympiad. Check out the USACO FAQ Page for more information.

Is this an official syllabus?

No, USACO does not have an official syllabus. This guide merely lists topics that have historically appeared in USACO contests; it makes no guarantees about the topics in future USACO contests.

How do I report a problem or ask a question?

If you encounter an issue while using the guide (website bug, typo, broken link, unclear explanation, etc), use the "Contact Us" button. Alternatively, email us at usacoguide@gmail.com.

I'm looking for classes, club curriculum...

Check out the Competitive Programming Initiative!

Is this guide for non-USACO competitive programmers?

Of course! While we structure our content around USACO, feel free to use this guide even if you don't do USACO. You will still learn a lot from it!

How can I get help?

If you get stuck, head over to the USACO Forum for help.

How can I contribute?

To learn more about contributing, please visit this page. We appreciate any and all contributions!

Is this open source?

Yes! Check out our Github Repository.