To improve problem-reading skills, practice skimming for important information, identifying key constraints, and clarifying the problem’s goal. Don’t rush—take time to understand the problem fully before coding.

Reading and understanding a problem statement thoroughly is often half the battle in competitive programming. Many programmers make the mistake of rushing into coding before fully grasping what the problem is asking. To improve your problem-reading skills, start by skimming the problem for the essential information. Pay close attention to the constraints, as they give you clues about the expected time complexity. Next, identify the problem’s goal—what exactly are you trying to achieve? Sometimes the problem statement can be long and convoluted, so it helps to break it down into simpler terms or rephrase it in your own words. Clarify any ambiguities in the input format, constraints, or output requirements before you start coding. Another tip is to look for any hidden hints in the problem description. For example, if the input size is small, it may indicate that a brute-force solution is acceptable. Conversely, if the input size is large, you'll likely need a more optimized approach. As you practice more problems, you'll become better at quickly identifying the important parts of a problem statement and ignoring irrelevant details. Developing this skill will help you avoid common mistakes and misunderstandings during a competition.