What is the main problem for beginners to solve challenges?

Question

As soon as a beginner has a basic knowledge he could solve any challange also maybe bit less elegant.
But the most solutions come from SLs with higher status.
Is the problem algorithmic thinking or actually the language?

Answer 1

I guess the main problem is the level of challenges. Most of them seems to be easy but they require very complex logic and syntax and sometimes information regarding them are not available on sl.

For eg. the challenges related to strings (famous these days)

Some of these challenges require library function or spend hours creating some really big code to do stuffs that can be done by library functions. and literally the worst part is looking at those "efficient 5-6 line codes", made of functions
from the headers you haven't even heard of, doing the same stuff better than your code after posting it. Moments like these are when i feel like throwing my phone and going on a vacation.

Moreover we don't have much information available on sl regarding string and if you use google, most of the results would be really hard to understand for beginners

sometimes i feel like these challenges are for computer science students.

i think there should be lower level challenges and make
questions from the lessons available here and not from post graduate level text book

ps. these are my views only

Answer 2

when i was learning few months back...
my first challenge was to make a program to check whether a no. is prime or not....
I selected an easy one as i wanted a good start at my coding journey😄
but when I made the program it wasn't working properly.....
and one of my friend of SL told me that I had some bugs in my programs
but he didn't told where was the bug....
//it was some basic nested if else problem
it took me whole day to figure out where was the bug
and at night about 1:30 AM I submitted the correct answer to that challenge......
I still get shivered when I think of that experience...
everyone was giving the answers....
I wanted to check out someone's algorithm but then my inner me stopped me....
that was my greatest experience as a coder/programmer(I m still a beginner) in my early days
I still have all those wrong codes in my code section but private.... 😂 😂
I just wanted to tell all those newbies out there that

NEVER SAY , NEVER.

just keep on fighting for ur dreams!!!!

//edit: man!!! this is my longest ans!!!!

Answer 3

Time limit is the biggest problem. Fast code evaluation is something you learn only by practice.
Another issue is that 50% of the challenges deal with syntax and heavy maths, both of which have nothing to do with real life programming.
And finally comes the issue with wrong challenges. I don't know how they pass the factory approval process and why they manage to stick afterwards- I guess ppl just memorize them. I made quite an effort of heavy reporting in JS and even got a few emails from SL asking me to explain what is wrong, but I think JS is now clean 😃 Best I've seen so far is a quizz in Python which:
1. does not have an unique answer, as the answer depends on the interpreter used.
2. marks an answer which is absolutely impossible ('lelele', for those of you who play Python)
3. someone made another quizz which proves the fist one wrong 🤣🤣🤣

Answer 4

main problem start from obsessive thinking to know everything in one night don't think to sit&try to see option to solve the challenge

Answer 5

Good question,

I found when i first started that with challanges i could always visualize a solution and what i needed to do.

The barrier i had was not knowing the tools i was provided with well enough to make my solution work

i think alot of it comes down to how well you know your tool kit and what you can do with it 😉

Answer 6

try this
https://www.sololearn.com/discuss/1080991/?ref=app

Answer 7

The main challenge in my opinion is that as a beginner, the mind is still very simple and there are many ways of coding the starter knows not. The beginners challenge is to keep digesting, eating, digesting until he/she is able to think complex and has become familiar with the many functions, libraries, packages in existence.

Answer 8

As per my opinion, challenges must be of good level. As I solve a new challenge, I always get to learn about some new tricks or tools. If a begginer wants to solve a Challenge, he has to dig for some tools and methods available to perform specific tasks and that's what will destroy a begginer inside them and pull out a programmer. Remember, we all were begginer one day...!!

Answer 9

Dear all,
since I give classes in programming, all your are very welcome.
Genrally I think the beginner has to cope with syntax and algorithm idea.
So the first programs should be low level on solving problem.
Additionally analyzing given progs seems to be a good idea.
maybee VcCs genius oneliners are a bit high for beginners.
Thanks to all!

Answer 10

Time given is the main problem😓

Answer 11

I see. many challenge, I would love join but I try and try can't get anything reasonable,
but not to worry I'm still improving.

Answer 12

I think I can explain it... because I am a beginner..
The main problem for beginners to solve the challenges are:- the time limit.. because as beginner we don't have enough knowledge to understand a code in few seconds. sometimes coding questions are complex for a beginner but may be they have good theoretical knowledge and he/she can write or understand a code but need lil more time. next thing if we entered wrong answer that get submitted.. we never no what was the right ans of that code or question that had gone. so if that questions comes again to us we again entered a wrong ans. these are Main problem for me as beginner.

thanks for reading!

Answer 13

My 2 cent:
For a beginner it's harder to see the way ahead than for an experienced person. But learning starts with trying and then comparing with someone else's result. This is sometimes difficult when the other's solutions are in another language.

For those who've made a solution and later learn that there was a library function for what you did, that's good news in 2 ways:
1. You've managed on your own and did solve the problem (even if it has some small bugs)
2. You've learned a new library function!

We all had to start somewhere, and if you continue to learn you're constantly amused (or sometimes ashamed) by the code you wrote a couple of years ago :)

Answer 14

¿ the most difficult challenge for beginner is to understand the code .

¿ beginners always makes mistake to write the correct syntaxes .

¿ beginners are afraid to write a code by themselves,which is I think the most common difficulty for beginners.

***** WHAT TO DO ******

√ beginners need to have patience.

√ confident enough.

√ logical thinking

√ courageous to code.

√ never give up attitude

√ practice , practice, practice ...

all the best beginners ! you can coDe and You should code !

Answer 15

i think beginners shouldnt play toó many challengers at once,just play 3 or 4 ; study each problem at deep.

Answer 16

time limit is the main problem.even you know the correct answer.

Answer 17

after reading most of the comments, i realized that most of us are unaware of unofficial and official challenges, where you have to make entire program. i think we should popularize it. I have few ideas, if you like it give upvote to show your support.
1. link challenges with available lessons

eg: hello world in all languages should be associated with challenges where you are supposed to make a modified version of hello world in that language.

2. change challenges associated with lessons, once they are filled after marking the best answer

3. show link to challenge section in the main page

4. special challenges for beginners where higher users are not allowed

i know all of these are not practical but few of them are.
Thanks for reading.

edit: 3 of them have been implemented check it out

Answer 18

I have realized that the biggest problem for most newbie programmers is that they want to know everything within a very short period of time. A good platform like Sololearn has a lot of languages one can delve on for learning. A GOOD learner/wannabe coder would chose one language of interest at a time. focus on that language extensively through learning/challenges/quiz factory/lesson factory creations coding their own codes and posting them publicly for comments from fellow programmers. Most NEWBIES who doesn't understand what coding really is, on the other hand, would first join Sololearn, begin learning like 5 languages at a go say C++, java, Python, java script, HTML, C# all at a go. most don't understand the similarity of these language constructs hence they end up confused, having 'finished' a language but can't write a good-enough program. you have seen most of them have like 200xp in a language like c++ where you can actually get upto and exceeding 800xp. I thought so.

Answer 19

Totally satisfied with your answer @Nikolay sir.

Answer 20

as a beginner, personally I would know the answer of the questions if they are asked in challenge the way sololearn taught. but as they twist the questions during challenge it takes experience to identify what are they asking for and also decided what solutions could be possibly perfect answer, and person should not be confused with Syntex problem. #basically it's all about the experience.

if you think this makes sense to you please comment down below, #upvote #follow me.
have a good day guys :) stay on programming