I think the most fun way to get into TopCoder is to just start competing in live events, which (for the algorithm matches) usually occur three times a month (th

I think the most fun way to get into TopCoder is to just start competing in live events, which (for the algorithm matches) usually occur three times a month (though some might be at impractical times). You'll probably screw up the first few times you participate; that's pretty normal, so don't let that get you down! Of course you can do the archived problems for practice, but starting with live matches is much more exciting.