Problem-solving is an essential skill that is a prerequisite for solving programming assignments. Many students in general read their programming assignment question, try a solution, if it does not work out, try another one, and so forth. This is a tiring process and can take several hours or even days to complete one programming assignment question. So here are my easy and effective problem-solving skills that will help you deal with your programming assignment easily. 

1. Understand the problem 

The first step in solving a programming problem is to understand the question properly. You must be able to write the question in plain English and if you cannot this means you have not understood the complete problem yet. When you start explaining a problem to yourself you immediately understand the logic behind it. 

2. Plan your solution 

The next step in problem-solving should be to plan how to reach the right solution. So start writing down the steps. No, the coding part has not started yet. Just write the steps in simple English so that you can understand the pathway. 

3. Divide the problem 

A programming problem cannot be solved in one go. So, you must divide the problem into parts and then formulate the complete solution. For example: Consider if you had to write a program that finds the count of even numbers and odd numbers in a given set of numbers. This problem can be divided as:

• Find if a number is even 
• Find if a number is odd
• Count even numbers
• Count odd numbers 
• Combine the solution 

4. When you get stuck 

Now, there could be a possibility that you do not know how to solve the complete problem or a sub-problem that you have created in the above step. There are many ways to help yourself:

• Find programming assignment help and consult an expert. They will provide you with the right guidance within time. 
• Do some research at your level to find the right solution. 
• Ask a friend to help you out or consult your teacher. 

5. Dry run the program 

If everything goes right you can start writing the code for your program. But once you have written then you must dry run your code. This means just randomly giving input and seeing how things get handled. You have to do this using pen and paper to ensure that the logic for your code is correct. 

6. Always translate from pseudocode

Do not expect yourself to write the correct code directly. You might miss out on an important step. “A better problem-solving technique is to write pseudocode first and then convert that pseudocode into a programming language”, says Linda who provides Python programming assignment help. 

7. Make your code readable 

Use comments. I repeat. Use comments in your code to make it easy to understand. Even if you pick the code after two months, you must be able to understand what it is about. Without comments, you would have to read and dry run the code to understand that. “One must use variable names that make sense. For example, int EvenNumber clearly specifies the purpose of the variable rather than int a”, says Martin who provides PHP assignment help. 

 Practice will make you perfect

These problem-solving skills will come in handy when you will sit to complete your  assignment. But, do not expect yourself to be a champion from day one. Solving programming problems takes time. You will surely become better with practice.