Following learning paths

Learning paths turn individual puzzles into a recommended curriculum. Each path names the skill you will prove, estimates the total practice time, and orders the exercises so later work builds on earlier decisions.

Choose a path

Open Learning paths from the app navigation. Each card shows its track, level, estimated time, exercise count, access tier, completion percentage, and the next useful action:

• Start path when you have not begun.
• Continue path when some exercises are complete.
• Review path after completion.
• Preview path when the curriculum is outside your current plan.

The Katabench Tour is the free starting route. Additional paths are included with the plans shown on Pricing.

Preview the curriculum

Open a path card before starting. The detail page shows:

• the path summary, level, section count, exercise count, and time estimate;
• the practical outcomes the grader will check;
• each section and its ordered exercises;
• completed exercises and section progress;
• the next incomplete exercise;
• the badge, XP, and gems awarded for completing the whole path.

For a locked path, you can inspect the outline and outcomes before deciding to upgrade. Individual exercise buttons explain that they need Pro instead of dropping you into an inaccessible workspace.

Time estimates include reading, implementation, retries, and a short solution review. They are a planning aid, not a time limit.

Start and continue

Selecting Start path opens its first incomplete puzzle in the Playground. Selecting Continue path resumes the next incomplete exercise, even when earlier sections contain a mix of solved and unsolved work.

Inside the Playground:

• the sidebar opens in the path view;
• the current step and note explain why this puzzle comes next;
• the path context bar identifies the active course;
• Next puzzle follows the path order after a clean pass;
• Exit course returns to ordinary playground practice.

You can switch the puzzle list between the active route and All puzzles. The switch changes what the sidebar emphasizes; it does not erase path progress.

How progress is counted

A path step is complete when its underlying puzzle is solved. This has two useful consequences:

1. Solving the puzzle from the ordinary catalog also completes the matching path step.
2. A puzzle shared by more than one path does not need to be solved again for progress to count.

Signed-in solved progress follows your account across devices. Guest progress is kept in the current browser. If you clear that browser's site data before creating an account, local guest progress can be lost.

Path progress is based on clean graded solves, not on opening an exercise, passing only the samples, or revealing its solution.

Complete a path

When every exercise is solved, the path reaches 100% and becomes available for review from the start. Completion grants the reward shown on the path page, including a permanent course badge. The badge also appears in Achievements alongside the rest of your collection.

Every exercise can contribute its normal solve rewards, streak, quest, and achievement progress. The path-completion reward is additional and is granted once.

If you had already solved all of a path's puzzles before opening its detail page, sign in and visit that path. Katabench checks the completed route and presents any completion reward that was not yet recorded.

Path or open practice?

Choose a path when you want one clear next step, a coherent progression, and a finish line. Choose All puzzles when you want to target a difficulty, category, weak spot, or specific interview-style problem. Both modes use the same grader and contribute to the same progress profile.

See The seven tracks for the kinds of work available and Using the puzzle playground for the workspace controls.