I have just recently started playing mania and feel like I am practicing wrong. I can A or S most songs below 2.4 stars, but I feel stuck and there are some maps I can't keep up with.
I know there is the usual play more, but how should I practice efficiently?
1)Should I play maps I can barely pass missing all the patters I can't do and only hitting the patterns I know or should I do maps I can get an A on?
2)Should I practice maps I can't do with Half-Time?
3)Should my scroll speed be slow when practicing to see patterns I don't know or should I keep what is comfortable?(current scroll speed is 25 on an arrow skin)

Thanks for the help!

nah that's oke, dont go by the star rating system to determine your skill, star rating in mania succs

at your level try to play as many different maps you got and dont obsess replaying single maps too much, also play maps with patterns you cant do well to get used to them, obviously without getting out of hand with the difficulty, if you C or really low B a map then you shouldnt play it yet

scroll speed just leave it at a point youre comfortable with and play looking at the middle of the screen and turn off scroll speed on bpm(tho I assume you knew that)

playing with HT or not thats up to you, but you really dont have to

most importantly though, be patient and optmistic
if u one of those losers that just complains "im so bad ill never be good" all the time you'll get nowhere, just be happy with every little progress you make, there's no rush and always do your best

1) Generally it's accepted that anything below a solid A at least means you can't really play those patterns properly yet. It's best to avoid playing too much stuff with Bs, and anything you can only C is basically useless in terms of practice.

2) HT is completely up to you. It does increase the number of maps you can practice with. I suppose the one benefit is that in the 2-4 star range you will experience many new patterns that are not in easier songs, and HT can be helpful for practicing patterns that are brand new to you.

3) Scroll speed is very subjective. The size of your skin affects how fast different speeds feel, some people are better at lower scroll speeds, many people work best with mid range speeds, and some people work best with very high speeds. If you're already using speed 25, that means you've worked your way up from the default speed, and you've hit a point that feels comfortable. The benefit to faster speeds is that it requires less memorization of patterns, and relies more on fast reaction speeds instead. Slower speeds mean you need to memorize more notes, because it takes them longer to move from the middle of the screen to the receptors.

As [Ska] said, it's best to focus on somewhere around the middle of the screen, regardless of what speed you use. If you find yourself looking down near the bottom when things get hard, you need to fight the urge to do that, because that leaves you with less time to react to the notes, and causes lots of problems, so that's something to avoid as well.

Overall, like [Ska] said, don't worry so much about replaying maps. Play a wide variety of maps. Try not to avoid maps just because they have patterns you don't enjoy. If you play those maps now and get better, you will hate playing them less in the future. I used to hate jack maps and chord mash maps (I primarily play 7k, think maps full of 3 and 4 note chords, only worse because they're 5-7 note chords instead), but now I enjoy them once in a while because I made sure to play them once in a while just for the practice.

And just like [Ska] said, don't let your progression speed bother you. Everyone improves at a different speed. Don't compare yourself to your friends, or other players too much. Just play, have fun, and you will eventually get better.

I dont have any advice, i started playing yesterday, and i am just happy to not get eliminated. I think most of teh advice is helpfull, so thank's to everyone, the person who asked this , and the ones who answered.