FAQs - Reply Code Challenge Teen Edition

1. Who can take part?

All participants aged from 14 to 19 years the day of the registration to the platform.

2. Does the school or the class have to register?

No, the challenge is open to individual students, they will have to register as an individual.

3. When do the registrations close?

You can register until March 14^th, 2019, 12:00 noon - EXTENDED to March 15th at 14.00pm CET.

4. I’m aged from 16 to 19 years old, which challenge can I take part to?

You can choose the challenge you prefer according to your coding skills. To see if the level of the challenges take a look at the Training Problems.

1. How can I form my team?

You can create your team during the registration process.

2. How many people can be in a team?

Your team can have from two to four people.

3. I haven't formed a team yet, what can I do?

No problem. You have until 15^th, 2019, 14:00 - EXTENDED - to join someone else’s team or ask for the ‘random queue’ team assignment. If you join the random queue you’ll receive a mail with the name of your team before the challenge.

4. Can I change who’s in my team before the challenge day?

Yes, but not once the challenge has started.

5. Do team members have to be together during the challenge?

No, teams can be in different towns, cities or countries during the challenge.

6. Does the school has to provide a laboratory or a space for the challenge?

No, it is not necessary, but it could be done if the teacher or school would like to, by organizing it autonomously.

1. How will we get updates about the Reply Code Challenge?

You’ll get some mails before and after the challenge, so check your mailbox regularly. You can always message the Reply Code Masters during the challenge via chat if you have questions.

2. Which language(s) do I need to speak?

All communications will be in English. Though you and your teammates can speak whatever language(s) you like! ☺

1. How does the challenge work?

The challenge consists of 5 algorithmic problems. Each problem requires solving 5 different input files of increasing difficulty. The platform will generate input files for each problem automatically, as soon as a player clicks on the button to generate the input.

To help teams better understand each problem, we’ll publish the statement (specifying the problem to solve), some helpful assumptions, the input/output format, and some examples of correct input/output combinations.

2. How much time does each team have to solve the problems?

Teams have 4 hours to solve all 25 inputs, from 4.30pm CET to 8.30pm CET.

3. How can I communicate with my team members?

You can communicate between yourselves freely in any way you choose (face-to-face if you’re physically together or via webcall if you’re in separate locations).

1. How do we submit a solution?

Your team submits solutions through Reply’s challenge platform.

2. What if we have a question about the problem statement?

You can ask for clarification from the Reply Code Masters during the challenge via chat.

1. When is the leaderboard updated?

The challenge platform has a regularly updated leaderboard, showing how teams are performing. It will freeze 30 minutes before the challenge ends.

1. Where can I run the code to test my solution?

During the competition, you write programs to solve a task and submit the results as a text file to the challenge platform. You’re responsible for compiling and running your code on your own computer(s).

2. How do we upload a solution?

Your team submits solutions for each input by uploading a text file to the challenge platform. A solution is made up of one output file for a provided input and a source file.

The uploaded source code will be not executed during the challenge, but the Code Masters may inspect it at any time to check there’s no cheating. The platform will provide confirmation of output validation and the related score. Once you upload a submission, the input file will expire.

3. How many solutions can we upload?

Teams can request an input as many time as needed, until they provide the correct solution. Each new input will be different from the previous one. The final input for each problem can only be solved if a team has solved all the previous ones.

For the last input of each problem, the platform won’t show the validation result in real time. Instead, it will provide feedback only on how correct the format of your output file is. We’ll reveal these input scores at the end of the game, and update the leaderboard accordingly. In this case, the platform will consider only your latest submission, even if it does not solve the problem, though you can request/submit as many inputs as you want.

4. What should our source code look like?

Every submission must include a file containing the source code of the program you developed to generate the output. Each source code file must be a ASCII plain text file, or an archive of ASCII files. Each output file must be an ASCII plain text file. All input files will be an ASCII plain text.

5. Can we use any development and execution environment?

Yes, there are no restrictions on the type of development environment or programming language you can use.

6. Can I consult online material?

You can use publicly released libraries and tools, but your team must develop original code to generate your solution. Yes, there are no restrictions on the type of development environment or programming language you can use.

7. How much time do we have to solve each problem?

Once an input is generated, teams will have a limited amount of time to solve it and upload their submission. We’ll specify how much time you have to solve each input, which will be no more than a few minutes.

1. Who wins?

At the end of the challenge, the Reply Code Masters will review and validate the scoring submission from top ranked teams on the leaderboard. The Reply Code Masters’ decisions for enforcing the contest rules and awarding the prizes are final and indisputable.

2. What do we win?

The winning team will receive 5,000 euros. The second ranked team will receive 2,000 euros, the third ranked team will receive 1,000 euros.

3. What happens if two teams are tied for first place?

If there’s a tie-break, we’ll consider the total resolution time for each input. In other words, the sum of completion times of all the solved input files. If two or more teams have the same score, the team with the shortest time wins.

4. When will you announce the results of the Reply Code Challenge?

We’ll publish a full list of results and notify all finalists no later than one week after the day of the challenge.

1. Who are the Reply Code Masters?

The Reply Code Masters have organised the challenge. They’re responsible for enforcing all rules, reviewing submissions from teams, and awarding prizes.

2. What do we do if someone’s cheating or behaving badly?

We may exclude any participants or teams at any time, for failing to follow the contest rules.

We expect every team to have a positive attitude during the contest. No team should prevent other teams from taking part – for instance, by trying to overload the challenge platform, saturating the local Wi-Fi, interfering with other participants’ devices, or by disturbing or distracting other teams. Failing to play fairly will lead to disqualification.

3. Can I ask for someone else’s help?

You’re not allowed any external help or support.