Bonus points

You can get additional points from course feedback and selected in-person programming events. We will add instructions and point submission forms here as the event details become available.

Course feedback

If you submit course feedback using the official Aalto course feedback system, you will get 1 extra point.

NCPC practice contest

We will organize an in-person NCPC practice contest on Saturday, September 26, 2026, at 12:00–17:00 in classrooms T7 and T8 in the CS building. All times here are local time in Finland.

The practice contest is only for students taking this course. Form your own team of up to three course participants. No advance registration is needed: just show up. If you do not have keys to the building, be at the front door at 11:50–11:55; Jukka will let you in during that interval, so please be punctual.

Use the practice contest on Kattis. This is a separate contest from the week 5 homework.

For both the practice contest and NCPC, read and follow the NCPC rules carefully. In particular, each team may use only one computer, with one keyboard, one mouse, and one screen. Connecting extra keyboards to the same computer is not allowed. Before either event, make 100% sure that all AI assistance is disabled in your development environment, including generative-AI code completion.

Bring your own snacks and drinks for the five-hour contest; no food is provided at the practice contest.

Each team member will get 2 bonus points for each problem that the team solves during the in-person practice contest. Participation is optional, and you are welcome even if you do not plan to take part in NCPC. Instructions for claiming the points will be added here.

NCPC

NCPC 2026, the Nordic Collegiate Programming Contest, will be held on Saturday, October 3, 2026. If you take part in NCPC, all team members will get 3 points for each problem that the team solves.

Form your own team of up to three people. NCPC is open to everyone, and your team may include people who are not taking this course. ICPC eligibility is not required to participate or earn course points. It matters if you want to qualify for NWERC: in that case, make sure all your team members are ICPC eligible.

Register your team by Wednesday, September 30, 2026, using the registration system linked from the NCPC participation page. Registration is already open. Without registration, you cannot compete or enter the contest site. Get your whole team together for registration and allow time to check each member’s personal settings in the system; these may need updating before the team registration succeeds.

The Aalto event runs from 11:00 to 19:00 in classrooms T7 and T8 in the CS building. All times are local time in Finland:

  • Doors open at 11:00; arrive by 11:30.

  • The contest runs from 12:00 to 17:00.

  • From 17:00, we will have a wrap-up and discuss solutions in the library.

The NCPC rules and preparation instructions above apply here too, including the one-computer rule and the ban on AI assistance. Bring snacks and drinks for the contest. There will be free pizza for every participant after the contest, sponsored by Verda.

Instructions for claiming the bonus points will be added here.

HIIT Open

HIIT Open 2026 will be held on Saturday, November 21, 2026, in the CS building, Konemiehentie 2, Espoo. All times are local time in Finland:

  • Doors open at 11:00; arrive by 11:30.

  • The contest runs from 12:00 to 17:00.

Form your own team of 1–3 people; the event is open to everyone. Registration is free and is expected to open about one month before the event. See the event website for registration updates and full rules.

Each team uses one computer provided by the organisers, with only the supplied programming environments and documentation. Practise using a text editor and terminal on Ubuntu Linux. Bring paper reference material; electronic material, printing, and internet access are not allowed. The course’s ban on all AI assistance also applies.

If you take part in HIIT Open, all team members will get 3 points for each problem that the team solves. Instructions for claiming the bonus points will be added here.

Other in-person events

There may be further opportunities to earn bonus points from in-person programming events, such as NWERC. Details will be announced later.

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