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 gets 2 bonus points for each problem that the team solved during the in-person practice contest. There were 13 problems, so each team member can earn up to 26 bonus points.
To claim your points, each student must submit the form below separately. Select the number of problems your team solved and enter your team name as shown on the practice contest scoreboard. Count only problems solved during the in-person contest on September 26, from 12:00 to 17:00. Problems solved later or as part of the week 5 homework do not count towards these bonus points.
A+ presents the exercise submission form 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.
NCPC had 13 problems, so each team member can earn up to 39 bonus points. To claim your points, each student must submit the form below separately. Select the number of problems your team solved and enter your team name as shown on the official NCPC scoreboard. Count only problems solved while participating in person during NCPC on October 3, from 12:00 to 17:00 (local time in Finland). Problems solved later or in an online rerun do not count.
A+ presents the exercise submission form 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 open and free: register your team.
Bring one laptop for your team, with your programming tools installed and tested in advance. Only one computer may be used per team. Make 100% sure that all AI assistance is disabled, including AI assistants and code completion, whether online or offline.
Bring any reference material you need on paper; electronic reference material and printing are not allowed. Internet access is restricted to the contest system and online documentation supplied by the organisers. Email, chat, and mobile phones are not allowed. Read the full HIIT Open rules before the contest.
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.