Bebras Oxford University Coding Challenge Looking for Tips

OP

Original post by iohcareh

The Perse Team Challenge past papers are of similar style. I might be able to help with any questions you’re stuck on.

Yeah I did one of the senior challenges and was able to get 59/65 within the 40 mins [albeit i did need to get a bit of help for 1 or 2 of the questions], the last question I did run out of time to do, but I don't think I'd be able to easily complete it.

Reply 4

Original post by UndecisiveBoy

Yeah I did one of the senior challenges and was able to get 59/65 within the 40 mins [albeit i did need to get a bit of help for 1 or 2 of the questions], the last question I did run out of time to do, but I don't think I'd be able to easily complete it.

Well done! Hopefully your speed will improve over time.

Reply 5

OP

Original post by iohcareh

Well done! Hopefully your speed will improve over time.

Thanks! Yeah me too, but I'm pretty sure most of the question 10s are mainly the more difficult ones that take up more time. And an issue with many of the excercises is that I'm probably writing code quite inefficiently, [even if its right], so I do need to look over some python techniques ig.

Reply 6

Original post by UndecisiveBoy

Thanks! Yeah me too, but I'm pretty sure most of the question 10s are mainly the more difficult ones that take up more time. And an issue with many of the excercises is that I'm probably writing code quite inefficiently, [even if its right], so I do need to look over some python techniques ig.

Yeah I have done the BIO and I've looked at sample solutions on github which helped me learn how to optimise. I've also been compiling some useful code snippets like numbers = map(int, input().split()) for taking a line of numbers. https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/python-tricks-competitive-coding/

Reply 7

Also I've been attempting Advent of Code, I've only completed 4 days of it so far but it's fun practice for the longer questions. I think planning out the algorithm in pseudocode(or the hand-written python-ish I do) is the most important step when the problem is complex.

Reply 8

OP

Original post by iohcareh

Yeah I have done the BIO and I've looked at sample solutions on github which helped me learn how to optimise. I've also been compiling some useful code snippets like numbers = map(int, input().split()) for taking a line of numbers. https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/python-tricks-competitive-coding/

ah right thanks for the link i'll check it out. BIO looks really complicated for me, and my school isn't doing it. [I don't think]

Reply 9

OP

Original post by iohcareh

Also I've been attempting Advent of Code, I've only completed 4 days of it so far but it's fun practice for the longer questions. I think planning out the algorithm in pseudocode(or the hand-written python-ish I do) is the most important step when the problem is complex.

yeah that's good practice too, might check it out.

Reply 10

Accidental find: I went on wayback machine to visit the old versions of the challenges page, and copied the links to older challenges and pasted it in my real browser and it worked.... I could've just ask my teacher but yeah.
BIO is quite difficult compared to OUCC and really tests problem solving

Reply 11