FAQ

Important Dates Registration Starts Monday, July 25th Qualification Round Monday, August 22nd Championship Round Friday, September 23rd

$155,000 in Cash Prizes! 1st Place - $10,000 2nd to 10th Place - $5,000 11th to 25th Place - $2,500 26th to 50th Place - $1,000 51st to 100th Place - $750

Is there a way to practice before the elimination rounds?
You may use your handle and password to login to the competition arena. Within the arena there is a practice area that mimics the functionality of the real competition. Nothing that you do in the practice room will count against you in the competition.

What resources can I use to help me during the competition?
You may utilize any reference materials, including those found on the Internet. You may not collaborate with any other person.

Can I use code that has already been written as a part of my solution?
Only code that has been authored by you may be used in a code submission. No third-party source code may be used as a part of any code submission.

I've submitted a solution for a problem, but the time has not run out. Can I submit again?
Yes. However, if you've already submitted a problem and you choose to submit again, your score for that submission will be adjusted to account for the additional lapsed time since your last submission, as well as an additional penalty of 10% of the maximum point value for the problem.

What is the Challenge Phase?
The Challenge phase only takes place during Rounds 1 and 2. It does not take place during the Qualification Round.

During the Challenge Phase, you have the opportunity to view the source code submissions of the other competitors in your room. If you believe that any of the submissions are flawed, you may challenge the submission with a specific test case that you feel will result in that submission returning the wrong result. If your challenge is successful, and the submission returns the wrong result, you will be awarded 50 points and the competitor will lose the points for the challenged submission. However, if your challenge is unsuccessful, and the submission returns the correct result for the test case, you will lose 25 points from your score.

Be sure to read the Instructions page for a complete explanation.

How will I know if I have advanced the next round of the Google Code Jam?
As soon as the Testing Phase has been completed, the advancers to the next round will be posted here. In addition, an email will be sent to all participants indicating whether or not each has advanced.

Questions not addressed here should be directed to googlecodejam@topcoder.com

Good luck!

To find out more detailed information about the Google Code Jam 2005, including a list of the prizes, please read the Terms and Conditions.