A Programming Contest Strategy Guide

Abstract

The ACM's International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC) is the world's oldest and largest programming contest. Although students can benefit both pedagogically and professionally from participating in this contest, participation in North America is far smaller than in the rest of the world, which we partially attribute to the perceived low payoff of participating in ICPC. We discuss the pedagogical benefits of participation in ICPC, which include higher student enthusiasm for computer science studies and better career prospects post-graduation, and present a set of cohesive strategies aimed at increasing involvement and success within the ICPC. For aspiring coaches and contestants, we also provide links and references for further study.