Many students who are preparing to start learning or are currently learning to program will participate in programming competitions or take certification exams to review their learning outcomes. There are many different programming competitions and certifications to choose from, and each competition has its own characteristics. Next, we will recommend 7 popular international and domestic programming competitions and 3 programming language certification exams to you. We will also help you understand whether these competitions and certificates will add points when preparing for your study process and interviews, and how to prepare for interviews.
What programming competitions are there for junior high and high school students? National Cat Cup - SCRATCH
《Image source: National Cat Cup Competition official website》
- Age limit for participation: Junior high school and elementary school.
- Competition categories: game group, animation group.
The National Cat Cup SCRATCH is a programming competition exclusively for junior high school students. Participating teams need to use SCRATCH to design and create an interactive game or animation. After completion, they need to present their work to the judges and explain the design concept. There will be different topics each year, and the contestants need to design their works based on the topic. Participating in the National Cat Cup can help you develop innovative thinking, problem-solving skills, teamwork spirit, and expression and interpretation skills.
Maker Cup Computational Thinking and Creative Design Competition
《Image source: Maker Cup Computational Thinking and Creative Design Competition official website》
※The website address may change every year.
- Age range: high school, junior high school, elementary school.
- Competition categories: Minecraft Education Edition (Timed Trial), micro:bit (Timed Trial), Creative Design Competition
The Maker Cup is a programming competition open to both junior high and high school students. There are three competition categories: Minecraft Education Edition "Programming God" Time Trial, Micro:bit Time Trial - MakeCode Programming Competition, and Creative Design Competition. Each year, there will be different competition themes for contestants to explore programming languages and operating principles, understand design principles, composition and other artistic knowledge according to the theme requirements, and finally use programming to combine cross-fields and creativity to complete the work. Participating in programming competitions such as the Maker Cup requires more than just programming language writing. You also need to apply different knowledge to compete. It is a competition that allows you to get in touch with different professions across fields. You can also follow the official Facebook fan page to get the latest information.
Wenwen Cup AIoT Sensor National League
《Image source: AIoT Sensor National League official website》
https://12u10.lab.nycu.edu.tw/winwinarea/winwinaiot/
- Age range: high school, junior high school, elementary school.
- Judging focuses: design aesthetics, programming difficulty, creative presentation, sensor parameter application, technical difficulty and team interaction.
The AIoT Sensor National League is a programming competition open to high school, junior high school, and elementary school students. Participants must use sensors as components to come up with ideas and program. In the competition, participants can not only creatively imagine the uses of sensors, but also learn a lot about electronics, motors, computers, etc. For example, using sensors combined with Scratch to create dynamic games or using sensors to solve manpower and long-term care problems, etc. Unlike general programming competitions, the Wenwen Cup allows contestants to focus on the application of sensors, generate creative ideas, and then use their programming skills to complete their works.
IEYI World Youth Maker Invention Exhibition
《Image source: IEYI World Youth Maker Invention Exhibition official website》
- Age range: high school/vocational school, junior high school, elementary school, 6-19 years old.
IEYI (International Exhibition for Young Inventors) is a competition organized by the Japan Association. It is currently the only international invention exhibition that does not require registration fees or booth fees, providing a stage for young people from all over the world to showcase their inventions and creativity. The Maker Invention Exhibition is divided into two groups: invention group and drawing group. Participating teams need to submit a professional research report, detailing the principles, design process and practical value of the invention. During the competition, contestants can unleash their creativity and combine the application of programs to complete their works. Not only can they actually apply programming skills, but they also need the ability to work in a team, communicate, and find solutions to problems.
National Problem Solving Contest on Internet
《Image source: Official website of the National Internet Programming Design Competition》
https://contest.cc.ntu.edu.tw/
- Age: High school, junior high school, elementary school observation group
- Competition language: C/C++
The National Problem Solving Contest on Internet has been held since 2001. This programming competition focuses on using programs to solve problems and cultivate Internet programming capabilities. Contestants must solve problems in the competition. The number of questions in the preliminary and final rounds has not been fixed over the years, but is approximately 6 to 8 questions. Contestants can only use C/C++ programming language to solve the problems. The rules may change every year. Students who want to participate can go to the official website to learn about the latest rules.
→ Reference to previous competition questions: https://contest.cc.ntu.edu.tw/npsc2020/problem.html
Information Month Information Application Skills Competition
https://www.infomonth.com/ICTIntro.aspx
- Age: College group, high school group
- Competition items: Python Programming Language Group (Python 3), Creative App Programming Group (App Inventor 2 (Second Edition))
- Competition categories: individual and team.
- Eligibility: Each member must obtain the license of the project they wish to register for in advance (projects that require the license of the organizing unit). If there is only one participant in the team, the award can only be counted as an individual award.
The Information Month Information Application Skills Competition is a programming competition designed for young people to participate. Participants can devote more to the field of programming and increase opportunities for mutual communication and observation. What is special about this programming competition is that in addition to age qualifications, some competitions will require obtaining certificates from the organizing unit first. For example, the Python programming language group does not need to obtain relevant certificates in advance; and the Creative App Programming Group needs to obtain Creative App Programming/Basic Creative App Programming certificates first. This competition is conducted using real machines and lasts for 40 minutes. Different environments are provided to the contestants. Please visit the official website for detailed information. This programming competition is divided into individual and team categories, and the ranking rules are different, mainly based on the rules announced by the official announcement. The competition is divided into three regions: north, central and south. It is an actual computer competition. All contestants will receive a certificate of participation after completing the competition. There are many rules and precautions for the Information Application Skills Competition of Information Month. It is recommended that students who want to participate can go to the official website to obtain complete competition information!
CodeQuest International Youth Programming Competition
https://ai4kids.ai/pages/codecombat-codequest
- Age range: Elementary school category: Grades 1 to 6; Middle school category: Grades 7 to 12 (junior high school, high school).
It was held for the first time at Stanford University in 2019. The judges included experts from well-known universities such as Stanford University and well-known companies such as Google. It has received attention from international media such as Bloomberg, Yahoo, and New York Times. It is known as the Youth Programming World Cup. The 2021 International Information Olympiad will also include CodeQuest as one of its schedules. Such programming events have attracted 1 million top teenagers from 70 countries around the world to participate. It is currently the youth programming competition with the largest number of participants in the world. This competition is mainly conducted through the CodeCombat platform. Participants must adjust their strategies and algorithms in real time according to their opponents’ situations within the specified time, continuously optimize their programs and improve their global rankings. During the competition, young contestants can communicate with each other and learn computer science and programming methods. Taiwan will first hold winter and summer preliminaries. As long as the top fifteen players are ranked in the elementary school and middle school finals, the organizer will take these players to participate in the CodeQuest Global Competition!
Learn more about CodeQuest competition
What are the program certifications and licenses?
APCS University Programming Pre-Test
《Image source: APCS University Programming Pre-Test Official Website》
https://apcs.csie.ntnu.edu.tw/
- Age range: Elementary school category: Grades 1 to 6; Middle school category: Grades 7 to 12 (junior high school, high school).
APCS is a credible "programming test" that allows high school students with programming skills to verify their learning outcomes through the test. When they go on to higher education, they can include their learning experience in their learning process and use it as a reference for university selection. Candidates can use APCS test scores plus academic test scores to apply for the APCS group of information-related departments in different schools, which can become a tool for adding points. Getting into an ideal school is no longer a dream! The number of application quotas for the 111th academic year has increased to "54 schools and departments, 171 places", including top universities such as the Department of Information Engineering at National Taiwan University, the Department of Industrial and Information Management at National Cheng Kung University, the Department of Information Engineering at National Chiao Tung University, and the Department of Information Science and Engineering at National Chung Hsing University. The number of schools and departments participating in the APCS also set a record high. APCS will be a required certificate for high schools!
>>Extended reading: Is taking the APCS helpful for the learning process of 108 syllabus? How to prepare?
>>Related courses: APCS-College Programming Pre-Test Training Course
Certiport ITS-Information Technology Specialist (IT Information Technology Specialist Certification)
《Image source: CERTIPORT official website》
http://certiport.gotop.com.tw/Certiport/ITS.aspx
Information Technology Specialist (IT Information Technology Specialist Certification), referred to as ITS, is an entry-level information technology certification launched by Pearson VUE/Certiport that is in line with industry trends. It covers four major areas: IT information technology, database, software development, and emerging technologies, with a total of thirteen subjects. Candidates can verify their knowledge and IT skills in various IT fields through tests, including software development, database management, network and security, mobile and device management, program development, programming and coding, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence. These technologies can prepare candidates for their future careers. ITS is an international professional certification in programming, an English certificate that provides traditional Chinese test questions. As long as you pass the Certiport certification exam, you can obtain an international certificate that is used worldwide. It is very suitable for teachers and students who are interested in IT Professionals, Developers, Database and Emerging Technology, or those who want to develop related careers.
>>Related courses: ITS Python Programming Certification Class
Can programming competitions and certificates be included in the learning process?
The "diverse expressions" of the learning process include: on-campus activities, volunteer services, competition results, cadre experience, certifications, etc. Therefore, programming competitions and programming language-related certificates can be included in the learning process to enrich one's diverse expressions. Before organizing these experiences, you can refer to how others write their learning experiences and share with you several examples of AI practice camp learning experiences. When writing a learning experience, as long as you grasp the key points, you can write it in a list format to make the key content more systematic.
How to make your competition experience more eye-catching during the joint selection test or recommendation interview?
Diversified performance, focusing on “quality” rather than “quantity”
In "Learning Process - Diverse Performance", you can demonstrate your diverse abilities, such as club activities, internship experience, competition results, etc. It is recommended that you choose one or two competitions or certificates that you are really good at, focus on the preparation of these projects, and do not distract your attention on other projects. You can also focus more on your strengths during the interview, allowing the interviewer to see your professional ability and depth.
Brief introduction to this competition or certification. Why do you want to take the exam?
In addition to presenting your certificates, briefly explain why you want to participate in the competition or obtain a certificate, so that the interviewer knows that you have a strong interest in this field, or that you are preparing for future career development, etc. Seeing your true passion for these fields and your expectations and goals for these experiences can make a deeper impression on the interviewer.
What strategies did you use to prepare for the exam?
In the interview, describe the strategies and methods you used during your preparation, such as self-study, using online resources, discussing with classmates, asking teachers, attending training courses, etc. These strategies will allow the interviewer to see that you are planned and focused in your preparation.
>>Extended reading: How to teach yourself programming? Understanding 3 methods to learn programming + maintaining 3 learning mindsets = the first step to successfully learning programming!
What knowledge have you learned, what abilities have changed, or what qualities have you gained during the learning process?
Share with the interviewer what knowledge and skills you have learned while participating in the competition or certification process, and how these experiences have changed your abilities and qualities. Let the interviewer see that you are not just preparing for the sake of obtaining a license, but are truly growing through learning.
What is the significance, impact or change that this competition or certificate brings to you?
Whether you fail or succeed, you will definitely gain something. You can share with the interviewer what changes have taken place in your mindset after these experiences. For example, after participating in a competition, you discovered that there were more programming experts of the same age, which made you more motivated to improve your programming skills. You discovered that you must step out of your comfort zone and participate in more different competitions and tests to broaden your programming horizons.
When preparing for an interview, just grasp the key points, such as why you need to take a license or participate in a competition, what you have learned from these experiences, how these experiences will help or provide you with expectations for the future, how to plan and arrange yourself systematically during the preparation period, what inspirations and changes you have gained from the process, etc. Use these questions to simulate interviews at home, practice your diction and expression, or anticipate a few questions the interviewer may ask. Such adequate preparation and practice can reduce the occurrence of mistakes. As long as you grasp these key points, I believe everyone will be able to perform better in the joint selection test or recommendation interview!
Summarize
Among so many competitions and certification tests, you can first choose the programming language and learning direction that you are best at, plan and experience each participation process well and record yourself. Later, when preparing for the learning process and interview, you will have more room to play, making your learning process and interview performance better!
>>Click here to take a free programming courseWant to learn more? Click the button for more information!
More Related Articles
- How to teach yourself programming? Understanding 3 methods to learn programming + maintaining 3 learning mindsets = the first step to successfully learning programming!
- Will taking the APCS exam help with the learning process of 108 syllabus? How to prepare?
- Stop learning Python aimlessly. Master the four key points to make your programming journey solid and long-lasting!
- Understand what AI artificial intelligence is in three minutes? Development trends, applications in various fields and careers - AI4kids
- A quick guide to self-learning programming at home for elementary and middle school students: resources for children to learn programming, and recommended introductory camp courses
- Beginner's Guide to Python: Get a head start on future employment opportunities! Python self-study book resources are shared without reservation
- How to start self-learning programming language? These 3 major resources make it easy to get started even without any background!
- 3 programming languages recommended for high school students, and the majors they can choose in the future
- What types of programming languages are there? Which one is suitable for beginners? A summary of the ranking of popular programming languages
- What is YOLO? Learn about the evolution of YOLO in 3 minutes and where it can be applied in life!
- Data-driven future smart healthcare: Where should doctors, governments and businesses go?