Unlock The Algorithm Programming Contest

The Unlock The Algorithm Programming Contest (commonly abbreviated as UTA) is one of the largest and most anticipated events held every semester at Daffodil International University (DIU). Organized by the DIU Computer & Programming Club (CPC) in collaboration with the Computer Science & Engineering (CSE) department, this event serves as a platform for students to showcase their problem-solving skills and algorithmic knowledge.

UTA features a wide range of algorithm-related problems that challenge participants to think critically and come up with efficient solutions under time constraints. These problems cover various domains such as data structures, graph theory, dynamic programming, and more, providing students with an opportunity to sharpen their coding abilities and gain hands-on experience with complex algorithms. It also acts as a stepping stone for those aspiring to participate in larger national and international programming contests.

Participants:

Students enrolled in the “Algorithms” course can participate in the contest.

Contests:

There are a total of 3 contests.

Mock Round: The Mock Round is supposed to make you familiar with the contest platform (generally Toph) and other rules. It usually takes place online the night before the Preliminary Round. The round is generally open for all, meaning everyone accessing the contest platform can particpate in the round. Your performance here does not affect anything.
Preliminary Round: Preliminary Rounds affects your selection for the Main Round. It may sometimes be divided into 2 or more slots, depending on the number of participants. The contest is around 2 to 3 hours long, you are given around 7 problems and you can submit the solutions using C, C++, Python or any of your preferred programming languages.
Main Round: You will get selected for Main based on your performance in the Preliminary round. Historically, around 250 contestants are selected. You are given around 10 problems and around 3 hours to solve them. The contest environment is very similar to the Preliminary Rounds.

Problem Set:

There are usually 7-10 problems for each round. Problem set for the rounds are prepared by teachers, current top programmers of DIU ACM & alumnus. The Preliminary rounds’ problem set mostly consists of algorithms discussed in the “Algorithms” course. The mostly seen topics are Greedy, Searching-Sorting, Dynamic Programming, Graphs, Math, Data Structure etc. You can check out previous UTA problem sets from Toph to get a clear idea.

Previous Problem Set:

Below are the last 2 semester's TOPC contest links. You can click on "Begin Practice" to view the problemset or participate in a virtual contest.

Spring 2024:

Fall 2023:

Contest Rules:

You are not allowed to bring any kind of electronic devices to the contest room.
You cannot bring soft-copy templates. You can bring hard-copy templates, cheat sheets and books.
You are not allowed to use any other sites other than contest platform.

Like any other programming contests, there are t-shirts, food, balloons, flags and exciting prizes for the contestants.

To get updates on the TakeOff Programming Contest of current semester, you can follow DIU CPC Facebook Page, DIU ACM website, or DIU ACM TG Channel.

Happy Coding!