Breakout Mentors trains students for competitive programming in our USACO Competitive Programming Academy. Many of the kids we work with have never tried competitive programming, so we wanted to provide an opportunity for everyone to give it a try, whether they are a Breakout Mentors customer or not.
2020 was the first time Breakout Mentors ran a virtual programming competition. The goal was to provide a fun and low pressure introduction to USACO.
The verdict? 100% of the participants said the event made them want to participate in USACO and keep learning!
2020 Event Recap
We had three different divisions: Bronze, Silver, and Gold. Across the divisions there were a total of 75 students – mostly high school, but with a few middle schoolers – who received points. This means they submitted a solution to the word problem that produced the right output for at least one test case. 209 different submissions received full points.
The incredible part is that 50% of the people were participating in their first competition. They devoted 4 hours on a Sunday to challenge themselves!
The majority rated it a 5 star fun-factor, with the average of 4.3. Pretty amazing for such a challenging event.
Parent Response
“I just wanted to thank you for running the mock USACO on Sunday. You created a great, low-pressure introduction to competitive coding. My kids got a lot out of the experience. Much appreciated.”
-Father in Highland Park, Illinois
“Thank you for hosting the USACO mock competition event this afternoon. This was such a great idea and my son said it was a valuable experience. Would also love to hear more about your USACO training program – think you may have found a niche for your business with so much interest!”
-Mother in Los Altos, California
The Actual USACO Event is Coming Up
The actual contests only run for four months of the year, December through March. However, for kids who are interested, it is important to keep training. Learning progress can be made year-round, which will keep skills sharp and interest high.
Everyone who participated in our mock events will have a much better idea of what to expect. If you weren’t able to make it, we posted a document Never Done USACO to help you get started.
Are you looking for competitions or coding challenges beyond USACO? There are plenty of other events and interesting puzzles we can point you towards. Some are even team events, which is a completely different experience than the solo USACO contests. If you are looking for a team of peers around the same age level and ability, we might be able to help as well.
Want to Accelerate Your Learning?
Breakout Mentors has mentors for USACO and many other type of programming for late elementary through high school students. Just schedule a call to discuss how we can help your son or daughter.
Over the summer we also run more concentrated Deep Dives into USACO. These include group classes as well. Summer is an excellent time to take a huge leap forward in your knowledge!