Why did I Score Zero?

Sometimes you will score zero even though you believe you have a working solution to a problem.

You can check the Submission details pop-up of each submission to see the reasons why your solution was not judged as correct. See the Student contest guide for more information.

Below are some of the common reasons that good solutions score zero.

Incorrect output format

Each problem is very precise about how the output should be formatted. Your score is assigned by a judging program which automatically marks your output, and you will be marked as incorrect if you do not exactly meet the required output format.

Every problem statement includes sample input and output, as a way of illustrating these formats. For example, if the correct output should be the single integer: 4, then the following outputs would be judged as incorrect:

• The answer is 4
• "4"

Incorrect problem/language selected

Double-check that you are submitting your solution to the right problem. Also check that you have selected the correct language from the drop-down box when submitting your solution.

Points for submissions are awarded in Subtasks. Your solution must be judged as "Correct" for all of the judges' test cases within a subtask for you to obtain those points. If your program exceeds the time limit, produces an incorrect output or a runtime error on even a single case, you will score zero for that subtask.