Important dates

Contest dates:

North and South America: Monday, November 4, 2024, to Friday, November 15, 2024
Outside North and South America: contact us

Ordering deadline: Monday, October 21, 2024

Contest overview

The Beaver Computing Challenge (BCC) is an online, multiple-choice contest designed to introduce students to computer science concepts and problem-solving techniques. This contest has been designed to foster interest in computer science and provide students with an opportunity to showcase their computational and logical thinking skills in a fun and engaging way.

Audience

Students in Grade 6 or below are eligible to participate in the Grade 5/6 BCC.
Students in Grade 8 or below are eligible to participate in the Grade 7/8 BCC.
Students in Grade 10 or below are eligible to participate in the Grade 9/10 BCC.

Dates

Contest dates:

North and South America: Monday, November 4, 2024, to Friday, November 15, 2024
Outside North and South America: contact us

Contest timing: Contest Supervisors are expected to administer the contest within the two-week contest period. We encourage schools to administer the contest as close to the beginning of the school day as possible in their respective time zones.

Ordering deadline: Monday, October 21, 2024

Contest format

12 multiple-choice questions out of a total of 60 (Grade 5/6).
15 multiple-choice questions out of a total of 90 (Grade 7/8 and Grade 9/10).
Time allowed for completion is 45 minutes.
Written in school, participants write online, individually.
Some calculators permitted.

Content

The BCC is a problem-solving competition that emphasizes computational and logical thinking. The questions draw inspiration from computer science topics but only require familiarity with concepts covered in the mathematics curriculum across all Canadian provinces.

Contest preparation

Below are links to a few resources and classroom support that can help with preparation for the Beaver Computing Challenge (BCC):

Online Practice Contest: Participants and supervisors are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the contest platform prior to the official contest date using the BCC Practice and Live Challenges websitenorth_east, made available closer to the official contest date.
Past Contests: Participants can review and attempt past contests to gain a better understanding of the contest format, level of difficulty and time management. The CEMC has published contests and their solutions from previous years in the Past Contests section of Tools and Resources.
CEMC Visits Schools: Experts from the CEMC are available to conduct problem-solving workshops for students and educators. Visit CEMC Visits Schools to learn more.

Contest fees

Contest fee per participant: $3.00

Processing fee per order, applies to all contest orders: $5.00

For the BCC there is a minimum order requirement of 10 contests.

This contest is tax-exempt within Canada and internationally.

The CEMC does not offer refunds, returns or cancellations of any kind.

Awards and recognition

We believe that all students will enjoy and benefit from the experience of preparing for and writing our mathematics and computer science contests. Our contests are not tests or exams. There is no passing or failing score. Information regarding the criteria for awarding individual students and schools based on their performance is provided below.

Individual awards

A Certificate of Distinction can be printed for each participant scoring in the top 25% of all participants within their own school, for schools with at least 4 participants.
The top-scoring participants' names in the Challenge are available online.
We also encourage schools and boards to recognize and celebrate the achievements of those participants who excel.

Opt-out option:

Our contests allow participants to opt out of having their names displayed in publicly accessible results booklets if their score is high enough to be listed on an honour roll. Their names will, however, still be published in the school results which we provide securely to the organizing educator.

Find the Opportunity you Have Been Looking For!

The Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing

Beaver Computing Challenge