Divisions

The American Computer Science League consists of five divisions to appeal to the varying computing abilities and interests of students. All students at a school can take the tests but only one test. A team score is the sum of the best 3 or 5 best scores each test. Those scores can come from different students each contest. Prizes are awarded to top scoring students and teams based on cumulative scores after the 4th test.

• The Senior Division is geared to those high school students with programming experience, especially those taking a Computer Science AP course. We suggest that schools do not register for the Senior Division during their first year of ACSL participation. Each contest consists of an online 30-minute, 5-question short answer test and an online programming problem to solved in 72-hours. Team scores can be based on the sum of the top 3 or top 5 scores each contest.

• The Intermediate Division is geared to senior high school students with little or no computer programming experience, and to advanced junior high students. Each contest consists of an online 30-minute, 5-question short answer test and an online programming problem to solved in 72-hours. Team scores can be based on the sum of the top 3 or top 5 scores each contest.

• The Junior Division is geared to junior high and middle school students with no previous experience programming computers. No student beyond grade 9 may compete in the Junior Division. Each contest consists of an online 30-minute 5-question short answer test and an online program to solved in 72-hours. Team scores are based on the sum of the top 3 or top 5 scores each test.

• The Classroom Division is open to students from all grades. It consists of a selection of the non-programming problems from the other three divisions. As its name implies, this division is particularly well-suited for use in the classroom. Each contest consists of an online 50-minute, 10-question short answer test. Team scores are based on the sum of the top 3 or top 5 scores each test.

• The Elementary Division is open to students from grades 3-6. It consists of non-programming problems. Four categories, one each contest, will be tested. The contest consists of an online 30-minute, 5-question test each month.
More information on content is available here. Further teams are supplied with sample questions and past contests. Team scores are based on the sum of the top 3 or top 5 scores each test.

A listing of the short answer question topics is available on the ACSL wiki page.

We encourage schools to join more than one division so that novice students are not intimidated by the material, nor are advanced students bored. All divisions cover similar material, but in varying levels of detail and difficulty. Team scores and individual scores cannot be transferred between divisions.