American Computer Science League (ACSL)
One of the oldest computer science Challenges with 40 years of history
Approved by the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP)
Authenticated by the Computer Science Teachers Association
Sponsored by Google, ADOBE and other advanced technology companies
Based on cumulative team scores, top teams are invited to the All-Star Contest
4 different levels suitable for students from Grade 3 to 12
Past papers are available for preparation
December, 2023 - August, 2024
Introduction

ACSL organizes computer science contests and computer programming contests for elementary, junior, and senior high school students. This year, our 41st year of continuous operation, over 300 teams in the United States, Canada, Europe, Africa and Asia are participating in various divisions. ACSL is on the approved activities list of the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP). ACSL is also an institutional member of the Computer Science Teachers Association.
Official Website: www.acsl.org
Challenge Rules
Language:
Chinese & English
Consist
- Preliminary:round 1 (Top 65% enter Final rounds)
- Final: Round 2-4
Date
Preliminary
- Round 1: 17 Dec, 2023 14:00-16:40
- Round 2: 17 Feb, 2024 14:00-16:40
- Round 3: 17 Mar, 2024 14:00-16:40
- Round 4: 20 Apr, 2024 14:00-16:40
All-Star Contest: August, 2023
Locations
Paper-based in partnering school
Programming Language
Any programming language you are good at
Competitors:
3 students per team (at least 2 students)
(Note:Individual participation is also allowed, but there is no team award.)
Divisions:
- The Senior Division is geared to those high school students with experience in programming, especially those who are taking a Computer Science AP course. We suggest that students do not register for the Senior Division during their first year of ACSL participation.
- The Intermediate Division is geared towards senior high school students with computer programming experience, and advanced junior high students.
- The Junior Division is geared to middle school students with no previous experience in programming. No student beyond grade 9 may compete in the Junior Division.
- 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 a 30-minute, 5-question test each month.
Note: Experienced lower grade students can choose higher level contest. For example, primary school students with high programming skills can choose senior or intermediate or junior contest, and junior school students with strong programming skills can choose the senior contest. However high school students can't choose lower level contests.
Content
- Part 1 (Individual round): 5 short answer questions in 30 minutes. 1 point for each question.
- Part 2 (Team round): 1 programming question in 2 hours, worth 5 points. (All members of the team are required to answer and submit answers)
Elementary Division Only Individual written contest: 5 short answer questions in 30 minutes. 1 point for each question.
Final qualification
The top 65% of teams from the preliminary round are invited to attend the final competition
Requirements
- Each team can use the programming language they are most familiar with to solve the contest
- WIFI or other internet access is not allowed during the competition
Grading
- Individual scores: Individual written score + Individual programming score
- Team scores: Average team written scores + Average team programming scores
National awards
Reward by different levels
Individual awards
- Perfect Score: Get a perfect score in round 2 to round 4
- Individual top Scores: top 20% individuals
Team awards
- Gold: Top 10% teams
- Silver: Top 25% teams
- Bronze: Top 35% teams
- Regional Honorable Award: Regional top 20% teams (Except for national awards)
Reward by different levels. Team members who miss one round at most can receive team awards.
All Star Contest
The winning teams/individual will be invited to participate in the All Star Contest. All Star Contest will be held on August, 2023. All the teams will compete in their own division.
The short answer topics that are covered in ACSL Round 1-4
Each topic is linked to the page of the ACSL wiki
Division | Elementary | Junior | Intermediate & Senior Division |
Round 1 | Computer Number System | Computer Number System.Recursive Functions. What Does This Program Do?- Branching |
Computer Number System.Recursive Functions. What Does This Program Do? |
Round 2 | Prefix/Infix/Postfix Notation | Prefix/Infix/Postfix Notation. Bit-String Flicking. What Does This Program Do? - Looping |
Prefix/Infix/Postfix Notation. Bit-String Flicking. LISP. |
Round 3 | Boolean Algebra | Boolean Algebra. Data Structures. What Does This Program Do? - Arrays |
Boolean Algebra. Data Structures. FSAs and Regular Expressions. |
Round 4 | Graph Theory | Graph Theory. Digital Electronics. What Does This Program Do? - Strings |
Graph Theory. Digital Electronics. Assembly Language. |
*Note: The Short Problems topics are the same in the Intermediate and Senior Divisions.The Senior Division problems are more challenging than those in the Intermediate Division.
All-Star Contest
Date
- 19th August, 2023
Content
- Primary:20 multiple choice questions
- Junior, Intermediate and Senior: 20 multiple choice questions(written contest),2 Programming problems.
*PS:Subject to the actual number of questions.Primary division only has written contest.
Written Contest
- Primary:: 60 - minute exam consisting of 20 multiple choice questions.
- Junior, Intermediate and Senior:60 - minute exam consisting of 20 multiple choice questions. Team members need answer independently
Programming Contest
- Format: 3 students per team (at least 2 students)
- Content: 2 Programming problems scored with 10 points per question. All members of the team are required to answer and submit answers. (3 hours)
Awards
- Global Awards(only Individual)
- Gold:Above the score line set by the organizing committee
- Sliver:Above the score line set by the organizing committee
- Bronze:Above the score line set by the organizing committee
- National awards
- Top Scores: 1st, 2nd and 3rd Place Individual / Teams
- Gold: Top 10% Individual / Teams
- Silver: Top 20% Individual / Teams
- Bronze: Top 35% Individual / Teams
- Honorable Award: Top 50% Individual / Teams
Grading
- Individual scores: Individual written score + Individual programming score
- Team scores: Average team written scores + Average team programming scores
- If there is a tie, the individual/team with the highest score in the written short answer questions will win; if it is still a tie, the individual/team with the higher programming score will win.
- PS: Points from the Regular Season are not counted in the All-Star contest
Agenda(The schedule is subject to the day of the tournament)
Date | Time | Session |
19th August 2023 | 08:30-09:00 | Zoom Debugging |
09:00-12:00 | Programming Contest | |
12:00-13:00 | Break | |
13:00-13:30 | Zoom Debugging* | |
13:30-14:30 | Written Contest(multiple choice)* | |
14:40-17:00 | Work Presentation* | |
17:00-17:30 | Closing + Awarding Ceremony* |
PS:The schedule is subject to the day of the tournament,Primary only participate in session marked star(*)。
Requirements
Deadline
- Preliminary: 5th December, 2023
- ALL STAR:11th August ,2023
Computer
- Candidates must bring their own computer for programming competition
ASDAN EPQ Scholarship
3000RMB/std
Gold
2000RMB/std
Silver
1000RMB/std
Bronze
Noted:The ASDAN Scholarship is only available to Year 10, 11 and 12 students for participating ASDAN Extended Project Qualification(EPQ). EPQ is recommended by the G5 group and many leading universities as a competitive academic experience. Scholarships cannot be exchanged for cash. For further details see:http://www.seedasdan.org/epq/。
Exam Centers
Final Exam Centers
Sample Problems





