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Structure of a challenge

The Bebras challenge is an international challenge on informatics and computer fluency for all age of school students. It is performed at schools using computers. The contestants are usually supervised by teachers who may integrate the challenge in their teaching activities.

 

The challenge is composed of one main test without any selection of students. Some countries run an additional face-to-face round in order to recognize the best students.

 

The challenge has two types of tasks: a multiple choice questions and interactive problems. Number of tasks varies year-by-year from eighteen to twenty four questions of different difficulty to be solved in 40, 45 or 55 minutes. For each multiple choice question a choice of four answers is provided. There are interactive tasks as well.

 

Point counting:

  • for every correct answer there are 3, 4 or 5 points (depending on the dificulty of the task: easy, medium or hard),
  • 0 points for unanswered question,
  • minus quarter of the possible points if the answer is incorrect.

Other point counting system:

  • for every correct answer there are 6, 9 or 12 points (depending on the dificulty of the task: easy, medium or hard),
  • if no answer is given the score doesn't change,
  • minus one third of the possible points if the answer is incorrect.

 

The Bebras challenge is organized annually by each participating country locally. Usually there are national committees or organizations established with aim to run Bebras challenge. For running the challenge countries are using different technologies mainly based on online challenge management systems. Each country chooses tasks from the Bebras task pool approved by the annually organized international Bebras task workshop. There are, however, some mandatory tasks that all countries are obliged to use.

 

There are different task sets for different age students. Six age groups are suggested.

  • I group. Pre-Primary – Grade 1 and 2 (5-8 years old)
  • II group. Primary - Grade 3 and 4 (8-10 years old)
  • III group. Benjamins – Grade 5 and 6 (10-12 years old)
  • IV group. Cadets – Grade 7 and 8 (12-14 years old)
  • V group. Juniors – Grade 9 and 10 (14-16 years old)
  • VI group. Seniors – Grade 11 and 12(13) (16-19 years old)

The classifications may differ according to class level and options of schooling in different countries. Countries do not need to implement all age groups. Only few countries have the lowest age groups.