Google Hash Code

How it Works

Hashcode is an online platform where you may establish a team, join a Hub, practice, and participate in the rounds. During the Qualification Round, you'll be presented with the topic via a YouTube live stream, and your team will have four hours to give an optimization solution for the problem using your preferred programming language and tools. 

By joining this virtual Hub, teams can compete against other teams in their area. The top-performing teams from the Qualification Round will advance to the virtual World Finals, where they will fight for cash prizes while collaborating on a new challenge.

How to Register?

1. Signup or login into Google's coding competitions page
2. Register for Google Hashcode from Google's Coding Competitions page.
3. You can verify step 3 in the" My Team" section that you are part of a valid 2 to 4-person team.

Eligibility

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic this year, the Google HashCode competition has gone virtual. There will be an Online Qualifications round first, and only the top teams selected after this qualification round will be invited to participate in the virtual World Finals. 

Professionals and students of all skill levels who are at least 16 years old are eligible to participate in the Hash Code Qualification Round. There are no specific eligibility criteria for participating in hashcode few team requirement criteria are needed, which are listed below.

Team Requirements

• Participants must participate in teams of two, three, or four people (referred to as "Teams").
   
• Participants must create their teams through the Judge System (described below), and team compositions cannot be changed after the deadline was given on the HC Contest website or Judge System.
   
• Before the deadline, a participant may quit a Team and withdraw from the HC Contest. Throughout the HC Contest (including the World Finals (as described below), however, your Team must have at least two (2) members.
   
• The HC Contest is not open to any teams that have fewer than two (2) members. During the HC Contest, each participant can only be a part of one (1) team.

Age of Team Members

• At the time of registration for the HC Contest, only Team members who are at least eighteen (18) years old or the age of majority in their country of residence (whichever is greater) ("Age of Majority") are eligible to compete in the World Finals.
   
• At least two Team members must meet the minimum age criteria in order for a Team to compete in the World Finals.

Contest Pattern

Before taking a test, it is critical to grasp the exam format. You'll get access to the Judge System once you've registered for the Google HashCode competition online, where you may join a hub, form a team, practice, and participate.

Your team must solve a programming challenge within a four-hour time limit to pass the Online Qualifications. After completing this round, you'll advance to the virtual World Final, where you'll face a new optimization problem as your new task and fight against the best teams in the world. For more clarification on Google Hash Code, you can also check out this video 

Google Hash Code Rounds

Google Hash Code consist of several rounds:

1. Online Qualification Round: Teams of programmers are presented with a unique problem and allotted a limited time (usually 4 hours), and they need to develop solutions. Scoring is based on correctness and efficiency. Top teams advance to the next rounds

2. Extended Round: An extended round allows participants to improve their solutions and increase their scores further

3. Final Round: The best teams from the online qualification round are invited to Google's offices to tackle a new problem. Winners receive prizes and recognition

Google Hash Code promotes teamwork, problem-solving, and coding skills.

Previously Asked Question

Prizes

Cash Prizes for Google Hash Codes If you qualify for, attend, and compete in the World Finals, you can be eligible for one of the following cash awards. The prize money listed below is the total amount received by each winning team member.

• 1st Place $4,000 USD
   
• 2nd Place $2,000 USD
   
• 3rd Place $1,000 USD

Goodies: As part of participant involvement in the Google Hash Code Contest, Google may, from time to time, and at its sole discretion, give away Google-branded objects, Google-related products, or other goodies ("Goodies ") to World Finals competitors.

Certificates: Members of Teams who submit a solution scoring at least one point during the Qualification Round or the World Finals are eligible to receive a downloadable and printable certificate, which will be available in their Contest Profile approximately a month after each Round ends.
 Recommended Topic - hash function in data structure

Previously Asked Questions

Here are some of the previously asked questions in the Google HashCode Competition, which will help you understand the level of competition and prepare better.

2020 World Final– The final problem in the 2020 Google HashCode was related to the assembly of a smartphone. The description of various robotic arms and their positions were provided in the problem, and the participants had to create a plan for the use of robotic arms to build the smartphone.
 

2018 World Final– A set of building projects was given to the participants, and the candidates had to make an efficient plan and decide which building project should be executed and where in order to maximise the utility for the residents and provide maximum residential capacity as well.
 

2017 World Final– A building plan was given to the contestants, and they had to decide where to put the wireless routers and how to connect them to the fibre backbone to minimise costs and also maximise coverage at the same time. 
 

2015 World Final– The information of wind data at different altitudes was provided to the candidates, and as per the given information, they had to arrange a fleet of balloons at a planned altitude so that Internet coverage was available in select locations.

You can find some free, useful, and accessible courses on various platforms online, like Coding Ninjas, to help you solve these problems better and prepare for the final rounds of the Google HashCode.

Prerequisites (Languages) for Google HashCode

There is no specific programming language requirement for this competition. You can compete if you’re familiar with any of the programming or coding languages such as C++, JAVA, Python, or any other coding language. You can choose your preferred language in which you would like to solve the optimised problem. It is better if you use some online courses to advance your knowledge and give yourself an edge in the competition.

Does Google Hire from Hash Code? & How?

Although there is no guarantee that Google will contact you once the competition has ended, however, there is a good probability that Google may contact you for a job interview following that. For the first hiring process, Google may ask you to choose from a number of open roles (if any are available).

In addition, if the interview is held outside of the United States, Google may compensate you for your transportation costs based on negotiation or chance. The procedure for the actual interview is quite typical. Algorithms, problem-solving, and data structures will be discussed.

Preparation Tips

Some of the preparation tips that can help you are:

• Thorough knowledge of any programming language, especially the ones you intend to use to win the competition.
   
• To prepare for this competition, you may take up some courses, like the Competitive Programming Course, and sharpen your skills to compete with the best in the field.
   
• You can also look and try to solve the problems from past editions of the competitions to give you a better overview of the competition.
   
• Networking is important between teammates. You can enter into healthy competitions with your teammates to enhance your programming skills.
   
• Simplify your approach and try to find simple ways to solve problems.

Check out the Google Interview Experience to learn about Google’s hiring process.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is eligible to participate in the Qualification Round of Google Hash Code?

Students and professionals of all skill levels who are at least 16 years old are eligible to participate in the Hash Code Qualification Round.

How do I get Google Code Jam?

To get the title of Google Code Jam, you’ll have to participate and win the Code Jam competition by solving programming and coding algorithmic puzzles.

How to get teammates for Google HashCode Competition?

To compete in the Google HashCode, you must have two to four teammates from the Judge System. Each teammate must be individually registered for HashCode. To find teammates, you can join the Facebook group for HashCode.

What is the Judge System?

You’ll be registered for the Judge System soon after (within 24 hours) registering for HashCode. You’ll have to log in to the Judge System using the same credentials, and here you’ll be able to form a team for the competition, access different problem statements, and submit your solutions to them.

Is there a registration fee for Google Hash Code?

Yes, the Hashcode competition is completely free.

What is a virtual Hub?

Virtual hubs are meetups organised by the participants so that the participants of the same colleges, universities, offices can meet up virtually and compete as one team for the Online Qualifications.

How to access the practice problem?

The practice problem can be downloaded from the Judge System as a PDF.

What programming language and tools can be used?

The participant teams can choose as many and any programming languages and tools as they want. The selection totally depends upon the participant.

How many rounds are in Google Hash Code?

There are two rounds in a hash code: main and extended. The primary round lasts four hours; however, the extended round might last up to two weeks.

Where can I find the problem statement?

You can examine the problem statement while the online qualification round is open by going to the "Schedule" section and clicking on "view round."

Conclusion

In this article, we have extensively discussed Google Hash Code.

We hope that this blog has helped you enhance your knowledge regarding Google Hash Code, and if you would like to learn more, check out articles on 

• Google Preparation Guide 
   
• How do I get into Google?
   
• Coding Jam Google
   
• Google Summer of Code (GSOC)
   

You can also consider our competitive programming course to give your career an edge over others!