Arvutustel

Arvutustel is a term used in Estonian computing education to describe activities and competitions that focus on computational thinking and algorithm design. The name roughly translates to "calculation event" and is used for a range of formats in which participants solve algorithmic problems under time constraints. Problems typically require designing efficient algorithms, selecting appropriate data structures, and analyzing time and space complexity, with some tasks also asking for formal correctness proofs.

Contests can be held for individuals or teams and may include warm-up rounds, main rounds, and sometimes interactive or exploratory problems. Solutions are usually evaluated by automatic test runners that execute the submitted code against a set of test cases, including hidden ones, to verify correctness and performance within resource limits. Scoring commonly depends on the number of solved problems, the total time, or a combination of both, with tie-breakers such as the number of attempts or the time of the last correct submission.

Arvutustel is used as a pedagogical tool to develop problem-solving abilities, programming skills, and collaborative work in students and early-career professionals. It helps prepare participants for higher study in computer science and for recruitment in tech industries. The format emphasizes practical coding, rigorous reasoning, and the ability to reason about algorithmic efficiency rather than rote memorization.

See also programming contest, competitive programming, algorithms, data structures.