Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

There are various benefits of this certification. Whether you are a student or a professional, this certification will help you upskill your DSA fundamentals and will open up a bundle of opportunities for better job/career prospects.

Ratings are based on relative performance while a certification is based on absolute performance. A high rated user who has good rating points is likely to have a good grasp of the subject. However, low ratings do not truly reflect one's lack of understanding of the subject. We do believe that ratings take time as one has to take part in a series of contests to improve on and get to a point where they reflect one's new prowess (which is more about one's ability to perform in a contest vs others' ability to do so). Whereas a certification offers a shorter time span for assessment of one's skillset. Also, the certification will be in an invigilated environment and hence should have more credibility.

Companies can contact CodeChef to get access to the data of the users who clear the certification and want to get hired.

Knowledge and understanding of Data Structures and Algorithms and an ability to write code to solve problems applying that knowledge.

Yes, you can and you should. You just need to enroll for the exam and prepare using our learning resources . We have also created a Mock Test for each level for you to assess yourself before taking the exam.

Yes. You certainly can and we encourage you to do so. In fact anyone who knows programming can take this up. This certification will go a long way in making your understanding of Data Structures and Algorithms better. Go for it!

You can mail us at ccdsap@codechef.com.

If you don't complete the registration process, your Admit Card will not be generated and you will not be allowed to sit for the exam. The exam enrollment process has 2 steps. The first step is to make payment and book your slot for the upcoming exam. The second step is required to fill in your details for your identity verification and details for your Admit Card. Hence, we require you to complete you enrollment process as early as possible to avoid any inconvenience.

Any one of these: PAN card, Passport, Voter ID card, Driving license, Aadhaar card

Yes. It is and it should be from the above mentioned list. Please note that you have to carry the original identity card along with you when you go for exam. Also, this has to be the same id that you upload while filling up the registration form. If you fail to do so, you will not be allowed to take part in the exam. Also in such cases, no reschedule or refund will be entertained.
Note: If you don't have any Government authorised photo identity Contact Us .

You can only reschedule incase if you are unable to attend the exam due to unavoidable reasons. To process your request you must drop an email at ccdsap@codechef.com mentioning the exact reason. As a next step, a voucher to the immediate next available slot will be provided to you by deducting the below mentioned reschedule fee. This voucher is only valid for six months from the date of issue.
Please note: If you were to reschedule then you must do it 4 days before the test, else your test fee will be forfeited and we will not be able to process any requests further.

The registrations will be open as long as the seats are available for a particular month.

No. You can not book a slot without making a payment. First you pick the slot and only after you make the payment, the slot is booked for you.

No. We urge you to be sure about your plans before you book your seat. As per our refund policy, once you have received the seat confirmation, you will not be eligible for refund under any circumstances.

We have integrated 3rd party payment gateway in our registration portal. You can use any online mode viz. Netbanking, Credit Card, Debit Card, UPI or Wallets

Yes, you can cancel your registered seat. You will get NO REFUND if you are cancelling your registration.

Let us know. Fill up the form asking for your city. We will come to your city if we see that there are a good number of candidates wanting to take the certification from your city.

No. Under normal circumstances you cannot do so. However, you can make a request by sending us an email to ccdsap@codechef.com to check if this can be done. We do not encourage you to do so.

CodeChef reserves the right to suspend/cancel any centre without any prior intimation whatsoever. In such cases the exam fees for the students affected may be refunded in full.

We will always be making provision of backup systems at the centre. You will be given an alternate system to continue the exam. You have to escalate this to the invigilator immediately so that you can be transferred.

You need to carry your original identity card (government recognised) and just carry couple of pens, if you require.

No. You cannot carry any type of material (printed or soft copy in the exam). If a candidate is caught possessing any such material, she will be disqualified from the exam. Also she will be barred from taking any certification exams in future.

If you fail to do so, you will not be allowed to take part in the exam. Also in such cases, no rescheduling or refund will be entertained.

There is a commenting module below each problem. You can ask your problem specific doubts using that. Our team of judges will be looking into your doubts and only if they feel that the doubt needs to be answered, they will do so. It is usually unlikely that the problem statement leaves any room for ambiguity.

This is very unlikely to happen because we take special care in preparing the problems and making sure there should not be anything wrong. Still if you think that there was something wrong with the test data, you can contact us at ccdsap@codechef.com along with the test case for which you think the issue happened and we will look into the matter.

The results will be declared within a week of your taking the exam.

Yes. The scores will be emailed to you separately and you can also find them on your dashboard (that will appear after your exam).

Every problem will have a score. You may get a partial score for partially solving a problem. Your total score will be the sum of scores that you get in each problem. Your total score will have to be more than a passing score to pass the exam. The passing score will be different for each level of exam.

If a participant is caught cheating during the examination (or does not adhere to the Code of Conduct ), the candidate will be disqualified from the exam. Also she will be barred from taking certification exams in future. We also verify the submissions for plagiarism after the contest. Participants whose submissions are found to be similar, will be interrogated.

If CodeChef determines that a candidate has used unethical means or altered the certification report in any way, the candidate will be ineligible to appear for the Certification exams in future and his existing certification(s) will be revoked.

Yes. If the participant tries to impersonate someone else or tries to use any unethical means.

No. You are expected not to discuss the solution / approach or any other information about the problem with anyone else. In case if a participant is found doing so, her certification may be revoked. You are strictly instructed not to share any information about the contest problems on any forum or with friends.

No. The certification will be awarded only if you pass the exam.

The certificate will be uploaded in your dashboard on the website within 15 days from the date of completion of the exam.

We will provide you a digital certificate. We will explore the possibility of providing a hard copy of a certificate at an additional cost, if we get enough requests.

Yes, we have certificate share feature through which you can share your received certificates on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. You also have the option of pasting the shareable url to other platforms. To share your certificate with others, log in to CodeChef and open the link: https://www.codechef.com/certificates Click the share button to choose your desirable social medium.

Yes, you can showcase your CodeChef certificate on your Linkedin profile. To add the certificate, click on the Add profile tab on your Linkedin Edit profile page and go to Accomplishments section. Fill in the details in the form and the certification url along with other mandatory details. You can leave the license number field blank. To know more about adding certificate to your Linkedin profile you can visit the help link and click on ‘Manage Certifications’.