Author: Azhar Khan

TCS CodeVita is one of the world’s largest competitive programming contests, recognized globally by the Guinness Book of World Records. The 13th season of this prestigious competition is now open for registration, offering participants a chance to prove their coding prowess on an international stage.

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What is TCS CodeVita?

TCS CodeVita is an annual global coding competition organized by Tata Consultancy Services. It aims to promote programming as a sport and identify top coding talent from across the globe. Season 12 saw more than 537,000 participants from 3,500+ institutes across 98 countries.

Participants solve real-world coding problems in a timed environment to climb the global leaderboard.

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Key Highlights

• Total Prize Pool: $20,000 USD
• Eligibility: Open to students graduating in 2026, 2027, 2028, and 2029
• Global Recognition: Top coders earn a spot on the global leaderboard
• Finale Location: Top finalists will be invited to India for the grand finale

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Eligibility Criteria

Students eligible to register must meet the following conditions:

• Pursuing undergraduate or postgraduate studies
• From any stream in science or engineering
• Graduating in 2026, 2027, 2028, or 2029
• Enrolled in a recognized institute anywhere in the world

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Registration Process

To register:

1. Visit the https://codevita.tcsapps.com/
2. Click on Register Now
3. Fill in your academic and personal details
4. Validate your email
5. Set up your login credentials
6. You will be notified of further steps via email

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Event Structure

1. Registration

• Register via the official platform using your academic email ID

2. MockVitas

• These are mock rounds to simulate the real contest
• Helps participants understand the format and difficulty

3. Qualifying Rounds

• Solve coding problems to qualify for the next stage
• Usually consists of multiple rounds with increasing complexity

4. Grand Finale

• Top participants from each region travel to India
• Compete for the final prize pool and global recognition

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How to Fill the Form

• Ensure all details (college name, graduation year, email) are accurate
• Choose your preferred region if applicable
• Set a secure password
• Save your confirmation email and candidate ID

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List of Sample Problems

1. On A Cube

• Geometry-based simulation of a beetle crawling on cube surfaces avoiding the bottom.
• Calculates rounded travel distance between surface points using coordinates.
• Input: Coordinates in 3D space
• Output: Total rounded distance (to 2 decimal places)

2. Sorting Boxes

• Rearrange parcels such that all are sorted in ascending weight, except the heaviest which must be placed at a specific position.
• Interchanging two boxes costs the product of their weights.
• Input: Number of boxes, target index, box weights
• Output: Minimum effort required to sort

3. Sport Stadium

• Contingent of people need to sit together in a stadium row.
• Some people can sit on wet seats.
• No 15+ gap between seated members allowed
• Input: Total seats, people, wet seat acceptors, seat blocks
• Output: Minimum range of occupied seats

4. Water Cistern

• Bug moves on the surface of a cylindrical cistern from a height s.
• Destination given in polar coordinates or surface location
• Input: Height, radius, bug position; destination in polar/Cartesian
• Output: Shortest distance (rounded to nearest integer)

5. Square Free Numbers

• A number is square free if it’s not divisible by any perfect square other than 1
• Input: A number N (prime factors <= 19)
• Output: Count of square free divisors > 1

6. Codu and Sum Love

• Emulates a Java snippet where for each x, (1 << 1)^x is computed, last 2 digits extracted and added.
• Input: N followed by N values
• Output: sum % 100

7. Obstacle Game

• Find continuous route in an NxN matrix from ‘A’ to ‘D’
• Must print surrounding hurdles at every step
• Input: Grid with characters (A, D, S, L, W, T, M, R)
• Output: Hurdles at each step

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Sample Inputs and Outputs

On A Cube

Input:

3
1,1,10,2,1,10,0,1,9

Output:

4.05

Sorting Boxes

Input:

5 2
20 50 30 80 70

Output:

3600

Sport Stadium

Input:

100,50,5,6
3,10,30,5,30,22

Output:

49

Water Cistern

Input:

100,500,200
200,180

Output:

314

Square Free Numbers

Input:

20

Output:

3

Codu and Sum Love

Input:

4
8 6 7 4

Output:

64

Obstacle Game

Input:

4
A S L D
T R W R
R M S R
W R R M

Output:

L S S T W
T W
S W
S
S W
L S W
DESTINATION

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Important Deadlines

• Registration Start: Already Live
• MockVita Rounds: Date varies by region (check your account)
• Main Round: Date will be updated post MockVita
• Finale: For top global performers, held in India

FAQs & Common Queries

Can I attempt the questions in any order?
Yes, questions do not have to be solved sequentially.

Where can I view languages and compilers available?
After login, navigate to the ‘Compilers & Interpreters’ section to see supported languages and versions.

What happens if I close my browser during the test?
Your work will be lost unless it was saved or submitted. Save your code locally for safety.

Is code from external sources allowed?
Yes, but proper code attribution is mandatory. Use the “I would like to provide attribution” option before submission and include a precise URL.

Can I return to the welcome page after starting a problem?
Yes, you can navigate back and forth between problems and the welcome page.

Session timeout duration?
If inactive for 15 minutes, your session will expire.

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Coding Topics Covered

Sample problems often test concepts such as:

• Geometry and Coordinate Systems
• Sorting and Greedy Algorithms
• Graphs and Shortest Path
• Combinatorics and Number Theory
• Matrix Traversal and Backtracking
• Real-world simulation problems

Practice problems from previous editions to familiarize yourself with the format.

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How to Prepare?

• Brush Up on Basics: Focus on data structures, algorithms, and time complexity.
• Practice MockVitas: These rounds are essential for understanding how the platform works.
• Solve Past Year Problems: TCS releases sample questions which are similar in style and logic.
• Work on Speed and Accuracy: Timed rounds require optimized solutions.