Virtual Time Measurement in Programming Contests

We propose a novel method for measuring time in programming competitions. This method utilizes the instruction count, using existing hardware capabilities, to ensure a fair and deterministic evaluation. By basing the measurement on the count of executed instructions, the method becomes less dependent on the underlying machine’s specifications. Furthermore, it facilitates scalability by enabling parallel program execution on multiple threads. We also discuss the adoption of this method in various Polish competitions. Keywords: virtualized time measurement, hardware performance counters, deterministic program evaluation, programming contest judging systems.