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Astri edited this page Jun 5, 2024 · 4 revisions

Welcome to the IBM Quantum Challenge 2024 Wiki!

Here you shall find answers to some of the common queries and issues that arise! Please feel free to refer to this section before approaching mentors for assistance on technical issues!

The #1 piece of advice we have: Be kind and patient 😄

How does The IBM Quantum Challenge 2024 work?

The Challenge is a series of guided Labs in the form of Jupyter notebooks. Each Lab file is a mixture of tutorial content and coding exercises for you to learn from and prove your knowledge. The Labs are self-paced; you can work on them whenever you have time. They are also individual - every participant is trying to solve each Lab alone, but you can talk with others on the Challenge Discord, or however you prefer to chat.

What is a Credly Badge and how can I earn the IBM Quantum Challenge 2024 badge?

A Credly Badge is a digital credential that shows your accomplishment in completing the challenge. You can display your achievement on places like LinkedIn to highlight your skills to others. The badge claim process will be emailed after the challenge is over.

How can I download and run the challenge labs?

You can download the labs either from the Challenge Portal or via Github. Then to run the labs, you can choose use a cloud-based tool like Google Colab or qBraid. You can also run them locally as Jupyter notebooks, or in the cozy comfort of your favorite IDE. For some of you wild folks out there, maybe you're deep in your command line. See this blog post for further setup details.

You can run the labs however you like, but we highly recommend you first attempt Lab 0 to ensure that you correctly set up your environment to be able to successfully participate the challenge. We also suggest you watch watch this video to walk you through every step of the process for setting up and using Qiskit.

Do I need to take the labs and exercises in order?

We encourage you complete the labs and exercises in the given order as this is the intended structure for the challenge, however, you may take the exercises in any order. Please keep in mind that the labs have a staggered release.

Why Don't I See Any Labs Yet? Where Is Lab 3? Why is my Challenge Portal missing Labs?

The labs will have a staggered release: Labs 0 & 1: 9am EST / 3pm CEST on Wednesday, June 5 Lab 2: 4am EST / 10am CEST on Thursday, June 6 Lab 3 onwards: TBC

How do I submit an answer?

Within each exercise notebook you will find guidelines to submit an answer. For example in the lab 0 notebook, for exercise 1:

# Submit your answer using following code

grade_lab0_ex1(observables)

Make sure you have run all the code cells previously including where the grader functions are imported. Run this code cell like any other cell to grade your answer. You will need an internet connection to grade your work. It's important to remember that when you change code in any cell, you need to run that cell before submitting to the grader again.

I need some help with a lab exercise, where can I find help?

There are plenty of resources available to support you! We have a Discord server this year available for you to join. On this server, there are dedicated channels for each lab, language channels, and plenty of mentors to help out.

Only registered users received the email to the Discord. If you registered and still did not get this email, check your spam folder. If it's not there, then likely there was a typo when you submitted your email.

We understand not everyone is able to join Discord, so we also plan to send occasional updates via email during the event, as well as frequently update this Wiki with more tips and tricks as the challenge progresses.

I am experiencing issues when I log into IBM Quantum Platform. What should I do?

If you have access to the challenge Discord server, send a message in #general-support and describe the issue you are experiencing so we can best figure out how to assist you. Please do not send any personal information in a public channel - try your best to describe your issue without those details. We will reach out if we need more information from you!

If you cannot access the Discord and are experiencing login issues, please send an email to: [email protected]

I need to create an IBMid for the first time. What should I do to ensure I do not have any login issues?

  • Go to IBM.com and click the person icon in the top right, then select “Log In”

  • You’ll be taken to a login page where you can click “Create an IBMid”

  • Follow the prompts, input your info, validate your email and you’ll have your account set up! Use your institution email if you have one (e.g. college or university email). Try not to access IBM Quantum Platform through a Virtual Private Network (VPN).

What is a Challenge Party and how can I host one?

In recent years we’ve seen an exciting increase in the number of local Challenge get-togethers held by Qiskit community members. We encourage you all to get a group together in your community to tackle the Challenge! Please reach out to us via the Challenge Discord or [email protected] and let us know if you do end up hosting a Challenge Party!

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