12 days ago
The Qualifier Opens in 1 Week — Here's How to Prepare
You're one week away from the AI Thinking Readiness Qualifier — the required step that unlocks your team's place in the hackathon. Here's what you need to know to walk in confident.
⏱ Qualifier Dates
• Opens: June 7, 2026 at 10:00 AM ET
• Closes: June 10, 2026 at 11:59 PM ET
• Results: June 12, 2026 by 6:00 PM ET
• Qualifier link: https://qualifier.usaii.org/
📋 How the Qualifier Works
The qualifier is an AI thinking assessment — not a coding challenge. It takes approximately 30 minutes and is completed by the team leader on behalf of the full team.
The team leader will:
• Enter all team members' names and information
• Answer a series of structured prompts demonstrating your understanding on how to apply AI to a scenario
• Submit on behalf of the full team
📊 What's Being Scored
Your responses are automatically evaluated across six dimensions:
• Problem Understanding (25%): Specific user, real problem, clear impact
• AI Reasoning (25%): Why AI? Which capability? What does it do?
• Solution Coherence (20%): Does the idea hold together logically?
• Responsible AI (15%): Realistic risk + concrete mitigation
• Human Oversight (10%): Where do humans stay in control?
• Communication Clarity (5%): Can we understand what you're proposing?
Scores are automatically calculated. You will receive your results and advancement status by June 12 at 6:00 PM ET.
📚 Prepare This Week
Before the qualifier opens, we strongly recommend reviewing these resources on the Resources page:
• AI Readiness Qualifier User Guide — Step-by-step walkthrough of the qualifier interface
• Student Prep Guide for the Qualifier — Sample prompts, scoring examples, and tips for strong responses
• Also explore: aihackathon.usaii.org/ai-bootcamps (self-paced prep, closes June 6)
❗ Important Reminders
• All team members must be registered on Devpost by June 6 at 11:59 PM ET before the qualifier opens
• Qualifier link: https://qualifier.usaii.org/
• Questions? Visit aihackathon.usaii.org/faqs or reach us at aihackathon@usaii.org
Warm regards,
The USAII Hackathon Team
Join our Discord community: discord.gg/ePjenJnyh4