Here you can find a list of resources that will help you learn more about the Computational Linguistics Open Competition with additional information on educational as well as fun resources related to linguistics!
To help you and guide you with more information, a previous contestant has shared tips on how you can better prepare for the NACLO competition.
Why should I take the NACLO?
Because it’s fun! Although a 3-hour test may not sound like the greatest time, NACLO problems can actually be very engaging and interesting. If you’re someone who likes logic puzzles, then you’ll probably enjoy trying to solve the NACLO questions. It’s also a great way to learn a little about linguistics, a field with applications in many different areas, from education and history to computer science and technology. The NACLO is a fun way to introduce yourself to linguistics and see if you’d like to learn more about it in the future.
How can I prepare for the NACLO?
In my experience, the best way to prepare for the NACLO is just by doing practice problems. Since the test is designed for people who have little to no previous linguistics experience, problem-solving skills, pattern recognition, and creative thinking are actually just as if not more important to solving the problems than knowledge of linguistics concepts. Doing sample problems can help you practice the logic and reasoning skills needed to solve NACLO problems. You can find plenty of practice problems, including past contests, on the NACLO website here.
Before the test, I highly recommend setting aside 3-4 hours and take an entire NACLO exam all at once in order to simulate the test-taking experience. This will help you gauge how much time to spend on each question and calibrate your test-taking strategies.
What strategies should I use when I’m taking the test?
I think it can be really helpful to read through all the questions before you start working on them. There are usually about 8 questions, and almost nobody solves all of them, so prioritize the ones that you feel like you know how to solve or can figure out quickly. There will likely be some that you have no idea how to even start, so don’t spend a lot of time trying to solve them until after you’ve finished some of the easier questions.
You can get partial credit for questions on the NACLO, so write down any thoughts or ideas you have even if you can’t completely finish the problem. Also, there’s no penalty for getting questions wrong, so definitely guess on any questions you can’t solve!
Additionally, remember that each problem is worth a different amount of points (either 5, 10, or 15), with 15 point questions generally being the longest/hardest to fully solve. Even getting partial credit on a 15 point problem can be worth more than fully solving a 5 point problem, so it’s important to keep that in mind when deciding which problems to prioritize solving.
Resources and Links
Computational Linguistics Olympiad
For preparing for the NACLO, I recommend focusing on completing past NACLO problems first before using the other resources.
- North American Computational Linguistics Open Competition (NACLO)
- International Linguistics Olympiad (very difficult)
- Australian Computational and Linguistics Olympiad (OzCLO)
- United Kingdom Linguistics Olympiad (UKLO)
- Princeton Linguistics Puzzles
- Online Olympiad in Linguistics
Additionally, I highly recommend visiting the following sites for a deeper dive into the different types of linguistics problems you may encounter on the exam:
The Invitational Round will require competitors to write explanations for their work. I recommend reading the following pdf to learn about how to tackle writing explanations:
Books
Videos
- Misconceptions about Linguistics Olympiad
- The Puzzle of Language
- Tom’s Language Files
- Think Like a Coder
Podcasts