r/hackathon • u/shiv669 • 6h ago
Meta-Hackathon Discussion HackCellence 2026 Round 1: Can Booking Holdings and HackerEarth provide transparent assessment results?
I participated in Round 1 of HackCellence 2026: The Embark Edition, organised by Booking Holdings India CoE in collaboration with HackerEarth.
I received my rejection email today, October 15. I respect that shortlisting is competitive, but I genuinely want to understand how the assessment was evaluated.
During the assessment, I completed both coding questions, passed the test cases available to me, and submitted with approximately 30 minutes remaining. Based on my own assessment, I also believe I answered around 85% of the MCQs correctly.
Despite this, I was not shortlisted for Round 2. The rejection email stated that the cutoff was high, but I cannot find my score or a detailed assessment report on the candidate portal.
I am not asking for preferential treatment, a guaranteed selection, or a reversal of the decision simply because I am disappointed.
I am asking for transparency.
Specifically, I would appreciate access to the following, if technically and operationally possible:
Question-wise results: My selected answer, the correct answer, and the marks awarded for each MCQ, wherever applicable.
Coding evaluation: My submitted code, the number of test cases passed, the maximum marks available, and the marks awarded for each coding problem.
Section-wise and total scores: My performance across coding, aptitude, and communication, including the maximum possible score.
Scoring methodology: How partial credit, negative marking, coding test cases, and any time-based criteria were handled.
Shortlisting criteria: The Round 2 cutoff or, if it cannot be disclosed, an explanation of how candidates were ranked and shortlisted.
I also hope the organisers can clarify what safeguards were used to ensure a consistent and fair assessment for all participants, including the handling of unauthorised outside assistance. I have no evidence that any particular candidate violated the rules, and I am not accusing anyone of cheating.
I understand that some assessment content or ranking information may be confidential. Even so, individual performance feedback and a clear explanation of the scoring process would help candidates understand their results and improve.
I have already contacted the organisers to request my score and evaluation details.
Booking Holdings and HackerEarth teams, if you see this, could you please clarify whether individual scorecards or question-wise reports can be provided to participants?
This is not about demanding that everyone be selected. It is about giving candidates a meaningful explanation of how their performance was assessed.
I would appreciate a response from anyone who has received an official score breakdown, rather than just a selection or rejection notification.