My 1337 Piscine Experience in Rabat

This summer, I completed the 42 Piscine in Rabat — one of the most intense yet rewarding experiences of my life.
In this post, I share my journey, the tools I used, the exams, the team projects, and some practical tips for future candidates.

Getting Into the Piscine

The process begins with two online tests on the 1337 platform. After passing them, the hardest part is securing a check-in spot.

• Check-in happens only once a year (sometimes twice), and spots disappear in less than 3 minutes.
• I used a web monitoring extension —
  Auto Refresh — which automatically refreshes the page and alerts me when keywords like my campus city appear. For me, it was “Rabat”.

Once check-in was secured, registering for the Piscine session was easier, since new sessions open 2–3 times per year.
I joined the July session in Rabat.

The 4-Week Piscine

The Piscine lasts 4 weeks, but the experience feels much longer. You meet people from diverse backgrounds and learn an incredible amount in a short time.

Peer Evaluation

• You review other student's projects and receive feedback in return.
• Feedback is essential, so be constructive, honest, and empathetic.
• Don't be toxic — help your peers improve just as they help you.

My daily routine: work hard, search online if stuck, evaluate and get evaluated, socialize or play in the playground, and ask peers when I couldn't find a solution on my own.
The social aspect really makes the Piscine feel like a shared journey — not just a coding bootcamp.

Rushes (Optional Team Projects)

From time to time, there are rushes — optional team projects where you work in groups of three randomly assigned peers.
Each project is evaluated by staff, and everyone must fully understand the code, not just their own part.

Rushes are excellent for developing:

• Collaboration and communication skills
• Exposure to different coding styles
• Teamwork under pressure

Exams

Exams take place every Friday:

• The first three: 4 hours each
• The final: 8 hours

Login Credentials

When the exam starts, you log in with:

• Login: exam
• Password: exam (not your intra account)

Recommended Workflow

1. Terminal 1: Run examshell (don't close it). It will ask for your intra login to authenticate before starting the exam environment.
2. Terminal 2: Open the subjects folder; it will look something like:
   /subject/ft_putnbr/ft_putnbr.en.txt
3. Terminal 3: Use it for rendu submissions; it should be structured like this:
   /rendu/ft_putnbr/ft_putnbr.c

Always test your code before submitting — multiple errors increase your resubmission delay.
To practice before exams, I recommend this Trello board:
ExamShell Practice Board

Exam Structure

• Starts at Level 0, with each level worth 10 points (6 points per level for the final exam).
• Increasing difficulty as you progress.
• A minimum of 30% is required to pass.
• You can use /traces files for debugging if available, but always test your work independently.

Tips for Future Pisciners

• Struggle intentionally. Real learning happens when you push through challenges.
• Ask and help. Collaborate and share what you learn.
• Join rushes and events. They help you grow beyond coding.
• Stay kind and empathetic. The community spirit matters as much as your code.

Conclusion

The 1337 Piscine is a transformative experience.
You gain not only coding skills but also discipline, collaboration, and resilience.
Those four weeks in Rabat have profoundly shaped how I approach problem-solving and teamwork.