What are the "Top Coder" Designation and the "All Coder Competition" Rankings?<

What are the "All Coder Competition" Rankings
and the "Top Coder" Designation?

The "All Coder Competition" rankings show how each coder on Rent A Coder compares to their peers. Every coder on the site (who has worked on at least 1 job) is scored using a formula that takes into account their experience, the sizes of jobs they have worked on, the satisfaction of their customers, and their organizational skills (such as filing status reports). Coders are then ranked from 1 to 274,438 (the current # of registered coders on the site). A coder's ranking is indicated on their bids and their profile:

The "Top Coder" designation is an additional honor granted to a very small, elite and special group of coders that are "the best of the best". The stricter qualifications for this award can be found here. The two "Top Coder" designations appear on a coder's bids and profile and look like this:

Ribbon	Description
	Top Coder Certificate: This coder has met all the qualifications to be a "Top Coder".
	Top 10 Coder Large Ribbon: This coder has not only met all the qualifications to be a "Top Coder". but is also ranked as one of the top 10 "Top Coders" on the site.

Answers to Commonly Asked Questions:

What is the formula used to score all coders?

The "All Coder" ranking formula for "pay for deliverables" projects is:

∑	($ of Each Job x Adjusted Rating of Each Job)
- (1000 x Each missed status report)

The ranking formula for "pay for time" projects is the same, except that:

$ of Each Job = # of Approved Hours on That Job x $/Hour of That Job

Click here for an example...

The adjusted rating is the original rating given to the coder for a project, but adjusted to a negative number when the coder fails to meet the contract by the deadline agreed upon. It is calculated as follows:

Original Rating	Adjusted Rating
4 - 10	A rating of 4 or more means that the Coder completed project successfully. So the adjusted rating is the same as the original rating...4 - 10.
1 - 3	A rating of 3 or less means that the Coder failed to meet the contract by the deadline agreed upon. So the coder's adjusted rating becomes a negative number as follows: 1 -> -10 2 -> -9 3 -> -8
-3	A rating of -3 means the Coder not only failed to meet the contract by the deadline agreed upon but also denied that specific flaws existed...which were later actually confirmed to exist by Rent a coder. In this case, the adjusted rating is -14.
No rating (bonus)	Bonuses have no rating. In this case, the adjusted rating is the average of all ratings for that coder. If the coder has no ratings, a 9 is given.
No rating (non-bonus)	Either the buyer forgot to rate the coder or chose not to rate the coder. In this case, the adjusted rating is the average of all ratings for that coder. If the coder has no ratings, a 9 is given.

Only projects which are 100% completed and are "visible" (per the anti-retalitory rating precauations in the Rent A Coder Rating Viewing Rules) are eligible for scoring.
Click here for an example...

Can a coder ever "make up" for an uncompleted project in their "All Coder Competition" score?

Yes. The scoring system is set up so that a coder who learns from their mistakes can "make up" the decrease in their score. Once they complete one or more future jobs successfully to demonstrate this, the decrease is overcome and neutralized.
Click here for an example...

What does the "Top Coder" indicator mean?

Like the "Top Gun" designation in the movie by the same name, the "Top Coder" designation is assigned to a very small, elite and special group that are "the best of the best". To qualify for this honor, coders must meet the following stringent requirements that require unsurpassed expertise in handling the technical details of their projects as well as providing "over the top" customer service and value to their clients:

	Experienced (Minimum of 3 projects on the site and 5,000 points in the "All Coder Competition")
	Excellent customer satisfaction (Average rating of at least 9-superb)
	Every job completed succesfully (no rating below 4)

"Top Coders" are indicated with the following logo(s) on their bids and profile:

Ribbon	Description
	Top Coder Certificate: This coder has met all the qualifications to be a "Top Coder".
	Top 10 Coder Large Ribbon: This coder has not only met all the qualifications to be a "Top Coder". but is also ranked as one of the top 10 "Top Coders" on the site.

In addition the 10 most highly ranked "Top Coders" are further honored by appearing on the right hand side of every page.

When are the "All Coder Competition" rankings and "Top Coder" designtations updated?

As the calculations for the rankings are time consuming to calculate, the coder rankings do not update as soon as a coder receives a new rating from a buyers. Instead, they occur once a day between 12 AM EDT and 2:00 AM EDT.

Can I see a list of all coders by their ranking?

Yes, click here to see that list.

Can you give me an example of how scoring works?

Let's pretend that a hypothetical coder, named John Smith, won a $150 pay for time project and did a great job on it and received a 10-excellent. The buyer was so happy he sent him a $200 bonus. He then attempted a $300 project but unfortunately failed to complete it. John Smith's "All Coder Competition" score would be:

Job #	$ Amount	Buyer Rating	Adjusted Rating	Score
1	$150	10	10	1,500
2	$200	<none>	9	1,800
3	$300	1	-10	-3,000
				-------------
			Total:	300

You can see that to "make up" for the failed $300 project, John will need to complete additional projects succesfully. He can do so immediately with another equally sized $300 project on which he is rated a 10. Or he can complete several smaller projects that together equal $300, while receiving 10's on them, etc..