Teams have the opportunity to practice prior to the start of the competition, known as trialling, from mid January until the first submission in April.

If the trialling is done effectively, teams should only need to spend around an hour each week in the Preliminary Rounds making their decisions. However, as is often the case, the more effort you put in, the greater the rewards.

If the team qualifies for the final, this is played over 2 weeks (remotely) for a further 6 rounds, or 3 rounds each week. This would require around 3 hours each week.