Essential Info for Early Season VEX IQ Mix and Match Competitions

Having the right tools and resources in place can make a huge difference in your team’s experience and success. Here are some helpful items for your teams as we get closer to the start of the season.

VEX IQ Mix and Match - 2025-2026 Season

1. Notebook Judging for VEX IQ Mix and Match

With the new game, VEX IQ Mix and Match came a new rubric for judging the notebook. The engineering notebook is a major part of competition. Make sure your team checks the latest judging rubric and updates their documentation to match current expectations. Students should get comfortable with how to record progress, reflect on their work, and clearly show their design process.

• VEX Digital Notebook Templates – REC Library

• Updated Engineering Notebook Rubric – REC Library

• Guide to Judging – RECF PDF

• Notebook Example from 5203G Gremlin (Worlds Excellence Winner)

2. Organize Your Parts and Workspace

A well-organized workspace saves time and frustration. Keep build tables close to parts storage and group similar components (e.g., all 2x beams together). Coders should also create consistent file-saving habits, ideally in a shared Google Drive folder, with filenames that include dates for easy version tracking.

Here’s a starting point:

• Excel file for organizing VEX IQ parts

Encourage students to regularly evaluate their setup—good habits in organization will pay off in build efficiency.

3. Practice Python Coding on Chromebooks

Since many teams use Chromebooks, online coding platforms are an easy way to start. Students can skip installation steps and jump right into coding. Pair that with a beginner-friendly tutorial, and your programmers will quickly gain confidence.

• Python for Beginners Tutorial

• Online Python IDE

4. Consider Adding Pneumatics

As your team progresses, a VEX IQ Pneumatics Kit can open up new design possibilities. Many top teams use pneumatics for mechanisms that give them a competitive edge, so it’s worth considering as a fundraising goal.

• VEX IQ Pneumatics Kit

5. Build, Build, Build

When students don’t have a specific build that they are working on, encourage them to build mechanical subsystems. This builds a library of ideas they can draw on later in the season. The more they tinker, the better their ideas for their competition bot will become.

Here are some excellent resources:

• 21 Mechanical Principles with VEX IQ

• 21 MORE Mechanical Principles with VEX IQ

• The Ultimate Guide to Motor Sharing in VEX IQ

• Ratchet Tutorial Video

6. Prepare for Interviews

Interview skills are just as important as engineering skills. Teams should practice answering common questions and get familiar with the judging rubric for interviews.

• Interview Rubric – REC Library

• Sample Interview Questions – REC Library

7. Take Advantage of Virtual Sessions

Look out for upcoming virtual meetings designed to help both coaches and students:

• Weekly Coaches Meetings (V5 and IQ)

• Student Coding Sessions

• Builder Sessions

• Notebook Sessions

These are excellent opportunities to get support, share experiences, and learn from others in the robotics community.

Final Thoughts

Success in VEX IQ doesn’t just come from building a good robot—it comes from building good habits, exploring new tools, and preparing for every aspect of competition. Whether it’s keeping parts organized, practicing coding, or improving documentation, these small steps add up to big results on competition day.

I’m excited to see how teams grow this season. If you have other favorite tools or organizational hacks, or a question, share them with the community with comment below—your ideas might be just what another team needs to take the next step.