Computing & Informatics
Australian Informatics Olympiad
(AIO)
A three-hour online programming competition for students with coding experience. It challenges students to design algorithms and write efficient programs to solve increasingly difficult computational problems.
Course Information
Optional preparation courses or resources for this round (if available)
[Course Title]
[Short description of the course and what it covers]
Learn more
[Course Title]
[Short description of the course and what it covers]
Learn more
[Course Title]
[Short description of the course and what it covers]
Learn more
Submission and Confirmation
Please check your email address carefully before submitting the registration form.
Once you submit the form, you will receive a confirmation email automatically.
All other important communications (including the Exam Instructions, Results and Certificates, etc) will be sent to the email address you submitted to us. Please check your email inbox and junk mail / spam folder regularly!
What Happens Next?
1
2
3
4
Registration Received
We will send you a confirmation email
We may review your registration if required
Eligibility Review
You will receive the Exam Instructions closer to the date
Exam Instructions
Participate and do your best!
Competition Day
Competition Overview
Australian Informatics Olympiad
The Australian Informatics Olympiad (AIO) is a three-hour programming competition organised by the Australian Maths Trust for school students with existing coding skills. Rather than testing general computer literacy or factual knowledge about computers, the AIO challenges students to design algorithms and write programs that solve a set of computational problems.
Students submit source code that is compiled and tested automatically against a range of input scenarios. Problems vary in difficulty and are designed to assess logical reasoning, algorithmic thinking, coding accuracy and computational efficiency.
The competition uses one common paper, with Intermediate and Senior divisions used for award purposes. Students may program in C, C++, Java or Python 3. The AIO is available online to eligible students in Australia, New Zealand and other participating countries.
The AIO gives students an opportunity to:
apply programming skills to unfamiliar problems;
develop algorithmic and computational thinking;
practise converting a problem description into a working program;
improve code correctness and efficiency;
receive immediate feedback from an automated judging system;
benchmark their programming ability in a recognised national competition;
gain recognition through Gold, Silver, Bronze, Credit or Participation awards; and
demonstrate potential for advanced informatics training and Olympiad pathways.
The competition is particularly valuable because success depends on problem-solving rather than simply knowing a programming language. Students must analyse each task, design a suitable algorithm and implement it accurately within the competition time.
The AIO is suitable for students who:
already know how to write programs independently;
enjoy coding challenges and logical problem solving;
are comfortable using variables, loops, conditional statements and arrays;
want to move beyond introductory programming exercises;
are interested in algorithms, computer science or competitive programming;
have completed introductory coding courses or programming competitions;
would like to test their skills against progressively more difficult problems; or
may be ready to explore the Australian Maths Trust’s informatics pathway.
The handbook describes the AIO as suitable for students in Years 7–12 with coding skills. However, readiness should be determined by programming ability rather than school year alone.
Students should prepare by solving programming problems rather than relying only on reading tutorials.
Recommended preparation includes:
selecting one permitted programming language and becoming fluent in it;
learning to read input and produce output in the required format;
practising variables, arrays, loops, conditions and functions;
completing the starter sets on the AMT Informatics Training Site;
working through previous AIO problems in increasing order of difficulty;
submitting solutions to the online judge and studying the feedback;
learning to interpret input limits and problem constraints;
practising simple brute-force solutions before attempting more efficient approaches;
studying time complexity and recognising when a program may be too slow;
learning to solve individual subtasks for partial marks;
debugging using carefully chosen test cases; and
completing practice problems under timed conditions.
Students should not be discouraged if they cannot solve the later questions. These are intentionally difficult and are designed to distinguish the strongest competitive programmers.
The AIO is a three-hour individual online programming competition.
Competition Structure
6 programming problems
One common paper for all participants
Intermediate and Senior award divisions
Source-code submission
Automated judging during the competition
Divisions
Intermediate Division
For students up to Australian Year 10.
Senior Division
For students up to Australian Year 12.
The divisions are used for awarding only; students in both divisions attempt the same set of problems.
Assessment
Submitted programs are compiled and run against test data. Marks are based on:
correctness; and
computational efficiency.
Programming style is not assessed. Students can view the marks awarded to their submissions during the competition and may revise and resubmit their code while time remains.
AIO awards are determined separately for the Intermediate and Senior divisions.
Gold Award
Awarded to approximately the top 10% of participants in the relevant division.
Silver Award
Awarded to approximately the next 15%.
Bronze Award
Awarded to approximately the next 25%.
Credit
Awarded to approximately the next 20%.
Participation
Awarded to all remaining participants.
Every participant receives an electronic certificate displaying their result. Award cut-offs may vary according to the difficulty of the competition and the performance of the participant group.
The AIO is one of the Australian Maths Trust’s principal opportunities for identifying talented school programmers. Students who perform strongly may be considered for invitation-only informatics training or competitions administered through the AMT’s Olympiad programs.
For eligible Australian and New Zealand students, subsequent opportunities may include the Australian Invitational Informatics Olympiad, an invitation-only competition used to identify students for further informatics training and selection activities.
An AIO award does not guarantee an invitation. Invitations, training opportunities and eligibility to represent a country internationally are determined separately under the applicable Olympiad programme rules.
Students should prepare by solving programming problems rather than relying only on reading tutorials.
Recommended preparation includes:
selecting one permitted programming language and becoming fluent in it;
learning to read input and produce output in the required format;
practising variables, arrays, loops, conditions and functions;
completing the starter sets on the AMT Informatics Training Site;
working through previous AIO problems in increasing order of difficulty;
submitting solutions to the online judge and studying the feedback;
learning to interpret input limits and problem constraints;
practising simple brute-force solutions before attempting more efficient approaches;
studying time complexity and recognising when a program may be too slow;
learning to solve individual subtasks for partial marks;
debugging using carefully chosen test cases; and
completing practice problems under timed conditions.
Students should not be discouraged if they cannot solve the later questions. These are intentionally difficult and are designed to distinguish the strongest competitive programmers.