CURRENT OPPORTUNITIES
ASOB 2026
Format
Registration Deadline (NZ Time)
Eligible Years
Remote online
2 October 2026 at 11:00:00 pm
NZ Years 11-13
Nationwide
Competition Date (NZ Time)
18:45-21:00, Sat 17 Oct 2026
Location
NZ Nationwide
Competition Gallery
Course Information
Optional preparation courses or resources for this round (if available)
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?
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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 Science Olympiad-Biology (ASOB)
Australian Science Olympiads – Biology (ASOB) is the Biology discipline of the Australian Science Olympiads programme, run by Australian Science Innovations (ASI).
The competition is designed for high-achieving secondary students who want to extend themselves beyond standard classroom biology. Rather than rewarding memorisation alone, the examination focuses strongly on scientific reasoning: students must interpret information, analyse biological scenarios and apply familiar concepts in unfamiliar contexts.
The official syllabus spans cell biology, plant and animal physiology, genetics and evolution, ecology, microbiology, biotechnology, ethology and biosystematics. Students are not necessarily expected to have previously encountered every concept used in a question; where more advanced knowledge is required, sufficient information may be provided to allow students to reason towards an answer.
Within Australia, the Biology exam is also the first stage of the highly selective pathway towards the Australian Science Olympiad Summer School and, for eligible Australian students, eventual selection for the International Biology Olympiad team.
ASOB allows students to:
extend their biology beyond the standard school curriculum;
develop scientific reasoning rather than relying only on memorised facts;
practise interpreting experimental results, diagrams and unfamiliar biological information;
strengthen problem-solving skills across a broad range of biological sciences;
benchmark their performance through a challenging Olympiad-level assessment;
gain experience with the style of problems used in advanced science competitions;
identify strengths and gaps before pursuing more advanced biology study; and
receive formal recognition of their performance.
For students considering biology, medicine, biomedical science, biotechnology, neuroscience or other life-science pathways, ASOB offers an opportunity to test whether they enjoy the analytical side of biology as well as its content knowledge.
ASOB is particularly suitable for students who:
perform strongly in secondary-school biology or general science;
enjoy biological problem solving rather than simple recall;
are interested in medicine, biology, biotechnology or related sciences;
can interpret graphs, tables, diagrams and experimental information;
enjoy connecting concepts from different areas of biology;
are comfortable encountering material they have not previously studied; or
want to experience a more demanding science competition.
The official Australian programme recommends the Australian Science Olympiad Exams primarily for students in Years 9–12, although teacher judgement is used to determine whether a student is ready for the level of challenge.
The most effective preparation is to combine syllabus review with substantial practice using official Olympiad-style questions.
Students should:
work through official ASO Biology past papers;
use Australian Science Olympiads Online practice resources;
revise the major syllabus areas systematically;
practise interpreting graphs, experimental data and biological diagrams;
learn to extract useful information from unfamiliar scientific passages;
focus on understanding mechanisms rather than memorising isolated facts;
practise connecting concepts across different areas of biology;
complete timed multiple-choice sets;
review incorrect answers by identifying the reasoning error, not just the correct fact; and
become comfortable making evidence-based decisions when a topic is unfamiliar.
ASI provides free past examinations and also offers Olympiads Online, which contains hundreds of additional practice questions. Because there is no negative marking, students should also practise using logical elimination and making a reasoned attempt at every question.
ASOB is an individual examination focused primarily on multiple-choice biological problem solving.
The current official Biology syllabus describes:
a two-hour examination;
multiple-choice questions;
questions spanning several areas of biology;
no negative marking; and
permission to use a non-programmable, non-graphical calculator.
Students should attempt all questions.
The precise number of questions can vary between competition years. The published syllabus lists 60 multiple-choice questions, while the 2024 official examination contained 70 one-mark multiple-choice questions. The current year's paper should therefore be treated as the final authority on question count and scoring.
All participants in the Australian Science Olympiad programme receive a certificate indicating their performance.
In some international partner-delivered versions of ASOB, results are recognised using award categories such as:
High Distinction
Distinction
Credit
These awards are determined using Australian performance thresholds rather than fixed international percentages, and cut-offs may therefore change from year to year.
Award structures should always be confirmed for the specific regional competition cycle.
Within the official Australian programme, ASOB forms the first stage of the Biology Olympiad pathway.
High-performing eligible Australian students may be invited to the Australian Science Olympiad Summer School at the Australian National University. ASI currently invites approximately 24 top eligible students from each discipline to this intensive two-week programme.
Following further teaching, practical work and examinations, four students are selected for the Australian International Biology Olympiad team. Selected students undertake further training before representing Australia internationally.
This national-team pathway is restricted to students who meet ASI's Australian citizenship, residency, age and education requirements.
Students participating through an international or regional partner should therefore regard ASOB as an academic competition and recognition opportunity in its own right; participation outside Australia does not automatically provide eligibility for the Australian Summer School or Australian International Biology Olympiad team.
The most effective preparation is to combine syllabus review with substantial practice using official Olympiad-style questions.
Students should:
work through official ASO Biology past papers;
use Australian Science Olympiads Online practice resources;
revise the major syllabus areas systematically;
practise interpreting graphs, experimental data and biological diagrams;
learn to extract useful information from unfamiliar scientific passages;
focus on understanding mechanisms rather than memorising isolated facts;
practise connecting concepts across different areas of biology;
complete timed multiple-choice sets;
review incorrect answers by identifying the reasoning error, not just the correct fact; and
become comfortable making evidence-based decisions when a topic is unfamiliar.
ASI provides free past examinations and also offers Olympiads Online, which contains hundreds of additional practice questions. Because there is no negative marking, students should also practise using logical elimination and making a reasoned attempt at every question.
Resources & Downloads
Access all available competition information, preparation materials, past papers and official documents.