Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

For Students

1. Can I register directly or through my school?

Yes, you can register directly. Please check the Registration Page for all the details.

2. I did well in a related Olympiad. Do I still have to register for the first stage?

Currently, we are considering the following pools of students for direct eligibility to Stage 2, as we are able to coordinate only with the organizers of these related Olympiads:

Linguistics Olympiad: Students selected for the PLO-2024 camp. Eligible students would have received an email from INAIO.
Informatics Olympiad: Students who won gold, silver, or bronze medals in INOI-2024, along with those selected for EGOI. Eligible students would have received an email from INAIO.
Math Olympiad: Students who qualified for INMO-2024. Eligible students will receive an email from the INMO organizers in the coming days.
Bebras: Students with top scores in Bebras-2024. Eligible students will receive communication through their schools.

All eligible students will receive a link to a special registration form for Stage 2 by early February and will receive confirmation by February 15. If you have not received an invitation for Stage 2 registration, please register for Stage 1 More details are available on the Registration Page.

3. What is the format of the tests?

For logistical reasons, all tests will be conducted online.

Stage 1: A 1.5 hour online test assessing foundational math/AI, problem solving, and programming skills.

Date and Time:
January 25th, 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM, IST

Instructions:

Detailed test instructions will be emailed to all registered students on January 21st.
The test will be conducted online via Google Forms which will be open only during test duration.
Students are permitted to use the free version of ChatGPT, Google and online calculators during the test, but do not need to use these tools. Please also note that ChatGPT often tends to give erroneous answers. It might often be faster and more accurate to solve the problems directly.
There will be no proctoring for this stage for ease of administration but students are expected to work individually and solve the questions independently without assistance from others. Note: Proctoring will be enforced from Stage 2 onwards.
Post the test, registered students will be sent a survey for feedback on the test but that information will not be used for computing the score.

Format [Total:80 marks + up to 20 bonus marks]

10 questions worth 2 points each (approx. 2 minutes per question)
4 multi-part questions worth 15 points each (approx. 15 minutes per question)

To incentivize original thinking and discretion in using external tools, bonus marks would be awarded for questions where tools such as ChatGPT tend to make errors. The list of the problems for which bonus marks will be awarded will be published after the exam.

All questions will have answers that are either one of the few discrete choices: {e.g., A, B, C, D}, or an integer within the range of 0 to 99.

Syllabus:

Stage 2: One or more proctored online tests (3 hours) to assess programming skills and AI knowledge, featuring fewer but more challenging questions. Testing in later stages will be tied to the training content and more aligned with the IOAI format.

Date and Time:
March 2, 2025 10 AM - 1 PM

Instructions:

Detailed test instructions will be emailed to all registered students one week before the test
The test will be conducted online via a proctored platform
Students are permitted to use the free version of ChatGPT and Google during the test.
There will be two parts to the test. 1.5 hrs for theoretical/numerical part and 1.5 hrs for ML programming part.

Syllabus

4. I do not have any AI knowledge so far; how do I prepare?

If you have a solid foundation in mathematics and programming, that should suffice for the early stages of selection. Please take a look at the Resources Page , beginning with Andrew Ng's introductory course on Machine Learning for preparation.

5. What is the expected programming proficiency?

A working knowledge of Python is required for Stage 2 and later stages, as IOAI involves coding problems. We encourage you to become familiar with Python before Stage 2. Students will have to familiarize themselves with Pytorch for the later stages

6. Is this a team or individual test?

The first three stages of selection will be at individual level. However, the final selection, after the in-person camp, will focus on ensuring that the final team members have complementary skills.

7. I don't have a computer - how can I take the test?

Unfortunately, for the upcoming year (2025), you need to be able to login to an online platform and will need a computer to take both the Stage 1 and Stage 2 tests. Stage 1 does not involve programming exercises while Stage 2 will also have programming exercises. You could try checking with your school if they can help arrange for computer access.

8. Are there any mock online tests available?

Yes, registered students will be shared sample tests for Stage 1 on Jan 21st, which will also be uploaded on to the website. For Stage 2, we will upload the sample tests in early Feb.

9. How will the results be published?

Results will be emailed directly to individual students.

10. Will the costs of registration and travel be taken care of?

For the first two stages (Stage 1 and 2), there will be a nominal registration fee to cover expenses. For the selected students, we are working on securing sponsorships to ensure minimal additional costs, but this is still a work in progress.

11. What is the format of the IOAI tasks?

IOAI tasks all involve a combination of theoretical ideas and practical application requiring coding. Tasks are described in English, preferably as a Jupyter Notebook or PDF. They include the input/output data format and evaluation method. Contestants may receive datasets for training and testing, along with an optional baseline Python solution to help get started. The tasks also specify any computing resource limits, such as available GPUs. Please check the IOAI FAQ page for detailed information about the test format.

12. At IOAI, are contestants allowed to use resources like StackOverflow or ChatGPT during the tests?

Yes, contestants can use resources such as StackOverflow, ChatGPT, and open-source code during both the at-home and on-site stages. However, using paid services (e.g., Microsoft Copilot) is not allowed unless explicitly provided by the organizers.

13. Can students who are Indian citizens but residing outside the country participate?

Yes, students who are non-resident Indian citizens are eligible to represent India at IOAI. The registration will have to be paid in Indian currency and test timings will be in IST. They will have to adhere to the same selection process as the students residing in India.

14. Can students who are residing in India but not citizens of India participate?

No, since only Indian citizens are eligible to represent India at IOAI, non-citizen students residing in India will not be able to progress to the later stages of selection.

For Educators

1. How can I enroll all the students in my school?

Please refer to the Registration Page . Students need to register individually. Schools can share the information with the interested students and guide them through the registration process.

2. Can I enroll my school as a test center?

For 2025, the test will be administered on an online platform and students are expected to login with their individual ids. There is no notion of a test center and no expectation for teachers to coordinate the test administration. Schools could, however, choose to provide their students the school computer facilities on their own.

3. How can I prepare my students for this test?

Please refer to the Resources Page for more information and practice tests.

Please use the resources and practice tests available on our resources page to help your students prepare effectively.

For Volunteers

1. Can I volunteer even if I don't have deep AI expertise?

Yes, you can help with proctoring and facilitating the tests.

2. What are the volunteer duties?

Please refer to the Volunteer Page for different roles, including proctoring, resource committee, and training.

3. Do I have to be an expert to help with the resource committee and training?

We are looking for passionate individuals with deep knowledge in specific areas. Even undergraduate and graduate students can volunteer and contribute, but selection will depend on their expertise, time commitment, and the feasibility of easy coordination.

India AI Olympiad Information