Indian Computing Olympiad (ICO) 2024

IARCS provides leadership in computing within India. IARCS members are leading researchers of the country in Computer Science from premium institutes of India. Furthermore, IARCS aims to promote excellence in the Cyber field by facilitating interaction and awareness among the students, acting as a bridge between Academia and Industry, and finally, elevating the quality of Computer Science education in India.

IARCS is the only one who runs the longest-running conference in computer science in India, FSTTCS. It's been the 26th year of the FSTTCS conference. Since its inception in 1981, the conference (held in December) has helped nurture and formulate an environment for exchanging ideas amongst the cyber research community in the country by attracting top researchers and scientists worldwide to the conference.

Table of Contents

• About IARCS
  • IARCS Council Members
• About the Indian Computing Olympiad
• ICO 2024 Registration
• ICO 2024 Syllabus
• Zonal Computing Olympiad (ZCO)
• Indian National Olympiad in Informatics (INOI)
• International Olympiad in Informatics Training Camp (IOITC)
• Key Changes in Indian Computing Olympiad 2024

About IARCS

IARCS is well aware of the impact of computing science in school education. So to actively promote good practices, IARCS has been involved in the International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI). IARCS is involved in all aspects of training and selection of the young talent to represent the country at this prestigious International level Olympiad.

Given below are some of the key points of IARCS:

• IARCS has also initiated a new program where top scientists and researchers teach to teachers, ultimately spreading knowledge to young minds.
• IARCS Council elections are also conducted every year at FSTTCS conferences in December which will be termed for three years. The current IARCS Council took over in December 2017 and will hold office until December 2020.

IARCS Council Members

There are many talented people under the council of IARCS for the conduct and enactment of the exam to go smoothly. There are different duties and positions given to each person.

Given below is the list of all the key council members, along with their positions.

About Indian Computing Olympiad

The Indian Computing Olympiad is a nationwide Olympiad organized yearly by IARCS. The goal of the exam is to identify school students with exceptional skills in algorithms and computer programming.

The Indian Computing Olympiad exam is practiced to select a team of four students to represent India at the International Olympiad for Informatics (IOI). IOI is one of the twelve International Science Olympiads held yearly worldwide. Other notable Science Olympiads include Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics, Biology, and Astronomy.

Given below are the important dates of the Indian Computing Olympiad.

ICO 2024 Registration

Schools can also register on behalf of their students. ICO Registration 2024 will include certain information which is to be filled in very carefully. In that case, students can take their parents or respected teachers' help.

Read More: ICO Registration

ICO 2024 Syllabus

Indian Computing Olympiad contains the updated syllabus for the students. The IARCS board has also provided the latest updated topic for the practical examination.

As we know, the site is the best source for the students to download the Indian Computing Olympiad Syllabus. In addition, students can download the syllabus and ICO sample papers in PDF format.

Road to World Finals (For Indian Students)

The four students to represent India at the IOI World finals are chosen through the Indian Computing Olympiad (ICO). The first ICO was organized way back in 2002; however, it got its present name in 2006. The Indian Association for Research in Computing Science (IARCS) conducts the ICO every year. The competition is held in three stages, which are discussed below.

Read More: ICO Syllabus

Zonal Informatics Olympiad (ZIO) & Zonal Computing Olympiad (ZCO)

The Zonal Informatics Olympiad is the first step towards the IOI world finals. ZIO is an offline written test, and Zonal Computing Olympiad (ZCO) is an online test, an online programming contest. Most of the questions in these contests involve algorithmic techniques; however, even logic suffices to get you through this first round.

Students have to pay nominal fees of approx Rs.250/- towards the registration process. Students have to register online on the IARCS website. This Olympiad is held in November/December every year. Around 250 students from all the participants are selected for the next round. You can appear in any one of the exams, ZIO, or ZCO, and be capable of selection to the next round.

Stage 1: Summary

The features of the first stage of the exam are given below in points:

• Zonal Informatics Olympiad: ZIO is a written exam held at numerous centers across the country.
• Students can also qualify for the 2nd stage by participating in the Zonal Computing Olympiad (ZCO), a programming contest with programming languages such as C, C++, Java, and Python.
• ZIO 2024 exam dates are expected to be held in December 2024, and ZCO between November to December 2024.
• Students can either clear the ZIO or ZCO or both to qualify for the second round INOI.

Indian National Olympiad in Informatics (INOI)

Before students qualify, the ZIO or ZCO will move on to the second round of the competition, the INOI. INOI is a programming competition. The questions here are similar to those students will be subjected to at the International Olympiad of Informatics world finals. Candidates have to solve two algorithmic problems in three hours. The students have the choice of writing their programs in either C, C++, or Java. The contest is held at several centers across India.

Stage 2: Summary

INOI 2024 exam dates are expected to be in February 2024.

International Olympiad in Informatics Training Camp (IOITC)

The International Informatics Olympiad is one of several annual international science olympiads held around the world. In the prestigious algorithmic competition, exceptional high school students from different countries compete to sharpen their computer skills - such as problem analysis, algorithm design and data structures, programming, and testing.

Based on participants' results in INOI, 30 students will be chosen to take part in the International Olympiad in Informatics Training Camp. Organized by the Indian Association for Research in Computing Science (IARCS), the IOI training camp is held in September,

Training camp held at the International School Bangalore (TISB) selects the final 4 students to represent India. This training camp, in general, is for 2 to 3 weeks. It will be the final chance for the super 30 students to sharpen their programming talents before putting them to the test at the world finals.

The students will get training from Prof. Madhavan Mukund (President and Member, Executive Council, Indian Association for Research in Computing Science (IARCS) and Executive Director, International Olympiad in Informatics.)

Students who have previously appeared in competitions like IOI and ACM ICPC know that rigorous training at this camp ensures that the students are well prepared for the World Finals.

Stage 3: Summary

IOI-2024 will take place in Indonesia in June 2024 (tentative).14 Olympiad You Must Explore