Grades 3-4,
November 15, 2025
Registration deadline
November 13, 2025
December 20, 2025
Registration deadline
December 18, 2025
March 24-30, 2026
Registration deadline
February 1, 2026
Welcome to the Brainiacs Coding Olympiad!
Categories 1-2:
5 Q Preliminary
15+1 Q Global Final
Categories 3-4:
5 Q Preliminary
12+8 Q Global Final
75 min Preliminary
120+120 min Global Final
English, Russian,
French, and Spanish
MECHANICS
Brainiacs Coding Olympiad Mechanics
The Brainiacs Physics Olympiad is a globally renowned competition aimed at encouraging creativity, innovation, and academic excellence in students from Grade 3 to Grade 12. The Olympiad is structured into two main stages: the Preliminary Round and the Global Round.
PRELIMINARY ROUND
Registration
Students can register for the Olympiad through the official Brainiacs Olympiad website or via authorized representatives in their respective countries.
Dates
The online qualifying exams for the Preliminary Round are scheduled for:
- Online I: November 15, 2025 (Registration deadline: November 14, 2025)
- Online I Results: November 20, 2025
- Online II: December 20, 2025 (Registration deadline: December 19, 2025)
- Online II Results: December 25, 2025
The two online rounds are the same, but feature different challenges. Those who did not qualify for the global round in the first online round, along with those who were absent from the first round, can participate in the second round.
Format
The exam consists of 5 challenges divided into three levels of difficulty:
- Easy: 2 problems
- Medium: 2 problems
- Hard: 1 problem
The exam consists of 5 coding challenges to be completed within 75 minutes. Problems are tailored to the participant’s educational level and divided into the following categories:
- Category 1: Grades 3 and 4
- Category 2: Grades 5, 6 and 7
- Category 3: Grades 8 and 9
- Category 4: Grades 10, 11 and 12
Participants in Categories 1 and 2 will solve challenges on the block-based programming platform Scratch, while participants in Categories 3 and 4 will solve text-based challenges using C++, Python, or JavaScript.
Scoring
For Category 1 and 2
- Easy Challenges: +10 points
- Medium Challenges: +20 points
- Hard Challenges: +40 points
- Incorrect Answer: No negative marking
- Unanswered Problem: No points deducted
For Category 3 and 4
- Easy Challenges: +10 points (points awarded proportionally to the number of test cases passed)
- Medium Challenges: +20 points (points awarded proportionally to the number of test cases passed)
- Hard Challenges: +40 points (points awarded proportionally to the number of test cases passed)
- Incorrect Answer: No negative marking
- Unanswered Problem: No points deducted
Note: Each problem contains multiple test cases. Students earn points for each test case passed, so partial solutions are scored fairly.
Qualification
Participants scoring at least 40% in the Preliminary Round qualify for the Global Round. Every participant receives a Certificate of Participation.
Recognition
In the Preliminary Round, medals are awarded based on the points earned by the participants:
- 40 to 49 : Honorable Mention Certificate
- 50 to 74 : Bronze Medal
- 75 to 89 : Silver Medal
- 90 to 100 : Gold Medal
GLOBAL ROUND
The Global Round is the final stage of the competition, where participants showcase their knowledge and ability.
Registration
Students can register for the Olympiad through the official Brainiacs Olympiad website or via authorized representatives in their respective countries.
Dates and Venue
Global Round of the 2nd Brainiacs Olympiad will take place in Xiamen University Malaysia from March 24 to 30, 2026.
- Standard Registration Deadline: February 1, 2026
- Late Registration Deadline: March 1, 2026
Exam Days
Global Round exam format is different from Preliminary Round. For Category 1 and 2 it has both Theoretical and Practical parts separated in two consecutive examination days. For Categories 3 and 4, both examination days will be practical, focusing entirely on solving programming challenges.
CATEGORY 1 AND 2
Day 1. Theoretical Part
This is the structured portion of the coding exam on Scratch — it tests understanding of programming logic, problem-solving skills, and the ability to use Scratch blocks correctly and efficiently.
Examples:
- Solving practical tasks (e.g., drawing shapes, moving a sprite, working with variables and mathematical operations)
- Multiple-choice questions (e.g., describing what a program does, identifying errors)
Purpose:
To assess students’ foundational programming knowledge, logical thinking, understanding of Scratch features, and ability to create simple programs within the platform.
Day 1. Exam Format
The exam consists of 15 problems divided into three levels of difficulty:
- Easy challenges: 2
- Medium challenges: 2
- Hard challenge: 1
- Multiple-choice questions: 10
The exam consists of 10 multiple-choice problems and 5 coding challenges to be completed within 120 minutes.
Day 1. Exam Scoring
- Easy challenges: +10 points
- Medium challenges: +20 points
- Hard challenge: +30 points
- Multiple-choice questions: + 1 point
- Incorrect Answer: No negative marking for any problem
- Unanswered Problem: No points deducted
Day 2. Practical Part
The practical part evaluates how students apply their Scratch knowledge to create projects based on a given topic. Participants develop their own unique approach to solving the selected problem and implement it in a format provided by the organizers, such as an animated story, cartoon, or interactive game (e.g., quest, quiz, shooter).
Examples:
- Interactive Animation
Make a scene where sprites react to clicks or key presses.
Can include simple background changes, movement, or dialogue. - Mini-Game: Catch the Falling Object
Player controls a sprite to catch falling items.
Use score variable to track points. - Quiz Game
Create a 3–5 question quiz with multiple-choice answers.
Show correct/incorrect responses and a final score.
Purpose:
To evaluate problem-solving, creativity, and the ability to design functional, engaging, and visually appealing projects.
Day 2. Exam Format and Scoring
The exam consists of 1 project worth 100 points:
- Technical Skills (40 points)
- Creativity & Design (30 points)
- Problem-Solving & Logic (30 points)
Technical Skills involve the correct use of Scratch concepts, functionality, debugging, and working code. Students demonstrate understanding of motion, looks, sounds, events, loops, conditionals, ensuring their project runs correctly without critical errors.
Creativity & Design requires originality, visual appeal, and engagement. Students are evaluated on the uniqueness of their idea, attractive visuals (sprites, costumes, backgrounds, and pen drawings).
Problem-Solving & Logic focuses on planning, sequencing, and the effectiveness of solving the chosen problem. Students must organize steps logically, implement efficient solutions to achieve the project goals.
The project is to be completed within 120 minutes.
CATEGORY 3 AND 4
Day 1.
This part tests students’ understanding of programming logic, loops, conditions, functions, and basic data structures.
Examples:
- Calculating the sum, average, or factorial of numbers
- Reversing strings or counting vowels/consonants
- Finding maximum/minimum in a list or filtering elements
- Using loops to generate simple patterns
- Writing small functions for repeated tasks
Purpose:
To evaluate students’ foundational Python skills, problem-solving ability, and accuracy in writing code.
Day 1. Exam Format
The exam consists of 12 problems divided into three levels of difficulty:
- Easy challenges: 6
- Medium challenges: 4
- Hard challenges: 2
The exam consists of 12 problems to be completed within 120 minutes.
Day 1. Exam Scoring
- Easy Challenges: +5 points (points awarded proportionally to the number of test cases passed)
- Medium Challenges: +10 points (points awarded proportionally to the number of test cases passed)
- Hard Challenges: +15 points (points awarded proportionally to the number of test cases passed)
- Incorrect Answer: No negative marking
- Unanswered Problem: No points deducted
Note: Each problem will have multiple test cases. Students earn points for each test case passed, so partial solutions are scored fairly.
Day 2.
This part focuses on larger, multi-step programming problems that require combining several Python concepts to solve complex tasks.
Examples:
- Creating a simple text-based game (e.g., guessing number, rock-paper-scissors)
- Implementing mini-projects using lists, loops, and functions
- Solving problems involving string and list manipulation together
- Processing input data and producing a summary or report
- Combining conditions, loops, and functions to solve multi-step tasks
Purpose:
To assess students’ ability to plan, implement, and debug more complex programs while applying problem-solving and programming skills.
Day 2. Exam Format
The exam consists of 8 problems divided into two levels of difficulty:
- Medium challenges: 6
- Hard challenges: 2
The exam consists of 8 problems to be completed within 120 minutes.
Day 2. Exam Scoring
- Medium Challenges: +10 points (points awarded proportionally to the number of test cases passed)
- Hard Challenges: +20 points (points awarded proportionally to the number of test cases passed)
- Incorrect Answer: No negative marking
- Unanswered Problem: No points deducted
Note: Each problem will have multiple test cases. Students earn points for each test case passed, so partial solutions are scored fairly.
Global Round Recognition
In the Global Round, medals are awarded based on the percentage distribution according to the number of participants.
- The top 10% (0-10%) of participants receive gold medals.
- The next 20% (11-30%) of participants receive silver medals.
- The next 30% (31-60%) of participants receive bronze medals.
- The next 15% (61-75%) receive honorable mentions.
Languages
All of the problems in Preliminary and Global Rounds will be in 4 languages: English, Russian, French, and Spanish.
SYLLABUS
Scratch Coding Syllabus
Goal: Develop basic programming skills, logical thinking, and creativity.
| Lesson | Topic | Learning Objectives | Practice / Mini-Challenge |
| 1 | Introduction to Scratch | Understand the interface, sprites, stage | Create a sprite that says “Hello” |
| 2 | Motion & Events | Move sprite using arrow keys and events | Move sprite around stage |
| 3 | Looks & Sounds | Change costumes, backgrounds, and add sounds | Animate sprite with costume changes |
| 4 | Variables & Score | Create a variable and use it | Make a counter that increases when sprite is clicked |
| 5 | Loops & Repetition | Use repeat and forever blocks | Animate sprite moving back and forth |
| 6 | Conditionals | Use if/else to control actions | Make sprite react differently to colors |
| 7 | Simple Game Mechanics | Combine motion, score, and events | “Catch the apple” game |
| 8 | Storytelling & Animation | Sequence events for a story | Make two sprites interact in a short story |
| 9 | Pen Blocks & Drawing | Use pen down, pen up, change color & size, combine with motion and loops | Draw lines, squares, triangles, stars, and colorful patterns |
Scratch Coding Syllabus
Goal: Strengthen problem-solving, logical reasoning, and game design skills.
| Lesson | Topic | Learning Objectives | Practice / Mini-Challenge |
| 1 | Advanced Motion & Events | Use glide, broadcast, and complex event triggers | Make a sprite follow another sprite |
| 2 | Complex Conditionals | Nested if/else, multiple checks | Create a game where sprite reacts differently to colors |
| 3 | Variables & Advanced Scoring | Multiple variables, tracking score, lives, and time | Create a “catch falling objects” game with lives and score |
| 4 | Loops & Repetition | Nested loops, repeat until, forever loops | Animate multiple sprites moving in patterns |
| 5 | Game Mechanics | Collisions, win/lose conditions | Make a maze game where player avoids obstacles |
| 6 | Interactive Story / Animation | Branching paths and sprite interactions | Create a short story with 2–3 endings |
| 7 | Pen Blocks & Advanced Drawing | Pen up/down, color/size, loops, nested patterns | Draw complex shapes, spirals, stars, flowers, and interactive patterns combined with logic and motion |
Olympiad Syllabus
Goal: Learn core programming logic & solve basic algorithmic tasks.
| Lesson | Topic | Learning Objectives | Practice / Mini-Challenge |
| 1 | Introduction to Programming | Understand what programming is, run first program | Print “Hello Olympiad”, print your name and age |
| 2 | Input & Output | Read user input and display results | Read two numbers and print their sum; ask for name and greet user |
| 3 | Variables & Basic Math | Store values, perform arithmetic | Convert minutes to hours, calculate area of rectangle |
| 4 | if / else Conditions | Make decisions in programs | Compare two numbers, check if a number is even or odd |
| 5 | Loops (for / while) | Repeat operations multiple times | Print numbers 1–50, sum numbers 1–N |
| 6 | Loops + Conditions | Solve tasks combining logic | Count numbers from 1–100 divisible by 3; print numbers divisible by 4 |
| 7 | Strings & Characters | Work with text, manipulate characters | Count letters in a word, reverse a string, check for vowels |
| 8 | Lists / Arrays | Store multiple values and process them | Find max in a list, sum all elements, count even numbers |
| 9 | Nested Loops | Understand repetition inside repetition | Draw star triangle of height N, multiplication table |
| 10 | Functions | Organize code into reusable blocks | Create sum(a,b), is_even(n), greet_user(name) |
Olympiad Syllabus
Goal: Strengthen fundamentals, introduce algorithms, 2D arrays, recursion.
| Lesson | Topic | Learning Objectives | Practice / Mini-Challenge |
| 1 | Fast Review of Basics | Confidently use input/output, variables, arithmetic | Simple arithmetic, print formatted output |
| 2 | Conditions & Logic | Use multi-branch decisions | Determine grade from score ranges, classify number as positive/negative/zero |
| 3 | Loops (Patterns & Counting) | Write loop-based patterns & calculations | Print number patterns, count occurrences of a number in a list |
| 4 | Lists / Arrays | Store and process multiple values | Find max/min, sum elements, count even/odd numbers |
| 5 | Functions with Parameters & Return | Reusable code blocks with input/output | sum(a,b), factorial(n), is_prime(n) |
| 6 | Nested Loops | Understand loop inside loop complexity | Draw star triangle, nested number patterns |
| 7 | Recursion | Solve problems recursively | Factorial, Fibonacci numbers, sum of array elements recursively |
| 8 | Algorithms | Apply structured problem-solving | Linear search, binary search, bubble sort |
| 9 | Math Operations & Libraries | Use built-in math functions | sqrt, pow, absolute value, rounding, modulo-based problems |
DOWNLOAD
SAMPLE CHALLENGES & MATERIALS
Practice with these examples to understand the format, sharpen your skills, and prepare for the challenges ahead.
SAMPLE CHALLENGES
Brainiacs Olympiad Coding Reminder
For Grades 3–4 and 5–7, the Coding questions include GIF/animation, so they will be uploaded in PowerPoint format to keep everything visible.
For Grades 8–9 and 10–12, your Coding questions do not contain GIFs or animations.
Please download the correct file for your grade level. Good luck!