Questions about INOI

Hello! I’m currently in year 9 and I’m new to INOI, and Olympiads in general.
I understand that to qualify for INOI you have to attempt either ZIO or ZCO. I’ve seen the 2021 paper for ZIO on the IARC website and I was able to solve all the questions. I’m wondering if the cutoff is static - 30 [for my grade and lower] or if it is a function of the average score, and also if the working will be checked, or just the answer. Also, will it be online or offline.

Also, I seem to not be able to find the link to register for ZIO. On the IARCS website, it says registrations start from 18th of October but I have not been able to find a link online. Kindly inform me of the procedure necessary to register.

I only known Python, and I understand that it is not a supported language for INOI. Can someone confirm? I think I will have to learn C++ since Java is discontinued aswell.

As for the INOI, how will I be graded? I understand that my code will be checked by a computer for a series of different inputs. Is there any optimization necessary to the code or can it be very - basic, so to speak. Please do confirm.

Now, about the cutoffs. Will INOI also have separate categories for lower grade students? Any idea what the cutoffs will go for? I believe it should be on a curve as seats for INOI-TC are limited. I also understand it is to be held offline.

  1. The cut-off for ZIO varies from year to year (if that is what you’re asking). It is not necessarily a function of the average score. (In layman terms, the marks of approximately the 150th student (in general, this is not a definition))
  2. No the working will not be checked and only the final answer is considered.
  3. At least, last year (when conditions were much worse), it was offline, so probably offline this year as well. It is computer-based (not pen and paper) but you do need to go to an allotted center (as of last year).
  4. Most likely, it will be posted by 22nd October (as mentioned) as of now but keep checking for updates. (No one can be sure about when registration starts unless you’re an organizer.) All details will be available on the site, so I’ll not mention any procedure here.
  5. Yes, you do need to learn C++ for INOI and subsequent levels (IOITC and IOI).
  6. Yes, your code will be tested against multiple test files like any other online judge.
  7. This is not a very clear question. Of course, it does need some optimization (that’s what DSA and CP is all about) but it depends on the constraints of the question. I suggest look at past problems and the new structure for INOI (to be implemented from this year).
  8. Again, cut-offs are not known to anyone (obviously, it depends on the performance of other students each year). But no, I have not witnessed separate cut-offs for separate classes till now in INOI. However, it’s not something that is impossible (at least to the best of my knowledge).
  9. Yes, it will also be a computer based test in allotted centers.
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Thank you so much for the help
I still have a few questions

For grading, will I have to make an input accepting system and loop it or will the code itself be edited to include the input?

For my 7th questions, is there any constraint on time-space, time, or space complexity?

Just try out a past ZCO question and you will understand the input format. In general, if you have test cases you need to make a loop and if you are asked to take some input which is mostly (if not always) the case then you do need to accept values from the standard input, unless otherwise specified. But generally those kind of questions (ones having to take input from files or associating custom headers) are only asked in IOI and IOITC, so you need not worry about that now. For now just stick to accepting values as mentioned in the “Input” section of a question statement from the standard input.

There’s generally nothing specified about what the time complexity or space complexity should be, but you will have to figure that out by looking at the input constraints, time limit and memory limit. (Though in most cases memory is never exhausted in ZCO kind of questions or even INOI). It is not necessary that they will always expect the best complexity from you so figuring out the threshold complexity for a question may or may not give you hints but it is definitely something you need to keep in the back of your mind while solving the problem.

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Thanks.

Which text editors will be provided and how to feed input from command terminal

All such details are either uploaded to the website (text editors) or sent to the participants (Basic Linux Terminal statements) by IARCS or other concerned authorities. As far as I remember Sublime Text, CLion and Atom are some of the text editors.

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Registration for ZIO is open!
Click Here

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