Registrations open in 2024.
A 50-minute, multiple choice competition testing science knowledge, critical-thinking and problem-solving skills. Questions are set in real-life, contemporary contexts, making them relatable (and interesting)!
The Big Science Competition is one of the biggest international science competitions. It is an easy way to challenge students from Years 7 to 10 and track their performance against state or national averages. Competition questions are aligned with the Australian Curriculum – Science.
Students receive a certificate indicating their performance and schools will receive comprehensive reporting on student results compared to class, school and national averages. There are four paper levels which correspond to each year level.
Sitting the Big Science Competition could lead to selection in science extension programs including the Australian Science Olympiads and Curious Minds – girls in STEM.
FAQs
All high school students in Year 7 – 10 are eligible to sit the Big Science Competition.
We accept students who attend schools, are homeschooled, or who sit the competition through a tutoring or education academy. We do not accept direct student registrations; all interested students should contact their science teacher to discuss taking part.
Yes, we welcome schools from across the globe.
It is important that international teachers select the correct paper for their students year level. You can view the equivalent year-levels below.
| Competition Level | Australian Year Level | New Zealand Year Level | Singapore Year Level | Approximate age range |
| Year 7 paper | Year 7 | Year 8 | Sec 1 | 12-13 years |
| Year 8 paper | Year 8 | Year 9 | Sec 2 | 13-14 years |
| Year 9 paper | Year 9 | Year 10 | Sec 3 | 14-15 years |
| Year 10 paper | Year 10 | Year 11 | Sec 4 | 15-16 years |
When you are ready to register, please contact us on asi@asi.edu.au
The Big Science Competition costs $7 excluding GST per student.
The Big Science Competition online platform will be open from 7am AEST on Monday 6 May and will close at 5 pm AEST on 17 May, 2024.
Schools can run the competition at any time that suits their timetable. We do ask that all students sitting at the same level do so on the same day, under exam conditions to maintain the integrity of the competition. Students who are home-schooled, learn remotely or who otherwise cannot sit the exam at their school may sit the competition at home.
Before students sit the competition, it is important to:
- Check your IT against our technology profile here, and provide the document to your school’s IT team.
- Whitelist emails from asi@asi.edu.au with your school’s IT team.
- Complete the readiness test to ensure the competition works well on your school’s devices.We will provide teachers with a unique passcode for each school after registrations close on Friday 5 May. Students input this passcode into the system before the competition. Students will be asked to input their first name, last name and email for the purposes of generating an account to access the competition. The name that is given will be used to generate a certificate. Please allow approximately 5 minutes for students to complete the self-registration and sample questions before commencing the competition.
We have past papers available for purchase here.
The ASI office will be open from 7 am to 5 pm AEST, Monday to Friday during the competition period.
Please contact us on 02 6125 6228, or email us on asi@asi.edu.au.
Absolutely.
You can sit the Big Science Competition on any day during the competition period. All students must sit the exam together, but different year levels can sit the exam on different days (Year 7 on Monday, Year 8 on Tuesday, etc).
The exam is online, and all details to access the exam will be sent to teachers upon registration.
Before sitting the Big Science Competition please check our Big Science Competition Technology Profile 2023.
For more information, please contact us on asi@asi.edu.au
Students who sit the Big Science Competition are assessed against the outcomes for the Australian Curriculum – Science. The competition is designed not only to test their science knowledge, but their critical thinking and problem-solving skills too!
Teachers get access to comprehensive results that show where your students sit individually, and as a class and against your state average. We provide additional resources that can help you implement the learnings of the exam within the classroom. Parents who home school will only see where their child sits compared to the state average.
Yes! All Australian students who sit the exam go in the running to win prizes—no matter of their result!
Of course! We have three options for posters you can put up in your classroom:
In the first instance, we always recommend students register through their school. Over 300 schools take part in the Big Science Competition every year. We also accept students who sit the competition through a training or tutoring school.