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Science / JSO Y9-10
Junior Science Olympiad Y9-10 2026 Dates, Format and Preparation Guide
The Junior Science Olympiad Years 9-10 paper is for accelerated students who can connect school science knowledge to unfamiliar data, mechanisms and experimental situations.
What is this exam?
Junior Science Olympiad Exam Years 9-10
The Junior Science Olympiad Years 9-10 paper is for accelerated students who can connect school science knowledge to unfamiliar data, mechanisms and experimental situations.
Use JSO as a science transfer test: students need to connect school science with data, mechanisms, experimental design and unfamiliar contexts.
Official date
Wednesday 10 June 2026
Registration status
Registrations for the 2026 JSO Exam are closed.
Exam length
Two hours, completed wholly online under normal exam conditions and supervision.
Eligibility
Australian high school students in Years 7-10; registrations must come via schools, registered distance education facilities or home schools.
Exam levels
Students can only sit one level: JSOE Years 7 & 8 or JSOE Years 9 & 10.
Key date timeline
Before June
School registration
Organised by school, registered home school or distance education facility.
10 Jun
JSO Y9-10 exam
Two-hour online supervised sitting.
After results
Certificates and reports
Teachers/facilitators access reports via ASI Teacher Portal.
Sep/Oct
JSO Spring School
Top eligible students may be invited for residential extension.
December
International JSO pathway
Selected students may represent Australia after further training.
Content map
What students should be ready to use
Biology
CellsBody systemsEcologyAdaptationEvidence
Chemistry
ParticlesReactionsMixturesAcids and basesConservation
Physics
ForcesEnergyCircuitsWavesMeasurement
Earth and skills
Earth systemsGraphsVariablesExperimental designUncertainty
Format and focus
Where preparation effort should concentrate
Knowledge
Biology, chemistry, physics and Earth science
Preparation focus
Data
Read evidence before explaining
Preparation focus
Experiment
Fair comparison and limitations
Preparation focus
Transfer
Apply school knowledge to new systems
Preparation focus
AceAchievers preparation pathway
Recommended Study Plan
Build a solid foundation
Make sure the core school skills behind this competition are stable before moving into harder questions.
Learn by topic and question type
Practise the topic patterns and question types that appear most often in this competition.
Mock exam and targeted practice
Use timed mocks to find weak areas, then practise those exact topics deliberately.
Common mistakes
Good school science marks do not automatically translate into JSO performance. JSO may use unfamiliar contexts even when the underlying science is familiar. Another mistake is memorising facts without practising data and experiment questions.
Internal resources
Questions parents ask
FAQ
When is JSO Y9-10 in 2026?
The Years 9-10 exam is scheduled for Wednesday 10 June 2026.
Is JSO Y9-10 harder than JSO Y7-8?
Yes. It expects stronger science knowledge, reasoning and data interpretation.
Can JSO lead to further science opportunities?
High-performing students may be considered for further JSO pathway opportunities.
How should a Year 10 student prepare?
Combine content review with exam-style reasoning practice, especially data interpretation and multi-discipline questions.
Should my child do Big Science before JSO?
Big Science can be useful, but JSO is the more targeted science Olympiad pathway.