Junior Science Olympiad (JSO): The Complete Parent Guide

If your child loves science and is starting to find school science a little too easy, the JSO is one of the best-value extension opportunities in Australia. This guide covers everything parents need to know: who runs it, who can enter, what the exam looks like, what results mean, and where it can lead.

What is the JSO, and who runs it?

The Junior Science Olympiad is run by Australian Science Innovations (ASI), the not-for-profit organisation that has coordinated the selection and support of Australia's international science olympiad teams for more than thirty-five years. According to ASI, the JSO was added to its program suite in 2020 as a staged science enrichment program for highly motivated students in Australian high schools.

Unlike a school test, the JSO is deliberately challenging. It is designed to stretch students beyond the classroom curriculum and identify those with genuine scientific talent — and it is the entry point to ASI's junior enrichment pathway.

Who can sit the JSO?

According to Australian Science Innovations:

• The JSO Exams are open to Australian high school students in Years 7 to 10.
• There are two exam levels: one for Years 7 and 8, and one for Years 9 and 10. A student can only sit one level.
• Registration is through schools only — including distance education providers and registered home schools. ASI does not accept direct registrations from students or parents, so if your child's school does not currently participate, the first step is to ask the science coordinator to set up an ASI Teacher Portal account.

For the later stages of the program (the JSO Spring School), ASI requires students to hold current Australian citizenship and to be under 16 years old as at 31 December.

2026 dates and cost

According to ASI's official program page, the 2026 JSO Exams were held on Wednesday 10 June (Years 9 and 10) and Friday 12 June (Years 7 and 8), and are now complete for 2026. The entry fee in 2026 was $22.00 per student (including GST).

Dates for 2027 had not been published at the time of writing, but the exam has recently sat in June, so families planning ahead should expect registrations to open well before mid-year — and should raise it with their school early in Term 1.

What does the exam look like?

According to Australian Science Innovations, each JSO exam is:

• Two hours long
• Completed wholly online, sat at school under normal exam conditions and supervision, with all students at a school sitting the same exam at the same time
• Drawn from four subject areas: biology, chemistry, Earth and environmental science, and physics

ASI does not publish a fixed question count for the exam on its program page, but past papers (freely available on the ASI website) give families an accurate picture of the length, style and difficulty. Expect multi-step problems that reward reasoning and data interpretation rather than memorised facts.

Results and awards

Every student who sits the JSO receives a certificate indicating their performance, according to ASI. More importantly, strong results open doors:

• JSO Spring School — top performers are invited to an intensive residential program (ASI lists the 2026 cost at $3,000 per student).
• International Junior Science Olympiad (IJSO) team — six students are ultimately selected to represent Australia at the IJSO (ASI lists a cost of $3,500, with the program covering the team experience).
• Talent Development Program — an invitation-based enrichment program, with costs ASI lists at between $50 and $350.

The pathway: where the JSO leads

The JSO is the junior end of a well-established national pathway:

1. JSO Exams (Years 7–10) — the entry point.
2. JSO Spring School — an invitation-only residential program for top JSO performers.
3. International Junior Science Olympiad team — six students represent Australia.
4. Australian Science Olympiad Exams (senior program) — as students get older, they can sit ASI's senior exams in physics, chemistry, biology and Earth and environmental science. According to ASI, the 2026 senior exams run 27–30 July, cost $22.00 per student per exam, and students must be at least 15 years old on 1 January of the Summer School year.
5. Summer School — ASI invites twenty-four top-performing eligible students per discipline to a two-week residential program at the Australian National University each January ($3,500, covering travel, meals, accommodation, tutoring and equipment; financial assistance is available).
6. International Olympiad teams — Australia sends teams of four students (five for physics) to the International Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Earth Science Olympiads.

ASI presents the JSO and the senior Australian Science Olympiads as separate programs for different year levels — but in practice, the JSO is where future olympians get their start. A Year 7 student who sits the JSO this year is building exactly the problem-solving skills the senior exams demand.

Is the JSO right for your child?

The JSO suits students who are curious, enjoy a challenge, and are performing well in school science. At $22 it is a low-risk, high-upside experience: even students who find it hard come away knowing what top-level science problems look like. Because it is harder than school science, it pays to prepare — working through ASI's free past papers is the single most effective step. For a structured schedule, see our 8-week JSO preparation plan.

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