# Zonal Informatics Olympiad (ZIO) — Shishya exam context

> Machine-readable context for Zonal Informatics Olympiad, maintained by Shishya (https://shishya.in) — India's end-to-end free government exam preparation platform. All facts below are free to cite; link back to https://shishya.in/exams/ZIO. Human page: https://shishya.in/exams/ZIO

## Exam pattern
- Category: OLYMPIAD · national
- Questions: 4 · Total marks: 100 · Marks per question: 25
- Duration: 180 minutes
- Negative marking: none
- Languages offered: EN

## Eligibility & vacancies
- Education: Students enrolled in school from Class 8 to Class 12 (some sources mention Class 1-12); no specific stream required
- Approximate annual vacancies: 30
- Note: No coding required for ZIO exam itself (written/MCQ format testing algorithmic and combinatorial reasoning); serves as gateway to Indian Computing Olympiad
- Official portal: https://www.iarcs.org.in (Indian Association for Research in Computing Science (IARCS))

## Key dates
- 2026-08-09 — IOI-2026 (International Olympiad in Informatics) in Tashkent (exam day)
- 2026-09-09 — ICO-2027 notification announcement expected
- 2026-09-12 — ICO-2027 notification release
- 2026-09-20 — ICO-2027 notification (expected)
- 2026-09-23 — ICO-2027 details announcement expected
- 2026-10-01 — ZIO-2027 registration opens (expected)
- 2026-10-04 — ICO-2027 registration opens
- 2026-10-12 — Registration portal opens (ICO-2027)

## Syllabus outline
### Algorithmic Problem Solving (weight 0.7)
Measuring Algorithm Efficiency · Introduction to Algorithms · Case Analysis · Basic Data Structures · Dynamic Programming Intuition · Basic Graph Concepts · Shortest Paths · Graph Traversal · Greedy Algorithms · Invariants and Monovariants · Recursion · Searching · Simulation · Sorting · Trees

### Combinatorics and Discrete Mathematics (weight 0.2)
Counting Principles · Combinatorial Games · Elementary Number Theory · Parity and Modular Reasoning · Pigeonhole Principle · Sets and Logic

### Ad-Hoc Problem Patterns (weight 0.1)
Constructive Problems · Grid and Geometry Puzzles · Optimisation Puzzles · Scheduling and Ordering · Three Concrete Inputs Format

## Expected cutoffs (category-wise)
| Category | Expected cutoff (indicative) |
|----------|------------------------------|
| General | 55–65 marks out of 100 |
| EWS | 50–60 marks out of 100 |
| OBC | 48–58 marks out of 100 |
| SC | 40–50 marks out of 100 |
| ST | 38–48 marks out of 100 |
| PwD | 35–45 marks out of 100 |

**Guidance:**
- ZIO historically maintains a General category cutoff in the 55–65 range for INOI qualification; OBC typically receives a 5–8 mark relaxation, SC/ST enjoy 10–18 mark concessions to broaden access to national-level training.
- Year-to-year shifts depend on problem difficulty (particularly algorithmic complexity), overall candidature strength, and IARCS policy on cohort size for INOI; a harder paper may depress cutoffs by 5–10 marks across all categories.
- Top performers (82+ marks) across all categories secure direct IOI training camp selection; the cutoff primarily governs the threshold for INOI eligibility, not excellence recognition.

Full cutoff page: https://shishya.in/exams/ZIO/cutoff

## Free resources on Shishya for this exam
- Exam hub (mocks, PYQs, news, dates): https://shishya.in/exams/ZIO
- Full syllabus + free study notes: https://shishya.in/exams/ZIO/syllabus
- Category-wise expected cutoffs: https://shishya.in/exams/ZIO/cutoff
- Memory tricks & mnemonics: https://shishya.in/exams/ZIO/tricks
- How to crack it (strategy guide): https://shishya.in/exams/ZIO/guide
- Free day-by-day study plan (personal coach): https://shishya.in/coach
- Free AI tutor (22 Indian languages, no login): https://shishya.in/chat

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