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Talent Certifications Regional Olympiads (India) Informatics

ZCO

Zonal Computing Olympiad

Indian Association for Research in Computing Science (IARCS) - Indian Computing Olympiad
Programming exam; supported languages are C++, Java and Python.
Organized annually by IARCS as part of the Indian Computing Olympiad.

Official website ↗

About This Exam

Talent Certifications Regional Olympiads (India)
Conducted byIndian Association for Research in Computing Science (IARCS) - Indian Computing Olympiad
Exam typeProgramming exam; supported languages are C++, Java and Python.Source: Indian Computing Olympiad - IARCS, 'Stages' section
FieldInformatics
Who can applyOpen to all school students across the country, from any school board. A student registered in school up to class 12 in the academic year is eligible; there is no lower age limit. A student who has completed Class 12 is no longer eligible, even after a break or when planning to redo the Class 12 exams.Source: Indian Computing Olympiad - IARCS, 'Eligibility' section
Age / classSchool students up to Class 12 (no lower age limit)
How oftenOrganized annually by IARCS as part of the Indian Computing Olympiad.Source: Indian Computing Olympiad - IARCS, 'About the Indian Computing Olympiad'
StagesThe Indian Computing Olympiad: first round in two parts, ZIO (written) and ZCO (programming); second round INOI (programming, C++ only); about 30 students go to the IOI Training Camp (IOITC), which selects the team of four for the IOI.Source: Indian Computing Olympiad - IARCS, 'Stages' section
What it leads toStudents can write either ZIO or ZCO or both and qualify through either exam for the second round, the Indian National Olympiad in Informatics (INOI).Source: Indian Computing Olympiad - IARCS, 'Stages' section
Talent categoryOlympiads
PathwayZIO or ZCO > INOI > IOITC > IOI
RecognitionOfficial / statutory body
LevelNational

Syllabus

Basic Topics13 topic groups
Introduction

Introduction

Read from: ICO Online Study Material - Topics (Basic topics and Advanced topics), 'Basic topics' list, entry 1
Efficiency

Efficiency

Read from: ICO Online Study Material - Topics (Basic topics and Advanced topics), 'Basic topics' list, entry 2
Searching

Searching

Read from: ICO Online Study Material - Topics (Basic topics and Advanced topics), 'Basic topics' list, entry 3
Sorting

Sorting

Read from: ICO Online Study Material - Topics (Basic topics and Advanced topics), 'Basic topics' list, entry 4
Basic Graph Algorithms

Basic Graph Algorithms

Read from: ICO Online Study Material - Topics (Basic topics and Advanced topics), 'Basic topics' list, entry 5
Dynamic Programming

Dynamic Programming

Read from: ICO Online Study Material - Topics (Basic topics and Advanced topics), 'Basic topics' list, entry 6
Greedy Algorithms

Greedy Algorithms

Read from: ICO Online Study Material - Topics (Basic topics and Advanced topics), 'Basic topics' list, entry 7
Computing Shortest Paths

Computing Shortest Paths

Read from: ICO Online Study Material - Topics (Basic topics and Advanced topics), 'Basic topics' list, entry 8
Heaps

Heaps

Read from: ICO Online Study Material - Topics (Basic topics and Advanced topics), 'Basic topics' list, entry 9
Permutations

Permutations

Read from: ICO Online Study Material - Topics (Basic topics and Advanced topics), 'Basic topics' list, entry 10
Directed Acyclic Graphs

Directed Acyclic Graphs

Read from: ICO Online Study Material - Topics (Basic topics and Advanced topics), 'Basic topics' list, entry 11
Computing Prefix Sums

Computing Prefix Sums

Read from: ICO Online Study Material - Topics (Basic topics and Advanced topics), 'Basic topics' list, entry 12
Sliding Window Algorithms

Sliding Window Algorithms

Read from: ICO Online Study Material - Topics (Basic topics and Advanced topics), 'Basic topics' list, entry 13

Official links and how they were checked

  • Indian Computing Olympiad - IARCS Verified against the document
    Official website · Indian Association for Research in Computing Science (IARCS) - Indian Computing Olympiad · 2026 · checked 6 Oct 2026
    Opened https://www.iarcs.org.in/inoi/ on 2026-10-06 and read its text. It describes the Indian Computing Olympiad (organized annually by IARCS), Eligibility, Registration, Stages (ZIO, ZCO, INOI, IOITC), 'How to prepare for ICO', Incentives for students, Contact and Partners. Its 'How to prepare' section states: 'The syllabus for ZIO and ZCO is the list of Basic Topics in the Online Study Material' and 'The syllabus for INOI and IOITC is the IOI syllabus, given here' (link to https://ioinformatics.org/page/syllabus/12). Dates, registration details and incentives on the page are not copied.
  • ICO Online Study Material - Topics (Basic topics and Advanced topics) Verified against the document
    Syllabus · Indian Association for Research in Computing Science (IARCS) - Indian Computing Olympiad · 2026 · checked 6 Oct 2026
    Opened https://www.iarcs.org.in/inoi/online-study-material/topics/ on 2026-10-06 and read its text. It lists 'Basic topics' (13 entries: Introduction, Efficiency, Searching, Sorting, Basic Graph Algorithms, Dynamic Programming, Greedy Algorithms, Computing Shortest Paths, Heaps, Permutations, Directed Acyclic Graphs, Computing Prefix Sums, Sliding Window Algorithms) and 'Advanced topics' (6 entries: Advanced Graph Algorithms, Dynamic Programming on Trees, Range Queries, Network Flows, Games and Strategies, Geometry). Every unit title in this file was compared back with that page text: each occurs in it, in the same order. Not compared: the 13 linked topic pages themselves were opened (HTTP 200) but carry only study notes and problems, not a syllabus, and are not copied.
  • Indian Computing Olympiad - Archives (question papers and other material, 2002 onwards) Opened; part could not be confirmed
    Sample / previous-year papers · Indian Association for Research in Computing Science (IARCS) - Indian Computing Olympiad · 2026 · checked 6 Oct 2026
    Link to the official page, contents not read: opened https://www.iarcs.org.in/inoi/archives.php on 2026-10-06 (HTTP 200); it lists one archive page per year from 2002 to 2026 with question papers and other material. The papers themselves were not read and nothing in them is used as a source of the syllabus.
  • Indian Computing Olympiad Archives 2026 (reports and ZIO-2026 paper) Opened; part could not be confirmed
    Sample / previous-year papers · Indian Association for Research in Computing Science (IARCS) - Indian Computing Olympiad · 2026 · checked 6 Oct 2026
    Link to the official page, contents not read as a source: opened https://www.iarcs.org.in/inoi/2026/ on 2026-10-06 (HTTP 200). It holds the reports on IOI, IOITC, EGOI, APIO, INOI, ZCO and ZIO of 2026 and links the ZIO-2026 question paper and solutions. Nothing on it is used as a source of the syllabus.
  • Indian Computing Olympiad Archives 2025 (reports and ZIO-2025 paper) Opened; part could not be confirmed
    Sample / previous-year papers · Indian Association for Research in Computing Science (IARCS) - Indian Computing Olympiad · 2025 · checked 6 Oct 2026
    Link to the official page, contents not read as a source: opened https://www.iarcs.org.in/inoi/2025/ on 2026-10-06 (HTTP 200). It holds the reports of 2025, links the ZIO-2025 question paper and solutions, and for ZCO-2025 and INOI-2025 links problems hosted on Codeforces (an outside site, not copied here). Nothing on it is used as a source of the syllabus.
  • ICO Online Study Material (training material and reading list) Verified against the document
    Prescribed / recommended reading (published by the body) · Indian Association for Research in Computing Science (IARCS) - Indian Computing Olympiad · 2026 · checked 6 Oct 2026
    Opened https://www.iarcs.org.in/inoi/online-study-material/ on 2026-10-06 and read its text. It is IARCS's self-study material for the Indian Computing Olympiad and lists reading material: Algorithm Design (Kleinberg, Tardos); Introduction to Algorithms (Cormen, Leiserson, Rivest, Stein); Algorithms (Dasgupta, Papadimitriou, Vazirani); Programming Challenges (Skiena, Revilla); Competitive Programming (Halim); Competitive Programmer's Handbook (Laaksonen); Start Competitive Programming! (Baharev, Zingaro); Algorithmic Thinking (Zingaro). It is study material and a book list, not a syllabus, and no chapter cites it.
  • ICO Online Programming Contest and Online Judge (IARCS) Verified against the document
    Other official page · Indian Association for Research in Computing Science (IARCS) - Indian Computing Olympiad · 2026 · checked 6 Oct 2026
    Opened https://www.iarcs.org.in/inoi/programming-contest.php on 2026-10-06 and read its text: it points to the ICO Online Judge (archive of past IARCS online programming contest problems, where past problems can be submitted for instant feedback) and lists other practice resources. It is a practice resource, not a syllabus.
ZCO →INOI

Official website ↗

Details checked against official sources on 6 Oct 2026. Always confirm against the current official notification before applying. [1]

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