Computational and Algorithmic Thinking
DATE
Tu 2 to Th 4 May 2023
TIME
Primary: 60 minutes
Secondary: 60 minutes
Cost
AUD$8 per student
The Computational and Algorithmic Thinking (CAT) competition gives students the opportunity to develop their problem-solving skills through algorithmic thinking. The competition incorporates unique ‘three-stage tasks’ that encourage students to develop informal algorithms and apply them to test data of increasing size or complexity.
CAT is suitable for any maths class and requires no programming experience. It can be used to develop students’ interest and potential in computer programming.
Like all our competitions, the CAT contains unique problems designed each year by leading educators, academics and industry experts to challenge and extend your students’ problem-solving skills.
Key Dates
Printed paper entries close:
Fr 7 April 2023 NT, QLD, SA, TAS, WA
Fr 14 April 2023 ACT, NSW, VIC
Online entries close:
Mo 1 May 2023
Submission of student answer sheets for printed paper entries close:
Tu 9 May 2023
Late submission of student answer sheets close:
Fr 2 June 2023
* Student answer sheets received after the submission deadline may not be included in the cut-off scoring which may disadvantage some students. Results will be processed after the late submission deadline.
* Student answer sheets received after the late submission deadline will be processed at the end of the school year, based on earlier cut-off scores.
* Results and adjustments received after 1 December 2023 will not be processed.
Sign Up
Find out how to register your students for this competition.
What teachers and students think
Divisions
- Upper Primary – Australian Years 5 and 6
- Junior – Australian Years 7 and 8
- Intermediate – Australian Years 9 and 10
- Senior – Australian Years 11 and 12
Topics
- Applying rules
- Logic and case analysis
- Analysing algorithms
- Developing algorithms
Question and Answer Format
6 multiple-choice, 3 x 3-part integer questions
Delivery
Online
Printed paper
More Information
- Questions 1–6
3 marks - Questions 7–9
each question has 3 parts of 2 marks - Total 36 marks
There is no penalty for incorrect responses.
All students receive an award according to the criteria below.
High Distinction
Awarded to a student who is in the top 2% of their year and region and has received no higher award.
Distinction
Awarded to a student who is in the top 15% of their year and region and has received no higher award.
Credit
Awarded to a student who is in the top 50% of their year and region and has received no higher award.
Participation
Awarded to a student who has participated in the competition and received no higher award.
Cut-off scores for awards are determined by comparing a student’s results with other students in the same year level and region (Australian state/territory, or country). Cut-off scores are approximate and will vary year by year depending on the difficulty of the competition.