To prepare for the Big Science Competition, revise your year-level school science and then practise applying it to unfamiliar, real-world questions and to graphs and tables under time pressure — the 50-minute, mixed-format online paper rewards quick, accurate reasoning rather than extra memorisation. Run by Australian Science Innovations, Big Science is a curriculum-aligned competition for Years 7–10 and an accessible first step into science competitions, often used to test whether a student is ready for the Junior Science Olympiad.
From your child’s result to a practical next step
Find the difficulty that sounds familiar. Choose one action, try it, and use fresh work to check progress.
How can a parent tell whether a wrong science answer reflects a misconception or a reading mistake?
Change the reading demand without giving away the science. Ask the child to restate the question, identify the relevant evidence and explain the idea aloud.
If the child understands the idea when the wording is clarified, reading may be contributing. If the same misconception remains in a simple diagram or fresh example, revisit the concept. A single question cannot diagnose the whole problem. Keep a few examples and compare whether the error follows the wording, the topic or both.
My child struggles to extract evidence from long science passages. How can we practise this without memorising answers?
Break a long science passage into claim, evidence and question. Ask the student to mark the sentence or table row that supports each part of the answer, rather than copying a whole paragraph.
Use two short unfamiliar passages on different topics but with the same reasoning task, such as comparing treatments. Have the child paraphrase the conclusion and state a limitation. If an answer depends only on a memorised phrase, change the data and ask whether the conclusion still follows.
Ace Achievers learning guidance · Updated 5 October 2026. Examples are illustrative, not student results or promises of an award. Course choice and official exam eligibility are separate.
Looking for your 2026 result or the next competition?
Big Science 2026 is complete; results are available through the ASI Teacher Portal via your school or facilitator. The event is a 50-minute mixed-format competition for Years 7–10. Use the practice advice below now; check the organiser for future dates.
Big Science is built around the science your child already studies, but it asks them to use it rather than recall it. Questions are set in contemporary, real-life contexts — a news scenario, an experiment, a graph of data — and ask students to apply curriculum knowledge, read carefully, and reason to an answer. It is deliberately accessible, but the step from ‘knowing the content’ to ‘applying it to something unfamiliar’ is exactly what makes it worthwhile preparation.
The format, and what it means for preparation
The 50-minute window makes pace and careful reading useful practice skills. Follow the instructions on the relevant paper rather than assuming a fixed time per question. Many marks are lost not to difficult science but to misreading a question or rushing a data table. Preparing for the clock — practising short, timed sets — matters as much as content revision.
Element
Detail
Questions
30, mixed format
Time
50 minutes
Mode
Online, at school
Levels
Years 7, 8, 9, 10 (separate papers)
Content
Australian Curriculum – Science, in real-world contexts
AFTER THE RESULT · YOUR ACTION PLAN
Your result is a starting point. What comes next?
Choose the situation that fits your child. Start with one clear action today.
EXPLORE THE NEXT CHALLENGE
A strong Big Science result?
Next step: explore science olympiad training.
Look beyond the award: which science topics does your child enjoy most?
Try a lesson at the right year level before choosing a harder course.
Build depth in one subject, then broaden into unfamiliar problems.
Our JSO courses shown here are for Years 7–8. Years 9–10 families can explore subject acceleration below; a Big Science result does not guarantee entry to an olympiad program.
ACE ACHIEVERS · FIND YOUR NEXT COURSE
Turn science knowledge into problem-solving confidence
Choose your child’s year group, then try the subject they find hardest.
Which subject needs a stronger foundation?
Chemistry, physics or biology: start with a real lesson and work through its questions.
BUILD SCIENCE CONFIDENCE
Chemistry Acceleration
Knows the facts, but struggles to apply them to a new question?
Best fit
Years 7–8
Training focus
Chemistry concepts
✓Build chemistry understanding through structured lessons.
✓Try the teaching style before choosing a course.
First 3 lessons free with an account · No credit card
These courses build subject understanding. They are not official Big Science papers or a complete replacement for preparation across every science topic.
One free account. More courses to explore.
First 3 lessons in lesson-based courses · 3 AIMO units · First AMC mock paper.
Revise the year-level curriculum. Cover the biology, chemistry, physics and Earth-science topics for the student’s year so nothing is unfamiliar.
Practise data and context questions. Work through graphs, tables and experiment descriptions, stating what the data shows before answering.
Add timed sets. Do short blocks of 10–15 questions against the clock so the 50-minute pace feels normal.
Review by type. Sort mistakes into ‘didn’t know it’ and ‘misread or rushed it’ — the second group is the quickest to fix.
Why data-reading is the key skill
Because the content is curriculum-aligned, the questions that separate students are the ones built around unfamiliar data and scenarios. A student who can read a graph accurately, identify the variable being changed, and reason from evidence will outperform one who simply knows more facts. This is the same skill the Junior Science Olympiad tests at a higher level, which is why Big Science is such a useful stepping stone.
Using the result to plan next steps
A strong Big Science result is a clear signal that a student is ready for more demanding science competitions. The natural next step is the Junior Science Olympiad, which asks for the same applied reasoning but with harder, cross-topic problems. Our Big Science vs Junior Science Olympiad comparison explains the jump, and the science olympiads pathway guide shows where it ultimately leads. To see exactly where a student stands, use a free diagnostic, and build applied science skills with the Ace Achievers Junior Science Olympiad course.
Format and dates last verified June 2026 against Australian Science Innovations. Exam windows and rules change every year — always confirm the current details with ASI or your school before relying on a date.
Frequently asked questions
How do I prepare for the Big Science Competition?
Revise your year-level school science, then practise applying it to unfamiliar, real-world questions and to graphs and tables. The 50-minute, mixed-format format rewards quick, accurate reasoning, so practise reading carefully and keeping a steady pace rather than memorising extra facts.
What is the format of the Big Science Competition?
It is a 50-minute mixed-format online competition, set in real-life contexts and aligned with the Australian Curriculum – Science. There are four paper levels, one for each of Years 7, 8, 9 and 10.
When is the Big Science Competition in 2026?
The 2026 competition window was 4–15 May 2026. It runs once a year; check the official Australian Science Innovations site for the next year’s dates and registration, which is handled through schools.
What year levels can sit the Big Science Competition?
Students in Years 7 to 10. Each year level sits its own paper, so a Year 7 student and a Year 10 student answer different questions pitched to their stage.
Is the Big Science Competition harder than school science?
It uses the same curriculum content but asks students to apply it to unfamiliar situations and interpret data, which is more demanding than recall. It is a good readiness check for the Junior Science Olympiad.
Keep building your child’s competition pathway
Find the right course, explore another subject, or keep track of what is coming up.
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How should a Year 8 student prepare for Big Science?
Week 1 · Read the evidence
Use one graph or table each day. State the units, describe the pattern and distinguish an observation from an explanation.
Week 2 · Repair the science
Sort missed questions into biology, chemistry, physics and Earth science. Relearn one weak idea and explain it with an example.
Week 3 · Apply and review
Try mixed questions with a time limit, then justify why each wrong option fails. Keep a short error log for the next week.
This is an adaptable Ace Achievers study suggestion, not an official timetable. Strong knowledge and careful evidence reading are different skills: choose support for the weaker one. Compare science curricula by year and goal before registering.