AI Olympiad Problem Solving Club: Free Weekly AI Olympiad Problems

Welcome to the AI Olympiad Problem Solving Club!

Every week, three new AI Olympiad practice problems. The following week, worked solutions that explain not just the answer, but why. Free and open to any high school or middle school student who likes a good problem.

Note: These problems are for the AI Olympiad, not the Junior AI Olympiad, although younger students are very welcome to try!

Why a problem-solving club?

The AI Olympiad rewards a particular kind of thinking. Many problems come down to understanding what a method does, why it works, and what its output means. That's a skill, and like any skill, it grows with steady practice.

So we're making practice a weekly habit. A few good problems, a week to think about them, and then a clear explanation. Over a season, that adds up.

The problems are written for high school students preparing for the USA–North America AI Olympiad and other AI competitions. Strong younger students are welcome to try them too.

What each week looks like

Each week has three problems, one at each difficulty:

- Warm-up: one idea, used directly. A good place to start.

- Core: two ideas together, or one step of real reasoning.

- Challenge: at or above exam level. It's meant to be hard, and it's fine to struggle with it.

The problems rotate across three kinds of thinking:

- Math: the linear algebra, probability, and calculus behind AI

- Code: reading, tracing, and reasoning about Python

- Concepts: how and why methods work, from classic machine learning to neural networks and transformers

The next week's post includes full solutions: the reasoning, where the common mistakes are, and the idea each problem tests.

How to get the most from it

1. Start with the Warm-up. Get a win before the harder ones.

2. Try each problem on your own first. Give it real time before looking anything up.

3. Write down your reasoning, not just your answer. That's what you'll compare with the solution.

4. Read the solutions closely, even for problems you got right. There's often a faster or deeper way to see it.

5. Come back to the Challenge problems a few weeks later. If one feels easier the second time, that's progress.

If you want to know which math to strengthen first, our post on AP Calculus and the AI Olympiad is a good place to start.

Get the solutions in your inbox

Join our mailing list, and we'll send each week's problems and the previous week's solutions straight to you. You can join the mailing list here

Want help preparing?

Stuck on a Challenge problem? Want a structured program focused on your goals and the best path to success? If you'd like help preparing for the AI Olympiad, we'd be glad to talk.

Book a free consultation here