USACO Registration and Participation
Participating in a USACO competition is as simple as making an account. That means:
- There is NO signup fee.
- There is NO specific contest registration process.
You are automatically able to participate in a USACO contest, as soon as it goes live. You just need an account first.
Account Creation
- Visit the official USACO website at https://usaco.org/index.php. Then, go to "Register for New Account".
- On the next page, fill out the details as requested. Some particular notes:
- Your first and last name must be your real, legal name, or you may be disqualified.
- The email you use should be one that is easily accessible. We strongly recommend the student use a personal email, not their parent's email or a school email (as emails from USACO may be blocked by firewalls).
- If you are female and live in the USA, then you can select yes for "EGOI eligible". Otherwise, you can leave it blank.
- You should almost immediately receive an email like as follows after registering. It will contain your username and a randomly generated password.
- Return to the USACO website homepage and log in using your new credentials.
- If you would like to change your password, then click on "Edit Account Settings" and you can edit your password there.
Taking Contests
As mentioned before, there is no special registration process required to take a USACO contest. If you have an account, then you can take it, free of charge or signup form.
The right of the USACO homepage contains the schedule for USACO contests. For instance, these dates:
- Dec 13-16: First Contest
- Jan 24-27: Second Contest
- Feb 21-24: Third Contest
- Mar 21-24: US Open
During these four-day timeframes, the test will be available for you to take, and a special prompt will appear on the homepage directing you to take it. Although there is a 4-day window to take the test, you will have exactly 4 hours to complete the contest once you officially start it.
You can see this video here to see what this entire process looks like.