The USAAIO (USA·North America AI Olympiad) is a purely practical exam that doesn't look at portfolios. It runs through three stages — Round 1 (Google Colab, 3 hours) → Round 2 (MIT, GPU L4) → USAAIO Camp — leading to Team USA → IOAI and IAIO. CIT takes advantage of the fact that the foundation and advanced courses shared with KOAI (F1·F2·A1·A2) cover about 85% of the syllabus, and has separately designed dedicated modules U0–U4 that cover only the USAAIO-specific areas. A 5-minute walk from Apgujeong Station — open up two paths to IOAI at the same time with CIT.
Published: May 16, 2026 | Last updated: May 16, 2026 · Based on official USAAIO information
The USAAIO (USA·North America AI Olympiad) is the U.S. and Canada's national-team selection competition for IOAI (International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence) and IAIO. Unlike KOAI, it's purely practical and doesn't look at portfolios, and it proceeds through three stages: Round 1 → Round 2 → USAAIO Camp. Because each stage evaluates different abilities, CIT doesn't bundle it into a single course but instead designs it as modules separated by stage.
The key is shared-foundation efficiency. Since F1·F2·A1·A2 shared with the KOAI track already cover about 85% of the USAAIO syllabus, the USAAIO-only U0–U4 cover only the unique areas — by-hand math, Colab markdown, exam execution, and so on. For the exact registration schedule, exam format, and eligibility requirements, see the USAAIO competition info page.
| Steps | Assessment core | CIT module |
|---|---|---|
| Shared foundation | About 85% of the syllabus: Python, classical ML, deep learning, CV, NLP | F1·F2·A1·A2 |
| Eligibility & Registration | Citizenship & visa eligibility diagnosis + portal, account, and proctor site registration | U0 |
| Round 1 | 3 hours · Google Colab · CPU only · by-hand math + code | U1 → U2 |
| Round 2 | MIT · GPU L4 allowed · "Everything" scope (Transformers, NLP, CV, Generative) | A1·A2 → U3 |
| USAAIO Camp | Round 2 finalists' camp → Team USA → IOAI + IAIO | U4 Camp Prep |
USAAIO is demanding in eligibility, format, and depth of math. CIT doesn't push registration; instead, it precisely reinforces only the unique areas on top of the foundation shared with KOAI.
If USAAIO admits an ineligible student, they get blocked at the Team USA stage even after passing. CIT doesn't push registration; in the U0 eligibility diagnosis, it confirms citizenship, permanent residency, and enrollment status in writing, blocking ineligible students up front from spending unnecessary money and time.
F1·F2·A1·A2 cover about 85% of the USAAIO syllabus as-is. Students preparing for KOAI secure a second path to IOAI just by adding about 35 hours of USAAIO-only U1–U3. The efficiency relative to the added cost is maximized.
USAAIO is designed to eliminate both the "theory-only student" and the "code-only student." CIT standardizes a Colab answer template that mixes LaTeX formulas and code cells in advance, and checks by-hand math derivation and from-scratch implementation ability separately.
Attempting KOAI (Team Korea) and USAAIO (Team USA) at the same time maximizes the probability of reaching IOAI, and Team USA earns eligibility for two international competitions — IAIO in addition to IOAI. We vertically integrate everything, from MIT Round 2 and Camp environment simulations to 1:1 coaching for the finals.
The structure layers the USAAIO-only track (U0–U4) on top of the same shared foundation as KOAI (E→F→A). Complete the shared foundation once and it counts toward both competitions.
E1 → E2 → E3 (elementary pipeline) → F1 · F2 (foundation) → A1 · A2 (advanced)
U0 Eligibility Diagnosis + Registration Coaching → U1 Math + Colab Reinforcement → U2 Round 1 Mock Bootcamp → U3 Round 2 Bootcamp → U4 Camp Prep (if applicable)
Pass USAAIO Camp → selected for Team USA → compete in IOAI (International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence) + IAIO
It consists of the shared foundation (same as the KOAI track) and 5 USAAIO-only modules. Click any course to see its goals, target students, hours, weekly overview, and assessment deliverables in detail.
Regression, classification, and clustering pipelines with NumPy/Pandas/scikit-learn. About 10 hours.
F2 · SharedHands-on implementation from MLPs to mini transformer models in PyTorch. About 14 hours.
A1 · SharedFrom CNNs to diffusion models. Classification, detection, segmentation, and generation tasks. About 10 hours.
A2 · SharedThrough BERT, LLM APIs, and Whisper. End-to-end text and audio. About 10 hours.
※ The 4 shared-foundation courses are the same modules as the KOAI track. If you've already completed them in the KOAI track, you don't need to take them again. For details, see KOAI Prep Curriculum.
Citizenship & visa eligibility diagnosis + completing portal, account, and proctor site registration. About 2 hours of 1:1 consulting.
U1 · Round 1 reinforcementBy-hand math derivation + Colab markdown answer standardization. 10 weeks. About 10 hours.
U2 · Round 1 intensive3-hour / CPU-only format stamina, speed, and accuracy + wrong-answer log. 8 weeks. About 10 hours.
U3 · Round 2MIT / GPU L4 environment + hands-on Transformers, NLP, CV, and Generative. 6 weeks. About 13 hours.
U4 · Camp (if applicable)Team USA selection simulation + early exposure to the IOAI and IAIO finals. Adaptive scheduling. About 10 hours.
Both are domestic selection competitions for advancing to the IOAI finals, but they differ in evaluation philosophy, format, and eligibility. CIT runs the two tracks separately while sharing the common foundation (F1·F2·A1·A2).
| Item | KOAI (Korea) | USAAIO (USA·Canada) |
|---|---|---|
| Eligibility | Korean nationality or middle/high-school students residing in Korea | U.S./Canadian citizenship or permanent residency, or students enrolled at a U.S./Canadian school |
| Round 1 assessment | Application (Portfolio 40%, admissions-style) | Exam (Google Colab, 3 hours, practical) |
| Portfolio weight | 40% (a function of time) | None (pure skill assessment) |
| Exam language | Korean | English |
| Math weight | Usually | High: deriving estimators, proving kernel regularity, backpropagation by hand |
| Steps | Application → written exam → interview | Round 1 → Round 2(MIT) → Camp |
| Endpoint | Team Korea → IOAI | Team USA → IOAI + IAIO (2 competitions) |
USAAIO repeats each year in the flow of the new-year season (registration opens the prior summer) → Round 1 → Round 2 → Camp. Below is a standard template laying out the season flow as relative timing; for that year's exact registration and exam schedule, see the USAAIO Competition Guide.
| Timing (relative to season) | Courses run | Key point |
|---|---|---|
| When registration opens | U0 eligibility assessment | Citizenship & visa diagnosis + completing registration |
| Early season (fall semester) | F1·F2·A1·A2 (shared) | Run shared with the KOAI track |
| Round 1 D-10 weeks ~ | U1 (10 weeks) | Math + Colab reinforcement |
| Round 1 D-8 weeks ~ D-0 | U2 Bootcamp (8 weeks) | Round 1 format intensive |
| Round 1 results ~ just before Round 2 | U3 Bootcamp (5–6 weeks) | Finalists only · prep for the MIT environment |
| Round 2 results ~ just before Camp | U4 Camp Prep | Round 2 finalists only · adaptive |
| After Camp | IOAI/IAIO 1:1 coaching | Team USA selectees only |
The path branches based on eligibility type, grade level, and prior experience. We build an individual plan for each student in the first diagnostic session.
Enrolled at a Korean international school, holds U.S. citizenship
F1 → F2 → A1+A2 → U1 → U2 → U3. Run the KOAI track in parallel at the same time. Pursue both paths to IOAI simultaneously.
Enrolled at a Korean international school, holds a green card
U0 → F1 → F2 → U1 → U2 → take the USAAIO. Can also take the KOAI middle-school division at the same time upon reaching the eligible grade.
Eligibility confirmed, attempting the first season
U0 → U1 + U2 → Round 1 → depending on the result, advance to U3 or retry next season.
All times are recommended 1:1 hours. Depending on the student's prior knowledge, comprehension speed, and learning absorption, they vary by ±30–50%, and we build an individual plan for each student in the first diagnostic session.
| Course | Recommended (1:1) | Range |
|---|---|---|
| U0 Eligibility diagnosis + registration coaching | About 2 hours | 1.5–3 hours |
| U1 Math + Colab reinforcement | About 10 hours | 6–14 hours |
| U2 Round 1 Mock Bootcamp | About 10 hours | 6–14 hours |
| U3 Round 2 Bootcamp | About 13 hours | 8–18 hours |
| U4 Camp prep | About 10 hours | 6–14 hours (self-study separate) |
| F1 Foundations I (shared) | About 10 hours | 6–14 hours |
| F2 Foundations II (shared) | ~14 hours | 10–20 hours |
| A1 CV Advanced (shared) | About 10 hours | 6–14 hours |
| A2 NLP & Audio (shared) | About 10 hours | 6–14 hours |
※ Shared foundation (F·A) subtotal: about 44 hours. If you've already completed it in the KOAI track, just adding about 35 hours of USAAIO-only U1–U3 opens up a second path to IOAI. Running the dual track saves about 27% of the time compared with running the two tracks separately. Running it as a group lecture takes about twice as long.
You must be a U.S. or Canadian citizen or permanent resident, or a full-time middle- or high-school student attending a school in the U.S. or Canada, and you must be under 20 years old as of the first day of the international competition and not a full-time university student. CIT doesn't push registration; in the U0 eligibility diagnosis coaching, we first verify citizenship and visa status. We also let Canadian students know in advance that, while they can take the exam, they're blocked at the Team USA selection stage. If a student doesn't qualify, we naturally transition them to the KOAI track or a general AI learning track.
While KOAI Round 1 is an application review centered on the Portfolio 40%, USAAIO Round 1 is a purely practical exam (Google Colab, 3 hours) that doesn't look at portfolios. The exam is in English, the proportion of by-hand math is high — deriving estimators, backpropagation by hand, and so on — and it proceeds through three stages: Round 1 → Round 2 (MIT, GPU L4) → USAAIO Camp. The endpoints differ too: KOAI is Team Korea → IOAI, while USAAIO is Team USA → IOAI + IAIO, two competitions.
For students with dual eligibility (U.S./Canadian citizenship or permanent residency, or enrollment at a U.S./Canadian school), CIT recommends the dual track. Because the F1·F2·A1·A2 foundation and advanced courses simultaneously cover about 85% of the USAAIO syllabus, if you're already taking the KOAI track, just adding about 35 hours of USAAIO-only U1–U3 opens up one more path to IOAI. Running the dual track means completing the shared foundation only once, saving about 27% of the time compared with running the two tracks separately.
It consists of the foundation F1·F2 and advanced A1·A2 shared with the KOAI track (covering about 85% of the syllabus), plus USAAIO-only U0 (eligibility diagnosis & registration coaching), U1 (Math + Colab reinforcement), U2 (Round 1 Mock Bootcamp), U3 (Round 2 Bootcamp), and U4 (Camp prep). U1–U4 focus intensively only on USAAIO-specific areas such as by-hand math, Colab markdown, and exam execution.
Every course is run by default as a small-group 1:1 or 1:2 format. Compared with group lectures, students reach the same point in less than half the time, automatically accelerating or slowing down to fit each student's strengths and weaknesses. The listed class hours are recommendations on a 1:1 basis and vary by ±30–50% depending on the student's prior knowledge and comprehension speed.
Yes. If you pass USAAIO Round 2, go through Camp, and are selected for Team USA, you'll compete in two international competitions: IOAI (International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence) and IAIO. In the U4 Camp prep course, CIT covers Team USA selection simulations and early exposure to the IOAI and IAIO finals, and provides a separate 1:1 coaching package for finalists. Check the USAAIO competition info page for the exact schedule and eligibility.
First, the U0 eligibility diagnosis confirms whether your child is eligible to take the USAAIO. If they are, we'll individually design a dual-track path that leverages the foundation shared with KOAI in a diagnostic session.