Overview
The Olimpiada Mexicana de Informática (OMI) is Mexico's national programming and computer science contest for school students. Its purpose is to find the best young programmers in Mexico and choose the team that represents the country at the International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI). The official site and rules are in Spanish.
Who can apply
The call for the 30th OMI (2025) set these conditions:
Mexican nationality.
Enrolled with a full curriculum in a basic-education or upper-secondary school in the Mexican system.
Born after 1 July 2006 for that edition, and still in basic or upper-secondary education in the January to June 2026 term.
Check the current call each year, because the birth-date cut-off moves forward.
Exam pattern
The selection runs in six stages. The first four are open to all registered students; the last two involve only the national pre-selection group.
| Stage | When | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Open national online exam | March | Theory questions on logical reasoning, equations, basic mathematics, algebra, geometry, sets and Boolean algebra; open for several days |
| 2. State written exam | April | In-person exam on similar topics, with more emphasis on understanding algorithms |
| 3. State practical exam | May | Programming exam using the Karel robot simulator to write simple programs |
| 4. National practical exam | September | The best four students from each state compete |
| 5. Online exams for the pre-selection | June to March | About 30 pre-selected students sit roughly eight online exams, one every three weeks |
| 6. In-person practical exams for the pre-selection | March to July | Two or three in-person programming exams; the best four form Mexico's IOI team |
Syllabus
Early stages test logic, basic mathematics and Karel programming. The pre-selection stages cover data structures, searching, dynamic programming, graphs and other algorithms.
Important dates
Registration runs December to February, with the first exam in March. The state exams fall in April and May and the national practical exam in September. Exact dates change each year and are set in the annual call.
How to apply
Register through the state delegation listed on the official OMI site during the registration window. The official site also lists regulations and the delegation directory.
After the exam
The top four from the final in-person exams represent Mexico at the IOI.
Preparation tips
Practise Karel programs first; they are the entry point for the state practical exam.
Work on basic algebra, sets and Boolean logic for the early written exams.
Move on to algorithms such as search, graphs and dynamic programming if you reach the pre-selection.
Is the OMI only for upper-secondary students?
No. Students in basic education and upper secondary can both take part, as long as they meet the age and enrolment rules of the current call.