2023 Spring competition dates
Monday 28 August – Friday 8 September
Mathematics
Science
Reading
Registration
Registrations for the 2023 Challenge - Spring session are now open!
The Challenge costs $15 per student for each subject.
Preparation
Preparing for the Challenge is easy - simply upload student details to your ACER online account and assign each learning area. Our helpful team provide guidance throughout and will quickly respond to any queries.
Administration
The Challenge is taken online through ACER’s online assessment and reporting platform.
Each learning area takes one session of no more than 60 minutes to complete.
Designed by the globally-renowned educational research centre that created PAT, the Global Academic Challenge is a unique academic competition for Australian students.
Awards and recognition
The Global Academic Challenge is a valuable opportunity to recognise what your students can achieve and to celebrate their academic success within your school community.
Medallions
Each student who achieves the top result in each learning area will receive a personalised medallion, as well as their certificate.
Certificates
Every student who takes part in the Challenge will receive a certificate recognising their level of achievement.
Certificate criteria
Respected educational centre
ACER is globally renowned for its research, rigour and evidence-based approach, giving certificates real-world meaning.
Celebrate achievements
Schools are encouraged to present certificates and awards at assemblies and in school newsletters.
Share with ACER
ACER is keen to celebrate your successes with you! With your permission, ACER will publish outstanding results and profiles of your schools’ achievement.
Webinar: Introducing the Global Academic Challenge
Find out more about ACER’s new academic competition by attending one of our introductory webinars.
See how your students perform internationally
The Global Academic Challenge provides reliable international benchmarks to help you see how your students’ results compare to students around the world.
We can provide this valuable comparative data because the challenge draws upon ACER’s decades of international assessment experience as well as the widely-respected International Schools’ Assessment (ISA) program, undertaken by 90,000 students each year. This program is based on the frameworks of OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and focuses on assessing complex, higher-order thinking skills.*
* Note that the ISA is not part of PISA and is not endorsed by the OECD.
Valuable objective insights into student performance
Quickly see how your students compare to students across Australia and around the world with reports that offer objective insights, including unique comparative data.
Relevant for your students and classroom
The Global Academic Challenge is designed for an Australian classroom context, with special emphasis on how to stretch your high-achieving students appropriately. The competition draws upon decades of experience within the Australian Council for Educational Research, creators of the highly-regarded PAT assessments that are used by more than half of Australian schools.
Designed by world leaders in education
The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) is globally renowned for its work in assessment and educational research.
ACER has been involved in the development and administration of large-scale international surveys such as PISA and TIMSS and brings this vast experience in international assessment to the Global Academic Challenge.
Stay up to date
Join the Global Academic Challenge mailing list to be kept updated with news, developments, key dates and competition guidance.