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USACO Bronze Problem Series

This course is an introduction to the USA Computing Olympiad at the Bronze level. By the end of the course, students will be comfortable applying strategies such as binary search, greedy algorithms, and using data structures such as arrays, maps, and sets. The course builds problem-solving skills and strategies that will be helpful along the rest of the USACO pathway: Silver (for which we are developing a class), Gold (the focus of CodeWOOT), Platinum, and even the IOI.

12 weeks

Diagnostics

ARE YOU READY?
12 weeks ARE YOU READY?  

Schedule

Sunday
Jan 5 - Mar 23
7:30 - 9:00
PM ET
Jan 5 - Mar 23
7:30 - 9:00 PM Eastern
6:30 - 8:00 PM Central
5:30 - 7:00 PM Mountain
4:30 - 6:00 PM Pacific
Click here to see more time zones
$445 (~$38/lesson)
$445 (~$38/lesson)
CLOSED
Thursday
Feb 6 - Apr 24
7:30 - 9:00
PM ET
Feb 6 - Apr 24
7:30 - 9:00 PM Eastern
6:30 - 8:00 PM Central
5:30 - 7:00 PM Mountain
4:30 - 6:00 PM Pacific
Click here to see more time zones
$445 (~$38/lesson)
$445 (~$38/lesson)
CLOSED
Tuesday
May 13 - Jul 29
7:30 - 9:00
PM ET
May 13 - Jul 29
7:30 - 9:00 PM Eastern
6:30 - 8:00 PM Central
5:30 - 7:00 PM Mountain
4:30 - 6:00 PM Pacific
Click here to see more time zones
$445 (~$38/lesson)
$445 (~$38/lesson)
ENROLL
Sunday
Jun 22 - Sep 21
7:30 - 9:00
PM ET
Jun 22 - Sep 21
7:30 - 9:00 PM Eastern
6:30 - 8:00 PM Central
5:30 - 7:00 PM Mountain
4:30 - 6:00 PM Pacific
Click here to see more time zones
$445 (~$38/lesson)
$445 (~$38/lesson)
ENROLL

AoPS Holidays

There are no classes May 24 ‐ 26, July 4 ‐ 6, August 29 ‐ September 1, October 31, November 24 ‐ November 30, and December 20, 2025 ‐ January 2, 2026.

Who Should Take?

This course is intended for students who are new to (or just starting out in) the world of programming competitions such as USACO. Students should already be comfortable enough with C++, Java, or Python to write simple programs using basic concepts like arrays, maps/sets, if statements, and for loops. Note that either Java or Python is sufficient for the USACO Bronze and Silver levels, but USACO Gold and above (and most programming contests) essentially require C++, and the IOI only supports C++.

Lessons

1 Intro to USACO Bronze and Simulation
2 Big-O and Complete Search
3 Advanced Complete Search
4 Sets and Maps
5 Intro to Greedy Algorithms
6 Further Greedy Algorithms
7 Geometry
8 Intro to Binary Search
9 Further Binary Search
10 Ad Hoc Problems
11 US Open Problems
12 Bridge to Silver: Permutations and Recursion

I loved my experience taking this course. What I loved most about it was that even if I knew a good part of the techniques we covered, I still learned many new ones and got a much better understanding of how to combine new and old concepts and apply them to problems that had previously seemed much more overwhelming. I look forward to taking other courses here in the future!