An academic competition that asks children to think, not to remember.
Since 1981, more than 10 million students in 16,000 schools across 41 countries have taken ICAS. Five subjects, Standard 2 to Upper 6, taken online at school.
What makes ICAS different
Most tests ask a student what they know. ICAS asks what they can do with it — the higher-order thinking skills (HOTS) thatMalaysian classrooms are already working towards.
Apply
Use an idea in a situation they haven't seen before.
Analyse
Break a problem apart and work out what actually matters.
Evaluate
Weigh the options, choose, and be able to say why.
ICAS is built against each subject's curriculum, then asks more of a student than the syllabus does. That is why a child who does well at school may still find ICAS hard — and why the result tells a teacher something a school test cannot.
Five subjects
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English
Reading and language challenges
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Mathematics
Problem-solving puzzles
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Science
Reasoning from evidence and observation
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Writing
Narrative and persuasive prompts
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Digital Technologies
Coding, data and technology skills
Who can take it
Standard 2 / Year 2 through to Upper 6 / Year 12. Every student in a year level takes the same paper, and the questions get harder as it goes on, so every child in a mixed-ability class has somewhere to work.
Each assessment takes between half an hour and an hour, depending on the subject and year level.
Year levels and format →
How students are recognised
Every student who takes part receives a certificate. Above that, awards are based on how a student scores against other Malaysian students in the same subject and year level.
| Medal | The top score in Malaysia for each subject and year level |
| High Distinction | Top 1% |
| Distinction | Next 10% |
| Credit | Next 25% |
| Merit | Next 10% |
| Participation | Every student who takes part |
