# Olmo 3.1 32b Instruct vs Step 3.5 Flash

> Step 3.5 Flash is the stronger model overall, scoring 42.3 to 39.4 on the Noometry Index.

- Canonical page: https://noometry.com/compare/olmo-3-1-32b-instruct-vs-step-3-5-flash
- Last updated: 2026-10-11
- Shared benchmarks: 16

## Summary

- They share 16 benchmarks with published results for both. Olmo 3.1 32b Instruct scores higher in 1 category and Step 3.5 Flash in 7 categories; 8 gaps are clear of the uncertainty.
- The widest gap is in writing & preference, where Step 3.5 Flash leads 58.8 to 50.2.

## Snapshot

| | Olmo 3.1 32b Instruct | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| Provider | Allen Institute for AI (Ai2) | StepFun |
| Noometry Index | 39.4 | 42.3 |
| Rank | 168 | 116 |
| Context | — | 256K |
| Input $/M | — | $0.10 |
| Output $/M | — | $0.30 |
| Weights | Open | Open |

## Coding

- Olmo 3.1 32b Instruct: 39.5 (#157)
- Step 3.5 Flash: 42.4 (#105)

| Benchmark | Olmo 3.1 32b Instruct | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Coding | 1347 | 1436 |

## Reasoning

- Olmo 3.1 32b Instruct: 26.4 (#132)
- Step 3.5 Flash: 22.2 (#202)

| Benchmark | Olmo 3.1 32b Instruct | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Hard Prompts | 1322 | 1411 |
| NYT Connections (extended) | — | 28.4% |

## Math

- Olmo 3.1 32b Instruct: 36.3 (#167)
- Step 3.5 Flash: 42.6 (#84)

| Benchmark | Olmo 3.1 32b Instruct | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Math | 1305 | 1408 |
| MathArena Final-Answer Competitions | — | 66.8% |

## Knowledge

- Olmo 3.1 32b Instruct: 36.1 (#175)
- Step 3.5 Flash: 39.6 (#132)

| Benchmark | Olmo 3.1 32b Instruct | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Expert | 1308 | 1421 |

## Multilingual

- Olmo 3.1 32b Instruct: 42.6 (#191)
- Step 3.5 Flash: 50.5 (#119)

| Benchmark | Olmo 3.1 32b Instruct | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Non-English | 1275 | 1385 |
| LMArena Chinese | 1304 | 1447 |
| LMArena French | 1328 | 1421 |
| LMArena German | 1282 | 1405 |
| LMArena Korean | 1206 | 1352 |
| LMArena Russian | 1268 | 1385 |
| LMArena Spanish | 1336 | 1419 |
| LMArena Japanese | — | 1354 |

## Instruction Following

- Olmo 3.1 32b Instruct: 68.6 (#187)
- Step 3.5 Flash: 73.1 (#124)

| Benchmark | Olmo 3.1 32b Instruct | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Instruction Following | 1299 | 1385 |

## Long Context

- Olmo 3.1 32b Instruct: 39.9 (#166)
- Step 3.5 Flash: 42.8 (#117)

| Benchmark | Olmo 3.1 32b Instruct | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Longer Query | 1312 | 1402 |

## Writing & Preference

- Olmo 3.1 32b Instruct: 50.2 (#185)
- Step 3.5 Flash: 58.8 (#113)

| Benchmark | Olmo 3.1 32b Instruct | Step 3.5 Flash |
|---|---|---|
| LMArena Text | 1311 | 1403 |
| LMArena Creative Writing | 1264 | 1357 |
| LMArena Multi-Turn | 1309 | 1405 |

## FAQ

### Is Olmo 3.1 32b Instruct better than Step 3.5 Flash?

Step 3.5 Flash is the stronger model overall, scoring 42.3 to 39.4 on the Noometry Index.

### Is Olmo 3.1 32b Instruct or Step 3.5 Flash better for coding?

Step 3.5 Flash scores higher on coding benchmarks: 42.4 versus 39.5 in the Noometry coding category.

### How many benchmarks do Olmo 3.1 32b Instruct and Step 3.5 Flash share?

16 benchmarks have published results for both models. Olmo 3.1 32b Instruct has 16 scored results on Noometry and Step 3.5 Flash has 19.