Science Olympiads: How To Plan For Competitive Exams

Competitive exams have become an integral part of our education system. Unlike what many students and parents think, competitive exams are not conducted just for Class 12 students. Students of Classes 1 to 12 can participate in a number of competitive exams like Olympiad programs. An olympiad exam is a competitive gateway for the students to understand their educational strengths. In an Olympiad, students compete with other students of a similar educational level and come to know about their strengths and weaknesses. It also helps them to understand the subjects that they study in depth. Government and non-government organizations organize many Olympiad examinations every year. The aim of these exams are to unearth talented students who are not financially capable and help them show their talent in front of the country and also abroad. There are a number of Olympiads for students in India. Some of them serve as gateways to international competitions and others organized by private organizations. If any candidate qualifies an Olympiad then he might get some financial help too, apart from the certificate of participation. These Olympiads provide a great exposure to the students to the world of competitions. It helps students to think analytically and also makes them realize their true potential.

This article is for those students and parents who are searching for a prominent Olympiad that can give wings to their dreams of a promising career and a successful life. The Olympiads listed below are primarily for students of Classes 8 to 12.

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National Olympiads: Gateway to International Olympiads

The Indian Olympiad Qualifier (IOQ) is conducted in the subjects of Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Junior Science, and Physics.

Indian Olympiad Qualifier (IOQ) is a nationwide examination conducted by the Indian Association of Physics Teachers (IAPT), the Association of Chemistry Teachers (ACT), the Association of Teachers in Biological Sciences (ATBS), and Homi Bhabha Center for Science Education, or HBCSE, a National Centre under the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research – . TIFR. HBCSE is India's nodal center for Olympiad programs in Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Astronomy, and Junior Science.These programs aim to promote excellence in Science and Mathematics among pre-university students.

IOQ is the first stage for selecting the Indian teams to compete in international Olympiads.

Categories of Indian Olympiad Qualifier 2021-2022

• Indian Olympiad Qualifier in Astronomy (IOQA)
• Indian Olympiad Qualifier in Biology (IOQB)
• Indian Olympiad Qualifier in Chemistry (IOQC)
• Indian Olympiad Qualifier in Physics (IOQP)
• Indian Olympiad Qualifier in Junior Science (IOQJS)

The IOQ in each subject will be a combination of two examinations and students have to attend both the exams in one sitting.

Part I: National Standard Examinations (NSEs): This is a screening examination for selective evaluation of the second part called Indian National Olympiad (INO). This part of IOQ conducted in different subjects are known as National Standard Examinations (NSEs) in Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Junior Science and Physics, or, NSEA, NSEB, NSEC, NSEJS and NSEP, respectively. NSE for each subject is organized by IAPT in collaboration with ACT, ATBS.

Part II: Indian National Olympiad (INO):The best-performing students from the NSEs, approximately 300 in each subject, qualify for INO. This part of IOQ in different subjects are known as Indian National Olympiads (INOs) in Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Junior Science and Physics, or, INAO, INBO, INChO, INJSO and INPhO, respectively. INO for each subject is organized by HBCSE.

Eligibility to participate in IOQA, IOQB, IOQC, IOQP and IOQJS (2022-23 session): Students must be studying in Class 8, 9, 10, 11, or 12, and must not have completed (or not scheduled to complete) a Class 12 board examination prior to November 30, 2022.In addition, students who appear for IOQA, IOQAB, IOQC, and IOQAP cannot appear for IOQJS and vice-versa. Also, it is mandatory for students appearing for this test to be eligible for holding an Indian passport.

Official website: https://olympiads.hbcse.tifr.res.in/

Indian Olympiad Qualifier in Mathematics (IOQM)

This IOQ is organized by the HBCSE on behalf of the National Board for Higher Mathematics (NBHM).It is the first stage of the national examination for selecting the Indian teams to compete in international Mathematical Olympiads.The IOQM examination consists of two parts. Part A will be an OMR-based paper with 12 questions having a total duration of 75 minutes. Part B will be a subjective paper with 3 questions having a total duration of 150 minutes. The top 6 students of the merit list of IOQM Part B will be selected for the Indian team to the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) 2022.

Students studying in Class 8, 9, 10, 11, or 12, and not having completed (or not scheduled to complete) a Class 12 board examination prior to November 30, 2022 are eligible to appear forIOQM 2022.

Official website: https://olympiads.hbcse.tifr.res.in/

Indian Computing Olympiad

Every year the Indian Association for Research in Computing Science (IARCS) conducts the Indian Computing Olympiad in India.The aim of this Olympiad is to identify and nurture school students with outstanding skills in algorithms and computer programming.This competition is used to select India's team of four representatives for the International Olympiad for Informatics (IOI), one of the 12 annual International Science competitions. The Indian Computing Olympiad is available to students from all educational boards across the country. During the academic year 2022-2023, any student registered in a school up to Class 12 is entitled to participate in ICO. There is no minimum age requirement to participate. But if you have completed Class 12, you are no longer eligible.The first round of this Olympiad has two parts.The first part is the written exam named Zonal Informatics Olympiad (ZIO) and the second part is a programming exam named Zonal Computing Olympiad (ZCO).The programming languages supported for ZCO are C, C++, Python and Java. Students can write either ZCO or ZIO, or both, and to qualify for the second round you have to qualify for either one of the exams.The second round of this Olympiad is the Indian National Olympiad in Informatics (INOI) which involves programming in C++ only. From the result of INOI at least 30 students are selected for the IOI Training Camp (IOITC). As an incentive to ICO students some Indian as well as International academic institutions have special admission procedures for them.

Official Website :https://www.iarcs.org.in/inoi/

Geo Genius National Geography Olympiad

IBGB Learning Society, a non-profit organization, conducts the Geo Genius National Geography Olympiad, a three-tier competition. Geo Genius offers Indian students in the Senior Category the opportunity to qualify for the International Geography Olympiad (commonly known as iGeo). The 2022 iGeo will be held in Paris. Students from Class 2 to Class 12 of CBSE Board, ICSE Board, State Boards and International Boards are eligible to compete in the Olympiad.The students are divided into three categories; Sub Junior Category (Class 2 to 4), Junior Category (Class 5 to 8 ) and Senior Category (Class 9 to 12). Fee for the exam is Rs 300. Each winner from each category receives between Rs 5,000 and Rs 21,000 as prize money. The four winners of the Senior Category represent India at the International Geography Olympiad.

Official website: https://www.geogeniusindia.org/

Indian National Earth Science Olympiad (INESO)

The INESO is an annual competition for secondary school students (Classes 9 , 10 and 11) organized by the Geological Society of India (GSI). The main aims of the INESO are to encourage students' interest and public awareness on Earth Science and to enhance Earth Sciences learning at school level. In India, the national team for the International Earth Science Olympiad (IESO) is selected by the GSI. Three stages are necessary to compete in the IESO, National Level Entrance Test, IINESO and Pre-Departure Training Camp.

Official website: http://www.geosocindia.org/index.php/ieso/index

Olympiads Conducted by Private And Non-profit Organizations

Science Olympiad Foundation (SOF)

Official website: https://sofworld.org/

The SOF conducts various Olympiads for students every year to test students’ skills and knowledge in respective subjects. It promotes Science, Mathematics,introductory computer education, general knowledge, and English language abilities among students in India and many other nations by conducting Olympiads.The Foundation's mission is to promote scientific mindset among students. The list of various Olympiads conducted by SOF is given below. To be eligible for these Olympiads students must be from the class mentioned against each Olympiad.

1. National Cyber Olympiad (NCO): Open to the students of Classes 1 to 10.
2. National Science Olympiad (NSO): Open to the students of Classes 1 to 12.
3. International Mathematics Olympiad (IMO): Open to the students of Classes 1 to 12
4. International English Olympiad (IEO): Open to the students of Classes 1 to 12
5. International Commerce Olympiad (ICO): Open to the students of Classes 11 and 12
6. International General Knowledge Olympiad (IGKO): Open to the students of Classes 1 to 12
7. International Social Studies Olympiad (ISSO): Open to the students of Classes 3 to 10

Some of the SOF Olympiads are single-level exams while others have two levels.The medium of the exam is English. The syllabus for this exam is the same as the curriculum of CBSE, ICSE/ISC, State Boards, or any other equivalent board affiliated schools. Registration fee to appear in each olympiad is Rs 125. There is no fee for students suffering from any major physical disability, or an Indian student whose father or mother was martyred during defense operations. International level toppers from each class will receive Rs 50,000 (Rs.1,00,000 for ICO), International Gold Medal and Certificate of Outstanding Performance.

SilverZone Foundation

SilverZone Foundation is an education organization based in New Delhi. Its mission is to promote learning outside of the classroom in an innovative way, allowing students to fulfill their potential and develop their skills for a bright and ambitious future.It organizes a variety of Olympiads to help students improve their reasoning, analytical, logical and problem-solving skills in a highly competitive and global environment.The foundation organizes Olympiads online as well as offline in the areas of Computer Science, Mathematics, Science, English, Hindi, General Knowledge, Social Studies, and Reasoning and Mental Ability. The list of various Olympiads conducted by SOF is given below. To be eligible for these olympiads students must be from the classes mentioned against each Olympiad.

• International Informatics Olympiad (IIO): Open to the students of Classes 1 to 12
• International Olympiad of Mathematics (IOM): Open to the students of Classes 1 to 12
• International Olympiad of Science (IOS): Open to the students of Classes 1 to 12
• International Olympiad of English Language (IOEL): Open to the students of Classes 1 to 12
• Akhil Bhartiya Hindi Olympiad (ABHO): Open to the students of Classes 1 to 10
• Smart Kid General Knowledge Olympiad (SKGKO): Open to the students of Classes 1 to 10
• International Social Studies Olympiad (ISSO): Open to the students of Classes 1 to 10
• International Reasoning and Aptitude Olympiad (IRAO): Open to the students of Classes 3 to 12

For each olympiad as mentioned above their syllabus is made up of CBSE/ICSE and several state board syllabuses. For IIO, IOM, IOS, IOEL, ABHO, SKGKO, ISSO the cash prize of Rs. 7,500/-, and Rs. 5,000/- and Rs. 2,500/- respectively will be awarded to the 1st and 2nd and 3rd rankers from each Class. While for IRAO the cash prize of Rs. 5,000/-, and Rs. 3,000/- and Rs. 2,000/- respectively will be awarded to the 1st and 2nd and 3rd rankers from each Class.

Unified Council Olympiads

Official website: https://www.unifiedcouncil.com/index.html

The Unified Council is an organization that works in the field of education. The Council’s goal is to make the young generation stronger and more skilled.

Prominent exams:

1. National Level Science Talent Search Examination (NSTSE):

• Students studying in Classes 2 to 12 are eligible for this examination.
  The NSTSE registration fee is Rs 300 for individual registration and Rs 150 for registration through School.

2. Unified Cyber Olympiad (UCO):

• Students studying in Classes 2 to 10 are eligible for this examination. The UCO registration fee is Rs. 150.

3. Unified International Mathematics Olympiad (UIMO):

• Students studying in Classes 1 to 10 are eligible for this examination. The UIMO registration fee is Rs. 150.

4. Unified International English Olympiad (UIEO):

• Students studying in Classes 2 to 10 are eligible for this examination. The UIEO registration fee is Rs. 150.

The question papers of these exams are suitable for students following CBSE/ICSE/ISC and various other State Board syllabi. For both NSTSE and UIMO a prize of Rs 2 lakh is given to a student in any class who receives first place and 100 percent marks. If no student achieves that level, the student with the highest percentage of marks across all classes receives Rs 1 lakh as prize. And for each exam conducted by the Unified Council as mentioned above, the first rankers and the next 2 rankers (2nd and 3rd) in each class are awarded a laptop and a Tablet PC respectively + a Memento.

EduHeal Foundation Olympiads

EduHeal Foundation (EHF) is an international NGO and also an educational partner of the Google Science Fair. The EHF is looking for talented students through outreach at 6000 schools and annually reaches out to 9 lakhs students. As part of its mission, the Foundation conducts several Olympiads, that includes National Interactive Science Olympiad (NISO), the National Interactive Maths Olympiad (NIMO), International English Olympiad (IEO), National Biotechnology Olympiad (NBTO), National Space Science Olympiad (NSSO), and more. Students in Classes 8 to 12 are eligible for these olympiads. Some of the exams like NIMO, NISO, IEO are conducted in two levels while the rest exams are single level only. The toppers in level 1 are awarded cash prizes that ranges between Rs 1,000 to Rs 3,000 while the toppers in level 2 are awarded cash prizes between the range of Rs 10,000 to Rs 50,000. Along with cash prizes toppers are also rewarded with medals and merit certificates for outstanding performance.

Official website: https://www.ehfworld.com/

Indian Talent Olympiad (ITO)

Official website: https://www.indiantalent.org/

The Indian Talent Olympiad (ITO) was founded by Indian academicians and scientists to identify and nurture student talent. This organization provides scholarships worth Rs 1,000,000 every year to the national level toppers from Class 1 to Class 10.

The ITO Foundation organizes the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), International Science Olympiad (ISO), General Knowledge International Olympiad (GKIO), International Computer Olympiad (ICO), National Essay Olympiad (NESO), English International Olympiad (EIO), International Drawing Olympiad (IDO) and National Social Studies Olympiad (NSSO). Each Olympiad requires a registration fee of Rs 200 for individual registrations, and Rs 150 for students who apply through their schools. According to the students' rank in these Olympiads they are rewarded with cash prizes in a range of Rs 40,000 to Rs 1,00,000, medals, merit certificates and some exciting prizes like laptops and tablets.

The above olympiads are designed to assess students’ knowledge in particular subjects and reward them according to their performance. Therefore, select the one that interests you and develop your intellectual and critical thinking skills accordingly.