Top 5 Science Olympiads For Senior and Higher Secondary Students

External exams and Olympiads help in making a blueprint for the future. Conducted by different organisations, these external exams are conducted at multiple levels like zonal, national and international level. Students studying in Class 1 to Class 12 can participate in these competitive exams which are conducted annually or every six months. For students to take these exams, schools must first tie up with the organisations that conduct these tests. Listed below are the top five external assessments you must take part in.

Science Olympiad Foundation

Science Olympiad Foundation (SOF) is a very popular educational organization established in the year 1998 by leading academicians, scientists, media personalities etc., SOF promotes academic competition in students by inducing the scientific attitude and temperament in creative and innovative methods. Students from Class 1 upto Class 12 can participate in the Olympiad. Through the multiple competitive exams, SOF identifies the highly intellectual students and provides them with a unique competitive spirit to excel in their area of interest. It also conducts seminars, webinars, Science or IT, humanities competitions for different class and age group children.

SOF conducts the following examinations

• SOF National Cyber Olympiad

• SOF National Science Olympiad

• SOF International Mathematics Olympiad

• SOF International English Olympiad

• SOF International Commerce Olympiad

• SOF International General Knowledge Olympiad

• SOF International Social Studies Olympiad

Schools have to register with SOF in order to receive the registration forms. Schools co-ordinating teachers should fill in the School Registration Form (SRF) and Students Registration Sheet (SRS) according to the prescribed guidelines and return to the SOF office within the given time dates. Upon successful verification, SOF supplies required exam materials along with the dates on which the exam has to be conducted. Students have to pay Rs 150 to participate in the exams. The exam pattern of each examination varies according to the class.

For more information visit the official website: sofworld.org

Indian National Olympiad (INO)

Organised by the Homi Bhabha Centre For Science Education (HBCSE), the Indian National Olympiad (INO) is the second stage of the selection process for the International Science Olympiads. The first stage of the INO is the National Standard Examination (NSE) conducted by the Indian Association of Physics Teachers (IAPT). After qualifying this exam, interested students can appear in exams conducted in five science subjects viz. Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Astronomy and Junior Science. The exams are as follows:

• Indian National Astronomy Olympiad (INAO)

• Indian National Physics Olympiad (INPO)

• Indian National Chemistry Olympiad (INCO)

• Indian National Junior Science Olympiad (INJsO) and

• Indian National Biology Olympiad (INBO)

Syllabus:

INAO - Senior secondary level (up to and including Class XII) with emphasis on Physics, Mathematics, and Elementary Astronomy of the CBSE.

INPO - Senior secondary level (up to and including Class XII) of CBSE.

INCO - Senior secondary level (up to and including Class XII) of CBSE.

INJsO - Secondary school level (up to and including Class X) of CBSE.

INBO - Senior secondary level (up to and including Class XII) of CBSE.

After clearing these exams, top students will be invited to appear in the later stages which are Orientation cum Selection Camp (OCSC) and Pre-departure Training Camp (PDT). On the basis of their performances in these tests, top and highest mark achiever students are selected to represent India at the International Science Olympiads.

Exam Pattern:

Type of Question: Objective type questions

Mode of the Exam: Online

Number of Questions: 80

Medium of Question Paper: English/Hindi

Note: There will be negative marking in the exam.

For Eligibility and allowances related information visit the official website: secure.hbcse.tifr.res.in/ino/ino-information.php

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Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (KVPY)

It is a scholarship programme funded by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India. It was started in 1999 to encourage students to study science and pursue research work in basic sciences.

Under this Yojana, selected students get scholarship and contingency grants up to the pre-PhD level. Every year, this exam is conducted for three streams viz. SA (Class 11), SX (Class 12) and SB (First year BSc).

Rewards:

Rs 5,000 monthly fellowship from 1st to 3rd year of BSc or BStat or BS or BMaths or integrated MS or MSc and an annual contingency grant of Rs 20,000.

After the completion of three years, the fellowship increases to Rs 7,000 per month during the fourth and fifth year of integrated M.S./M.Sc and an annual contingency grant of Rs 28,000.

Note: KVPY fellows are also eligible to get Rs 80,000 annually under the DST Inspire Scholarship granted by the Government of India.

Eligibility:

The eligibility criteria for SA, SX and SB students are as follows:

SA Stream -

• Be enrolled in or about to join Class 11 (Science subjects)

• Aspire to join an Undergraduate program in Basic Sciences (BSc or BS or BStat or BMath or integrated MSc or MS) after scoring a minimum of 60 per cent marks in aggregate in Science Subjects in the Class 12 board examination

(50 per cent for SC/ST and PWD students).

SX Stream -

• Be enrolled in Class 12 (Science subjects)

• Must be looking forward to joining an undergraduate course in Basic Science (BSc or BS or BStat or BMath or integrated MSc or MS)

• Must have secured at least 60 per cent marks in aggregate in science subjects in the Class12 board examination

(50% for SC/ST and PWD students) .

SB Stream -

• Must have passed Class 12 board examination

• Must be enrolled in the 1st year of BSc or BS or BStat or BMath or integrated MSc or MS

• Must have secured at least 60% marks in aggregate in Science Subjects in 1st year of BSc or BS or BStat or BMath or integrated MSc or M.S degree

(50% for SC/ST and PWD students) .

Eligible students can apply for this scholarship on the official website: www.kvpy.iisc.ernet.in/main/index.htm

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Silverzone Olympiads

Silverzone Foundation is a non-governmental organization (NGO) that conducts Silverzone Olympiad exams. The sole mission of the Silverzone Foundation is to discover and support young minds and guide them in learning and knowing things beyond their curriculum. Students studying in any class from Class 1 to Class 12 can participate in this Olympiad. The Foundation screens students through levels of exams; students who qualify in the first two levels need to appear for the level-3 examination which is the international level. Students who score high marks in each zone are awarded with medals, trophies and prizes. Following are the different Olympiads exams conducted by the foundation:

• International Informatics Olympiad (IIO)

• International Olympiad of Mathematics (IOM)

• International Olympiad of Science (IOS)

• International Olympiad of English Language (IOEL)

• International French Language Olympiad (IFLO)

• Akhil Bhartiya Hindi Olympiad (ABHO)

• Smart Kid General Knowledge Olympiad (SKGKO)

• International Talent Hunt Olympiad (ITHO)

• International Social Studies Olympiad (ISSO)

• International Reasoning and Mental Ability Olympiad (IRAO) .

Note: Each exam has a specific set of eligibility criteria, and a different process for registration. Visit the official website - silverzone.org for details.

Last Date To Register: August 31, 2022

National Talent Search Examination

National Talent Search Examination (NTSE) is a national level talent search examination organized by the Government of India and conducted by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT).

There are two stages in the examination process. Stage 1 exam is a state level exam conducted by all the states and union territories. Students who qualify stage 1 can appear in the stage 2 examination.

Eligibility: Students should have at least 60% marks in Class 9

Exam pattern: The exam can be taken either in Hindi or English. The exam paper comprises multiple choice questions. The exam pattern majorly has two sections which are Mental Ability Test (MAT) and Scholastic Ability Test (SAT) with each section having 100 questions (total 200 questions). One mark is awarded for each correct answer. There is no negative marking for the wrong answers.

Syllabus: Syllabus includes Science (Physics, Chemistry, Biology), Social science (History, Geography, Civics) and Mathematics of Class 9 and Class 10.

Duration: 4 hours.

Benefits of the NTSE Scholarship: The students who qualify 2 stages will be given the following:

• Every month, an amount of Rs 1,250 will be offered to 2,000 candidates during their Class 11 and Class 12

• IIT Hyderabad offers 15 seats to NTSE scholars

• Preference will be given to NTSE scholars in the National Defence Academy (NDA)

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