International Biology Olympiad (IBO)

The Biology Olympiad program follows the following 5 stages :

1. Stage I : National Standard Examination in Biology (NSEB)
2. Stage II : Indian National Biology Olympiad (INBO)
3. Stage III : Orientation cum Selection Camp (OCSC) in biology
4. Stage IV : Pre-departure Training Camp (PDT) for IBO
5. Stage V : Participation in International Biology Olympiad (IBO)

NSEB is the first stage of selection of students in the biology Olympiad Programme which is organised by the Indian Association of Physics Teachers (IAPT). Every student aspiring to go through successive stages of the programme must enroll for NSEB. NSEB will be held at a large number of centres in the country.

Eligibility : All Indian students who are born on or after July 1, 2000 and, in addition, are in Class XII or lower as of November 30, 2019, are eligible to appear for NSEB 2019. A student may appear for more than one subject provided the examination schedule allows it. See information about the examination schedule under various subjects. Students who have passed Class XII are not eligible to enroll for NSEB. It is the student's responsibility to ensure that the eligibility criteria are satisfied. In case at any stage of the program it is found that the student does not satisfy the eligibility criteria, he/she may be disqualified from the program.

Question Paper Pattern :

80 multiple choice questions with negative marking.
Total Marks: 240

Language : Question paper will be in English & Hindi (option during registration)

Syllabus : The syllabus for NSEB is broadly equivalent to the senior secondary level (Class XI and Class XII) of CBSE Biology. This is only a rough guideline, and there is no detailed syllabus given for NSEB.

Day & Date : Sunday, 25th November 2019

Time of Exam : 02.00 pm to 4.00 pm

Venue : Respective NSE Centre

Click Here for Online Registration : https://www.iaptexam.com/RegistrationFrom_Senior.aspx

Date & Time of Examination : 02 Feb 2020 (13:30 – 15:30)

Eligibility : Students selected from Stage I examination (NSEB) are eligible to appear for INBO. In addition those students who have been exempted as described in the Enrollment page are also eligible to appear for INBO. Besides these two, there is no other way by which a student becomes eligible to appear for INBO.

Syllabus : The syllabus for INBO is broadly similar to NSEB. The syllabus, however, is only a broad guideline. Questions and problems in National Olympiads are usually non-conventional and of high difficulty level, comparable to International Olympiads.
On the basis of performance in INBO, the top 35 students in the merit list are selected for Stage III Orientation Cum Selection Camp (OCSC) in biology.In the event there is a tie at the last position, all students with the same marks at this last position qualify for OCSC.There will be no other criterion or provision for selection to OCSC.

OCSC in biology will be organized by HBCSE for 2-3 weeks. The precise dates will be announced prior to or along with the announcement of the selection list for the OCSC.

Eligibility for OCSC :
Only the students selected from the merit list of Stage II (INBO) are eligible. There will be no other criterion or provision.
The camps include several theoretical and experimental tests. Orientation is provided to students especially in experiments. The camps conclude with a valedictory function where distinguished scientists are invited to speak to the students. The merit list of OCSC is prepared on the basis of the combined theoretical and experimental score aggregated over all the tests in the camp, with 60% weightage for theory and 40% weightage for experiment. Performance in previous stages (NSEB and INBO) will not be a consideration for the merit list and awards of the OCSC. The top 4 in the OCSC biology merit list are declared to be special merit awardees. These special merit awardees are given Rs. 5,000/- each in the form of books and cash. In addition there are special prizes to recognize meritorious performance in theory and experiments. The 4 special merit awardees in biology selected at the end of the OCSC constitute the 4 member student team for the International Biology Olympiad (IBO), provided they satisfy required criteria such as age limit, holding valid Indian passport, medical fitness, parental consent, etc.

The selected 5 member Indian team undergoes a rigorous training programme at HBCSE in theory and experiments. Special laboratories have been developed at HBCSE for the purpose of experimental training. Resource persons from HBCSE and different institutions across the country train the students.

The Olympiad programme culminates with the participation of the Indian students (4-6 in each subject) in the International Olympiads. The students are accompanied by 2-4 teachers or mentors. Almost every Indian student who has participated in the Science and Astronomy Olympiads has returned with a medal.

For First Stage of Olympiad Selection Procedure (National Standard Examinations) in Biology :

Prof. M. L. Oglapurkar
Chief Coordinator (IAPT Examinations)
IAPT Office, Sheela Vihar Colony,
7, Heramb Coop HSG Society,
Near Kimaya Hotel, Karve Road,
Kothrud, Pune 411 038
Tel: 0202542 0163; 0202025 2754(O)
Email: iaptpune@gmail.com

For Second and Higher Stages of Olympiad Programmes in Biology :

Prof. Jayashree Ramadas
Chair National Steering Committee
Science and Astronomy Olympiads,
Centre Director
Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education
V. N. Purav Marg, Mankhurd. Mumbai - 400 088.
Tel: 022 - 2555 5242, 2507 2205
Fax: 022 - 2558 5660, 2556 6803
Email: director [at] hbcse.tifr.res.in

Prof. Vijay Singh
National Co-ordinator
Science Olympiads
Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (TIFR)
V.N. Purav Marg, Mankhurd
Mumbai - 400 088.
Tel : 022-2548 2104; 2507 2322
Fax : 022-2556 6635 or 2556 6803
Email: nc_olympiad [at] hbcse.tifr.res.in