International Junior Science Olympiad

The International Junior Science Olympiad (IJSO) is a competitive examination open to students of all countries in the world, primarily studying in secondary schools. All basic subjects of Science (Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics) are given roughly equal representation in the IJSO examination.

The Junior Science Olympiad program follows the following 5 stages :

Stage-I  

National Standard Examination in Junior Science (NSEJS) :

NSEJS is the first stage of selection of students in the Junior Science Olympiad Programme NSEJS is organised by the Indian Association of Physics T eachers (IAPT). Every student aspiring to go through successive stages of the programme must enroll for NSEJS. NSEJS is held at a large number of centres in the country in Month of November every year.

Eligibility : All Indian students who are born on or after January 1, 1996 and in addition are in Class X or lower as of November 30, 2010 are eligible to appear in NSEJS 2010.

Syllabus : The syllabus for NSEJS is broadly equivalent to the secondary school level (u The syllabus for NSEJS is broadly equivalent to the secondary school level (upto Class X) of CBSE. This is only a broad guideline, and there is no detailed syllabus given for NSEJS.

Stage-2

Indian National Junior Science Olympiad (INJSO

Eligibility : Based on performance in NSEJS, the top 300 students in order of merit qualify to appear for the Second Stage of the Olympiad programme INJSO , which helds in the month of January every year. In case there is a tie at the last position in NSEJS, all students with the same marks at this last position qualify for INJSO.

Stage-3

Orientation Cum Selection Camp (OCSC) in Junior Science :

OCSC in Junior Science is organise by HBCSE sometime in April to June every year for 2-3 weeks. Only the students selected from the merit list of Stage II will be eligible for OCSC in Junior Science. There is no other criterion or provision. The top 6 in the OCSC Junior Science merit list are declared as 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.

Stage-4

Pre-departure T raining (PDT) Camp for IJSO : The selected 6 member student team undergo a rigorous training programme at HBCSE in theory and experiment. Special laboratories are developed at HBCSE for the purpose of experimental training. Resource persons from HBCSE and different institutions across the country train the student.

Stage-5

Participation in International Junior Science Olympiad (IJSO) : The 6 member student team and 3 teacher leaders constitute the delegation to represent India at the International Junior Science Olympiad (IJSO)

Examinations

The examinations consist of three separated tests, done in different days. The tests require knowledge about science of physics, chemistry and biology. The maximum score is 100 points.

Test examination

The test examination is composed of 30 multiple choice questions, 10 involving physics, 10 involving chemistry and 10 involving biology. Each of the questions has 4 alternatives. The competitor earns 1 point for each right answer, earns nothing for questions left unanswered and loses 0.25 for wrong answers. The maximum score for this test is 30 points.

Theoretical examination

The theoretical examination is made up of three parts, one for each of the subjects. Each part contains several questions about one or more topics from the respective science. The maximum score for this test is 30.

Experimental examination

The experimental examination is done in groups of up to three people of the same country, each country may have up to 2 teams. The groups should follow the instructions and answer the proposed questions. All students of the group receive the same grade. The maximum score for this test is 40 points.

Awards

After the correction of the tests, the students are ranked according to their grades. Then the top 10% students receive gold medals, the following 20% receive silver medals and the next 30% receive bronze medals.

Also, team prizes are offered to the best results at the experimental examination and the best country in the tournament. Individual prizes are offered to the best student in the theoretical examination and to the best overall. The Local Organizing Committee (LOC) is responsible for giving official participation certificates to all students, leaders and observers.

Contacts

For Stage-1, NSEA & NSEJS 
Prof. M. L. Oglapurkar IAPT Office, I.I.E. Campus, 128/2, J. P . Naik Marg, 
Kothrud, Pune 41 1038, INDIA  Ph : 020-25455504 |
Email : iapt@vsnl.net  website : www.iapt.org.in 

For Further Stages : 
Prof H.C. Pradhan Centre Director 
Homi Bhabha Centre for Science 
Education (TIFR) 
V.N. Purav Marg, Mumbai- 400088 
Ph. no. : 022-25555242, 25580036 
Fax. : 022-25585660, 25566803 

E-mail. : hcp@hbcse.fifr.res.in 
Website : www.hbcse.tifr.res.in