The international Olympiad movement is aimed at bringing the most gifted secondary and higher secondary students of the world together in a friendly competition of the highest level. The Olympiads do not lead directly to any career benefits; rather, they provide a stimulus to begin a career in science or mathematics, to undertake a lifelong journey into the realms of exciting intellectual challenges. The Olympiads are not merely competitions, they are the meeting places of the brightest young minds of the world, and many friendships forged at the Olympiads form the seeds of scientific collaboration later in life. Much like the Olympics in sports, the Olympiads are a celebration of the very best in school level science and mathematics.
A major national Olympiad programme in basic sciences and mathematics which connects to the international Olympiads is in operation in India. The Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education is the nodal centre of the country for this programme. The programme aims at promoting excellence in science and mathematics among pre-university students.
Among the sciences, the Olympiad programme in Astronomy (junior and senior level), Biology, Chemistry, Junior Science and Physics is a five stage process for each subject separately. The first stage for each subject is organized by the Indian Association of Physics Teachers (IAPT) in collaboration with teacher associations in other subjects. All the remaining stages are organized by Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE).
The mathematical olympiad programe is a five stage process conducted under the aegis of National Board for Higher Mathematics (NBHM). The first stage PRMO is conducted by the Mathematics Teachers’ Association (India). The website for PRMO is http://www.mtai.org.in/prmo . All the remaining stages are organized by Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE).
Whether you are a student or a teacher of science/mathematics, we invite you to explore the various dimensions of the olympiad program, dimensions that are not often encountered in regular education. If you are eligible, we strongly encourage you to directly participate in the programme. If you are outside the eligibility window, we invite you to use the olympiad resources as a learning opportunity for yourself and your friends.
The Science Olympiad programme is fully funded by the Government of India through the Board of Research in Nuclear Science, Department of Atomic Energy (BRNS, DAE), Department of Science and Technology(DST), Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) and the Indian Space Research Organisation, Department of Space (ISRO, DoS).
The Mathematical Olympiad is funded by the Government of India, through the National Board of Higher Mathematics (NBHM) of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE).
A large number of secondary, higher secondary and undergraduate teachers from all over India are involved in the national Olympiad programme. Many of them are invited to Resource Generation Camps (RGCs) at HBCSE throughout the year. Exposure camps are also organised at HBCSE to orient teachers to the academic and organisational aspects of the Olympiads. Usually these camps are held in the second half of the calendar year. Teachers are encouraged to keep an eye on our website for participation in exposure camps.
Students who participate in HBCSE Olympiads do not get directly any career benefits; they get the motivation to begin a career in the field of science or mathematics. The national-level HBCSE Olympiad for science is conducted in five streams such as Junior Science, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Astronomy. Each stream has their separate selection test named National Standard Examination (NSE). The Mathematics Olympiad is conducted under the aegis of the National Board for Higher Mathematics (NBHM).
Those students, who are willing to represent India in International Olympiad 2022 are required to clear the all stages of national level HBCSE Olympiad for science and mathematics. There are four stages that students have to clear before the International Olympiad.
In 2002, Infosys Foundation instituted awards to Indian medalists in the International Olympiads. The awards consist of a cash prize of Rs 15000, the grant for which has been given to the TIFR Endowment Fund. HBCSE (TIFR) expresses its deep gratitude to Smt. Sudha Murty, Chair, Infosys Foundation for her spontaneous and generous response to the Institute’s request for this support. We also thank the TIFR Endowment Fund for their proactive interest in the Olympiad programme.
HOMI BHABHA CENTRE FOR SCIENCE EDUCATION(HBCSE) conducts olympiad in following subjects:
HOMI BHABHA CENTRE FOR SCIENCE EDUCATION(HBCSE) Olympiad Exam is conducted for the following classes.