The National Science Olympiad starts with an examination held at nearly 1400 schools across the country and culminates with the international Olympiads at different corners of the world. The national level examinations are designed to assess the conceptual understanding, logical reasoning, laboratory skills, and above all, ability to apply problem-solving skills to novel situations, both theoretical and experimental. Training is included from the third stage of the programme and the first two stages do not necessarily require any specialised coaching outside the regular school system.
Participation in any International Olympiad in 2022 would be guided strongly by consideration of safety of the students and the mentors during their travel and stay abroad. At appropriate stages in the process, the Govt. of India (as well as the govt of the host country if necessary) will be approached for explicit clearance to proceed. Further continuation of the selection and training processes will be subject to obtaining the necessary clearances.
TENTATIVE revised schedule for OCSCs in different subjects is announced below. This schedule is subject to change at very short notice. Students are advised NOT TO FINALISE travel plans till these dates are confirmed by HBCSE on or before May 1, 2022.
Please note that HBCSE keeps track of various entrance examinations and academic sessions of educational institutions. While every effort will be made to enable maximum number of students to attend the OCSC, avoiding a clash with their other academic interests, it may not be possible to adjust the schedule to suit every student, especially under the current extraordinary circumstances. Students and parents are requested not to approach HBCSE with specific requests of change of dates.
The schedule announced above is under the assumption that conditions prevailing in the country at that time permit safe travel to Mumbai. An OCSC may be cancelled if this would not be the case.
The schedule is also subject to the international Olympiads being held according to their original dates. In the event that an international Olympiad is cancelled, the OCSC in that subject will be cancelled as well. If the international Olympiad is postponed to a later date, the corresponding OCSC may be postponed as well, and a suitable announcement will be made in due course.
Irrespective of future eventualities, all students who secured marks in INO above the OCSC cutoff marks in a subject will be awarded a Certificate of Merit by HBCSE.
In the event that it is impossible to conduct an OCSC in time to select an Indian team for an international Olympiad in any subject, a suitable method of selection will be announced at an appropriate time.
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.
HBCSE Science Olympiad Exam is conducted for the following classes.