Olympiads

National and international Olympiads encourage students of similar academic disciplines or levels to compete. Olympiads are widely considered one of the most difficult exams to pass, whether they are national or international. The coveted tests help students develop a competitive mindset, while also allowing them to evaluate their knowledge and awareness of a subject topic to that of their competitors.

Olympiad exams are a collection of competitive exams held for students through Classes 1 to 12. Olympiads are conducted on a national as well as international level and encourage students from a similar academic genre or level to participate.

These exams provide benefits for students in the long run. It increases their memory power, and retention power and students are able to perform better in school academics as well. The Olympiad exam enables additional learning without giving any burden to the child. These Olympiads provide a required foundation to master concepts at a young age.

Olympiad exams are a gateway to let a student learn their educational strengths. These exams enhance the student’s learning capacity, logical reasoning, and scientific ability. During these exams, the subjects covered are- science, maths, computers, or any other languages such as English or Hindi.

There are 6 types of Olympiads offered by the Indian Talent Olympiad namely:

National Science Olympiad (NSO)

National Science Olympiad is a competitive exam conducted each year for school students by the Science Olympiad Foundation. The Olympiad helps them to judge their academic progress by giving them the chance of competing with students from all over the country.

Eligibility Criteria for National Science Olympiad (NSO)

NSO eligibility criteria students of classes 1st to 12th are eligible to appear for the 1st level Olympiad. No minimum marks are required.

Level 1 exam

1. There is no particular criterion for the Level 1 exam.

2. The opportunity is open to school students from classes 1 to 12.

3. There are no criteria for minimum marks, thus making the Olympiad open to all school students.

Level 2 exam

1. Top 5% of the students from each class who appeared for the Level 1 exam.

2. Top 25 zone-wise rank holders from each class.

3. Class toppers from each participating school where at least 10 students from a class appear in the exam and score 50% qualifying marks.

National Cyber Olympiad (NCO)

National Cyber Olympiad (NCO) is a cyber concept and knowledge competition for students of class 1 to class 12. It is conducted by Science Olympiad Foundation (SOF) with the aim of identifying and nurturing future scientists, technologists, and IT talent at the school level.

Eligibility Criteria for National Cyber Olympiad (NCO)

1. The student must be enrolled in a school recognized by the SOF in order to be eligible for NCO exam.

2. Only Class 1 to 10 students are eligible for the National Cyber Olympiad.

3. The student must have filled out the complete application form and submitted it to the school authorities along with the fees before the last date 30 days before the exam date.

International Mathematics Olympiad (IMO)

International Mathematics Olympiad (IMO) is one of the scoring subjects that require students to master concepts. One of the most essential elements of mastering mathematics is thorough practice & International Maths Olympiad (IMO) is one such platform where students are trained to understand its basics. Students who take part in the IMO can evaluate their classmates’ grasp of the topic and their ability to solve various levels of sums on a school, local, zonal, and worldwide level.

Eligibility Criteria for International Mathematics Olympiad (IMO)

1. Students in grades 1 to 12 are eligible to take the SOF IMO 2022 test.

2. The Level 1 Exam will be held for students in grades 1 to 12.

3. Students in grades 3 to 12 who pass the Level 1 test are summoned to take the Level 2 exam.

International English Olympiad (IEO)

International English Olympiad is a yearly exam conducted by the Science Olympiad Foundation (SOF) for school students. It is an English language and grammar competition that helps students judge themselves in terms of their English knowledge. Participating students compete at different levels including school, city, zonal and international level.

Eligibility Criteria for International English Olympiad (IEO)

International English Olympiad (IEO) there are 2 Level of exams, Level 1 & Level 2, Students who qualify for the level 2 IEO exam include:

1. Top 5% of students class-wise, who appear for the 1st level exam,

2. State-wise top 25 rank holders class-wise, and

3. Class topper from each participating school where at least 10 students from a class appear in the exam & scores 50% qualifying marks.

International Company Secretaries Olympiad (ICSO)

International Company Secretaries Olympiad (ICSO) stands for the International Company Secretaries Olympiad and this exam is organized in partnership with the Institute of Company Secretaries of India. The ICSO was initially started to promote the subjects Mathematics, English, Science, Computer Education, General Knowledge, and some professional courses as well.

Eligibility Criteria for International Company Secretaries Olympiad (ICSO)

1. Any applicants who have completed their 11th and 12th are eligible to apply.

2. The applicants who have completed their education from any stream such as Humanities, Science, or commerce are eligible to appear.

3. There are no marks or percentage criteria that are decided by the SOF ICSO.

International General Knowledge Olympiad (IGKO)

Science Olympiad Foundation (SOF) hosts the International General Knowledge Olympiad (IGKO). This exam assesses students' overall general knowledge and their awareness of current affairs. The IGKO exam is held with the purpose of assisting students in their overall academic and personal development. It enables individuals to go beyond the boundaries of textbooks and course materials to broaden their knowledge.

Eligibility Criteria for International General Knowledge Olympiad (IGKO)

1. Students studying in classes 1 to 10th are eligible to appear for SOF IGKO.

2. There are no minimum marks criteria to apply for SOF GK Olympiad.

Eligibility Criteria for Olympiad

1. Students from Classes 1 to 12 are eligible to participate in the Olympiad, conducted by the Science Olympiad Foundation (SOF), and the International Science Olympiad conducted by the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education.

2. For the International Mathematics Olympiad, National Cyber Olympiad, and International English Olympiad conducted by the SOF, students from Classes 1 to 12 are eligible to apply.

3. The SOF also conducts the International Commerce Olympiad for which students of Class 11 and 12 are eligible to apply.

4. Students from Classes 1 to 10 are eligible to participate in the International General Knowledge Olympiad, also conducted by the Science Olympiad Foundation.

How to apply for Olympiad

1. A prospectus containing the registration forms will be sent to the schools registered with SOF. Students can receive registration forms from their respective schools.

2. In case the school is not registered with SOF, it can still request the prospectus by contacting SOF.

3. Students must fill out the registration forms with the required details and submit them to their respective schools.

4. The schools must then return the duly filled registration forms to SOF before the due date.

Olympiad Exam Pattern

The Olympiad Exam questions are divided into three sections -

Section 1 - Subjective,

Section 2 - Logical Reasoning,

Section 3 - High Order Thinking Section (HOTs). This format remains the same for Science, Maths, English, General Knowledge, Computer and Social Studies exams for class 1 to class 10.

There are different numbers of questions for classes 1 to 4 and for classes 5 to 10.

CLASS 1 - 4

For classes 1 to 4, there are 35 questions amongst which 20 are subjective questions, 10 questions are of Logical Reasoning and 5 will be from the High Order Thinking Section and each question will carry 1 Mark.

CLASS 5 - 10

For classes 5 to 10 there are 50 questions overall carrying 1 Mark for each question. These 50 questions will include 35 Subjective Questions, 10 Logical Reasoning Questions, and 5 High Order Thinking Questions.

Application Fee for Olympiad Examination

1. For schools in India, the registration fee is INR 125 (inclusive of GST) per student.

2. For international schools, the registration fee to be paid is USD 9.

3. Additionally, schools may charge USD 1 (for international schools)/INR 25 (for schools in India) per student as a fee for remuneration for teachers, an honorarium of the in-charge, and usage of the study material provided by SOF as a guide and other miscellaneous expenses.

Results of Olympiads

The results are usually declared within 8 weeks of the examination. The same can be found on the official website or can be accessed through the respective schools.

Indian Talent Olympiad National Awards

National topper awards will be given to NCO, ISO, NEO, NMO, and NGKO exams. Given below are the highlights of the national topper awards.