Author: Praveen Pathak

Introduction:

Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE) is a national centre of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Mumbai. The broad goals of the centre are to promote equity and excellence in science and mathematics education from primary school to undergraduate college level. It is India’s nodal centre for Olympiad programmes in Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Astronomy, and Junior Science.

Applications are invited from teachers and educators for Olympiad Exposure Camps in Physics which will be organised at HBCSE. The camp is not intended for students and they need not apply.

Camp Objective:

The primary objective of the camp is to spread awareness about the national and international Olympiad programme in Physics. An orientation towards the academic and organisational aspects of the Physics Olympiad will be provided. The camp also serves as a platform for productive interaction within the teacher community. The camp will also have a focus on Physics Education Research.

Camp Structure:

Olympiad Exposure Camp in Physics will be an in-person camp held entirely at HBCSE, Mumbai, during 16 to 20 January 2023. The camp will consist of a number of lecture and tutorial sessions on the theoretical and experimental components in the Physics Olympiad programme. There will be a special focus on improving the teaching methods and use of demonstrations in a class.  Eminent scientists/speakers will interact with participants on various interesting topics, giving them a flavour of Physics Olympiad activity.

Dates and Venue:

• 16 to 20 January 2023 at HBCSE, Mumbai.

Travel and Accommodation:

Participants will be reimbursed to and fro travel fare as per their entitlement (maximum II-AC train fare). Food and accommodation at HBCSE will be provided for all participants.

Who can apply?

• Educators from different sectors, i.e., university/college teachers of physics, high school/secondary science teachers with background in physics/mathematics, personnel from scientific institutions, staff of science museums are encouraged to apply.
• Applicants below age of 23 years will not be considered.
• It is preferred that the participants have a background in Physics and/or Mathematics.
• Previous participants of Physics Olympiad Exposure Camp will not be considered again.
• Previous participants of Olympiad Exposure Camps in other subjects may be considered subject to availability of seats.

Application process:

• Click here to fill out the online application form.
• Last date of application: 16 October 2022.
• Intimation regarding selection will be put on the HBCSE website by 31 October 2022.
• Selected participants will also be invited through an official letter sent over email.
• Any queries regarding the camp can be sent to physics@hbcse.tifr.res.in

In view of some recent developments regarding school examinations and board examinations, certain changes in the Olympiad programme in the 2021-2022 cycle have become necessary. It appears that a large number of students will be engaged with their Class 10 and Class 12 board examinations during the period of April to June 2022, which is the usual time for the final stages of the national Olympiad programme. The selection process for the Indian teams must be concluded with adequate time available before the international Olympiads to enable smooth completion of registration and visa formalities. Therefore, it would not be possible to conduct any selection tests beyond the Indian Olympiad Qualifier (IOQ) examinations for the subjects whose international events are scheduled in July/August. 

The following decisions are announced for the Olympiad cycle of 2021-2022. These supersede previous announcements made in this regard.

• The dates of the Indian Olympiad Qualifier (IOQ) examinations are revised as under:
  • Indian Olympiad Qualifier in Mathematics (IOQM): 6 March 2022 (Sunday), 9:00 – 13:00 hrs
  • Indian Olympiad Qualifier in Junior Science (IOQJS): 6 March 2022 (Sunday), 14:30 – 18:00 hrs
  • Indian Olympiad Qualifier in Physics (IOQP): 13 March 2022 (Sunday), 9:00 – 12:30 hrs
  • Indian Olympiad Qualifier in Biology (IOQB): 13 March 2022 (Sunday), 14:30 – 18:00 hrs
  • Indian Olympiad Qualifier in Astronomy (IOQA): 20 March 2022 (Sunday), 9:00 – 12:30 hrs
  • Indian Olympiad Qualifier in Chemistry (IOQC): 20 March 2022 (Sunday), 14:30 – 18:00 hrs

Please note that this schedule is tentative, and is subject to change at short notice, depending on the prevailing situation in the country.

• Further selection stages beyond IOQ, namely the Orientation-cum-Selection Camps (OCSCs), stand cancelled for Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry and Physics (the international Olympiads in these subjects are scheduled in July-August). Selection for the Indian teams in these subjects will be based on the performance in IOQ Part II in the respective subject. Specifically,
  • Criteria for evaluation of IOQ Part II answer scripts on the basis of performance in IOQ Part I remain unchanged from as announced before (criteria given below).
  • 5 students at the top of the merit list of IOQA Part II will be selected for the Indian team to the International Olympiad in Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA) 2022.
  • 4 students at the top of the merit list of IOQB Part II will be selected for the Indian team to the International Biology Olympiad (IBO) 2022.
  • 4 students at the top of the merit list of IOQC Part II will be selected for the Indian team to the International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) 2022.
  • 5 students at the top of the merit list of IOQP Part II will be selected for the Indian team to the International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) 2022.
  • In case there is a tie of IOQ Part II scores among more students than the number of available remaining seats in the Indian team, the following two criteria will be used to break the tie, in order: (i) marks obtained in IOQ Part I, (ii) number of correct answers in IOQ Part I. In case these fail to break the tie, a suitable tie-breaking criterion will be applied by HBCSE.
  • In case a student is eligible for more than one international Olympiad (including Mathematics) according to the criteria above, she/he will be selected only for the subject that is highest in the preference indicated by her/him during IOQ registration. The vacant seat in other subject(s) will be offered to the next student in the merit list.
• The students who would have qualified for the OCSCs in Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, as per previously announced criteria, will be awarded INO Certificate of Merit by HBCSE. If conditions permit, they may be invited to participate in an online Orientation Camp (without any selection tests) at a suitable time, purely for academic benefit.
• There is no change in the process to be followed for the Junior Science Olympiad (whose international event is scheduled in December 2022) at the present time. Announcements regarding further selection stages will be made at a suitable time.

Syllabus for IOQ 2021-2022:

The detailed syllabus for IOQ in all subjects is provided here.

Eligibility criteria for enrollment in IOQ 2021-2022:

The eligibility criteria for IOQ 2021-2022 are provided here.

More details about IOQ 2021-2022:

• The IOQ in each subject will be a combination of two examinations, held in a single sitting for the examinee.
  • Part I: National Standard Examination (NSE): This will replace the standalone NSE of other years. The duration of this part will be 75 minutes and will consist of objective-type questions, similar in standard to the usual NSE. This part will be a screening examination for selective evaluation of the second part (INO) only and performance in this part will not play any role (except for possible tie-breaking scenarios) for the next level of selection (OCSC  for Junior Science, Indian team for other subjects). This part of IOQ in different subjects will be called National Standard Examinations (NSEs) in Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Junior Science and Physics: NSEA, NSEB, NSEC, NSEJS and NSEP, respectively.
  • Part II: Indian National Olympiad (INO): This will replace the standalone INO of other years. The duration of this part will be 120 minutes and will consist of detailed questions, similar in standard to the usual INO. This part will be evaluated only for students screened through the first part (NSE), and the selection for the next level (OCSC for Junior Science, Indian team for other subjects) will be determined solely by the performance in this part. This part of IOQ in different subjects will be called Indian National Olympiads (INOs) in Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Junior Science and Physics: INAO, INBO, INChO, INJSO and INPhO, respectively.
• The IOQ will be jointly organised by the Indian Association of Physics Teachers (IAPT), the Association of Chemistry Teachers (ACT), the Association of Teachers in Biological Sciences (ATBS) and the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (Tata Institute of Fundamental Research) – HBCSE (TIFR). The academic responsibility of Part I: NSE will be borne by IAPT, ACT, and ATBS while that of Part II: INO will be borne by HBCSE. The remaining stages of the Olympiad programme will be carried out by HBCSE.

Note:

1. The actual examination time will be 75 minutes for Part I and 120 minutes for Part II in every
examination. There will be an interval of 15 minutes between the two parts of the examination.

2. Students will be allowed to leave the examination at the end of Part I of IOQ, if they so wish.
However, they will not be admitted to appear only in Part II.

Criteria for evaluation of IOQ Part II:

Only the answer scripts of  IOQ Part II (INO) of students who qualify through the IOQ Part I (NSE) will be evaluated. The criteria for this qualification are given here.

Question papers and the solutions of IOQ 22 Part II can be found here.