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Olympiad: The Olympiad Exams are school-level Science and Maths exams directed for the students of Class 1 to 12. The Olympiads is one of the most distinguished and competitive exams to crack. Although clearing this exam doesn’t directly influence the career, yet it acts as an impetus for students to opt for their higher studies and career in the field of Science and Mathematics. It also helps students prepare for several other competitive exams of national and global levels.

Cracking the Olympiads is a matter of big credit and prestige, and it puts in merit to the resume of the candidates. Students who crack Olympiads also get extra importance over others when it comes to admission to schools and colleges as well as jobs.

The Olympiads exams are managed both at national and international levels. The national Olympiads in India, which joins upon International Olympiads, are administered by the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE). Check out the compulsory information about the Olympiads in India.

Name of the Program	Olympiads
Nodal Centre in India	Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE)
Exams Conducted	Science Olympiad & Mathematics Olympiad
Subjects	Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Junior Science, Physics, & Mathematics
Participating Students	Students of Class 1 to 12
Type of Exam	National Level
Frequency	Once a Year
Number of Stages	Five for Science Olympiads and Six for Maths Olympiad
Official Website	olympiads.hbcse.tifr.res.in

Olympiad Exams in India
There are two major National Olympiad Program in India are:-

National Science Olympiad
National Mathematical Olympiad

The National Science Olympiad which comes to a head with the International Olympiads has five stages. Students from around 1400 schools from all over the country participate in the exam. The exam is directed for five subjects – Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Astronomy, and Junior Science. The syllabus of National Science Olympiad is based on the curriculum of Class XII (for Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry and Physics) and Class X (for Junior Science) of CBSE. However, the questions are much difficult and scoring is far higher than that of regular school and even board exams. The questions test the students of their conceptual knowledge, application and analytical skills, critical thinking ability, experimental and observational abilities, and problem-solving skills.

The five levels of the exam are as under:

National Science Olympiad Stage 1: National Standard Examination

This is the Preliminary exam of the Science Olympiads. The details are tabulated below:

Name of the Exam/Stage	National Standard Examination (NSE)
Organizing Body	Indian Association of Physics Teachers (IAPT)
Exam Conducting Body	Chemistry – Association of Chemistry Teachers (ACT) Biology – Association of Teachers in Biological Science (ATBS) Physics, Astronomy, Junior Science – Indian Association of Physics Teachers (IAPT)
Approximate Number of Participants	Approximate Number of Participants
Type of Questions	Objective Type Questions
Language	English/Hindi (For Physics, Addition Languages Available)
Exam Conducted in the Month	November

Shortlisted students from NSE, around 300 in each subject, appear for the Indian National Olympiad. The details of this stage are as under:

Name of the Exam/Stage	Name of the Exam/Stage Indian National Olympiad (INO)
Conducting Body	Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE)
Approximate Number of Participants	Around 500 per Subject
Type of Questions	Objective Type Questions and Long Answer Type Questions
Syllabus	Same as NSE
Exam Conducted in the Month	January

Around 30-50 shortlisted students from each subject are invited for this stage which is held at HBCSE. In this stage, orientation is provided to the students with special emphasis on conceptual knowledge and problem-solving potential. Students are also liable to various experiments along with observational tasks. Theoretical and experimental tests are run and based on their performance, 4 to 6 students are shortlisted for the next round. This level is conducted in April/May/June.

Here, the selected students from the previous stage undergo rigorous training at HBCSE. The training involves both theory and practical/experiments (observational astronomy for students participating in Olympiads for Astronomy). The training sessions are conducted by teachers and scholars invited from various top institutions in the country. Special labs are also developed at HBCSE for the sole purpose of training the selected students.

This is the final stage of the Olympiads wherein 4 to 6 students (per subject) accompanied by 2 to 4 teachers/mentors participate in the International Olympiads.

HBCSE arranges for the Mathematical Olympiad Program in India representing National Board for Higher Mathematics (NBHM) of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), Government of India. This in due course leads to the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO). It involves six stages as under:

This is the Preliminary exam conducted to shortlist students for the next stage. The exam INCLUDES 30 questions and is run for two and half hours. The answers are single or double digit numbers to be marked on an OMR sheet. The exam will be conducted in English and Hindi.

Shortlisted candidates from PRMO will appear for this round. This exam comprises six descriptive problems to be solved in three hours. The exam is conducted in English, Hindi, and any regional language as required.

Approx. 900 shortlisted students from RMO appear for the third stage of the exam. This exam is conducted on the third Sunday of January.

Around 35 of the top students based on their performance in INMO are called for this training and orientation program where special prominence is given upon ideal knowledge and sharpen problem-solving skills. This stage is conducted at HBCSE. During the training, tests are conducted and the top six students are selected to speak for India at International Mathematical Olympiads.

In this stage, the six chosen students go through intense training at HBCSE. The training is run for nearly eight to ten days.

Concluding, the chosen students, attended by four teachers/mentors, take part in the International Mathematical Olympiads.