Olympiad Exams
The Mathematical Olympiad Programme in India, which leads to participation of Indian students in the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) is organized by the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE) on behalf of the National Board for Higher Mathematics (NBHM) of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), Government of India. This programme is one of the major initiatives undertaken by the NBHM. Its main purpose is to spot mathematical talent among pre-university students in the country.
For the purpose of training and selection of students for the Olympiad contest, 25 regions all over the country have been designated and each assigned a Regional Coordinator (RC). Additionally, three groups (Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS) and Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathana (KVS) have a ‘Regional Coordinator’ each. The Mathematical Olympiad programme consists of six stages.
The Mathematical Olympiad program consists of six stages. The Six Stages are
- Stage 1: Pre Regional Mathematical Olympiad (PRMO)
- Stage 2: Regional Mathematical Olympiad (RMO)
- Stage 3: Indian National Mathematical Olympiad (INMO)
- Stage 4: International Mathematical Olympiad Training Camp (IMOTC)
- Stage 5: Pre-departure Training Camp for IMO
- Stage 6: International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO)
Stage 1: Pre Regional Mathematical Olympiad (PRMO)
- PMRO is the first stage for IMO organized by IAPT.
- Test paper will contain 30 Questions.
- List of top 300 students who will be eligible for RMO from each region will be declared by mid September
- Details of Examination fees and other details are available on the IAPT Website: http://iapt.org.in/
- Eligibility: Not older than 19 years of age as on 1st August and, in addition, studying in Class XI and below
Stage 2: Regional Mathematical Olympiad (RMO)
- strong> Three Hours Written Test with six problems
- Up to 30 students selected from each of the 25 regions for Stage 3 – INMO.
- Conducted by Regional Coordinators under the guidance of HBCSE.
- For EGMO participation up to five girls would be additionally selected apart from the regional quota of 30 students – independent of the number of girls who may be part of the general quota of 30 students.
- Results of all the RMOs are declared centrally by the HBCSE.
- Eligibility: Students who qualify PRMO
Stage 3: Indian National Mathematical Olympiad (INMO)
- Usually held on the third Sunday of January
- Four Hours Written Test
- Top 30 Students from the country are chosen in order of merit
- Next 45 Students who are in Class XI or lower are given INMO Certificate of Merit and are eligible to appear in INMO next year without going through the RMO, provided they are not in Class XII at the time of writing INMO.
- In addition to the top 30, up to five girl students will be chosen based on their performance in INMO for participation in EGMO
- Eligibility: Students who are selected in RMO in the previous year and those holding a INMO Certificate of Merit
Stage 4: International Mathematical Olympiad Training Camp (IMOTC)
- Month long training camp in April-May at the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE), Mumbai for INMO Awardees and the girls selected for EGMO.
- INMO Awardees of previous years eligible for IMO and EGMO are also invited, provided they have satisfactorily gone through postal tuition throughout the year.
- On the basis of a number of selection tests through the Camp, a team of the best six students is selected from the combined pool of junior and senior batch participants.
- The junior students will receive INMO certificate and a prize in the form of books. The senior students will receive a prize in the form of books and cash.
Stage 5: Pre-departure Training Camp for IMO
- Final round of training and orientation for the selected six students for ten days prior to departure for IMO and EGMO.
Stage 6: International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO)
- Two written tests held on two consecutive days
- Each test consists of three problems
- Duration: Four and Half Hours
- Selection of team members for IMO will be subject to their fulfilling criteria such as age limit, medical fitness, parental consent and others as specified by the council
- Each selected student needs to have a valid Indian passport meeting the visa regulations of the host country.
Syllabus:
Pre-degree college mathematics - arithmetic of integers, geometry, quadratic equations and expressions, trigonometry, co-ordinate geometry, system of linear equations, permutations and combination, factorization of polynomial, inequalities, elementary combinatory, probability theory and number theory, finite series and complex numbers and elementary graph theory The syllabus does not include calculus and statistics. The major areas from which problems are given are algebra, combinatory, geometry and number theory. The syllabus is in a sense spread over Class XI to Class XII levels, but the problems under each topic involve high level of difficulty and sophistication. The difficulty level increases from RMO to INMO to IMO. Previous years Question papers available on the HBCSE website can provide a good idea of the types of question one can expect.
INMO Scholarship:
The INMO awardees who successfully complete IMOTC and who pursue B.Sc., or other courses as per the guidelines of the Board with mathematics as one of the principal subjects of study, are eligible to receive a scholarship of National Board of Higher Mathematics, which is at present Rs. 4,000 per month through the period of their undergraduate studies (subject to satisfactory progress). Enhance scholarship would be available for pursuing masters studies in Mathematics.
Science and Astronomy Olympiad Programs in India:
HBCSE, which is the nodal agency for the Science Olympiad Program in the country conducts the program in close collaboration with Indian Association of Physics Teachers (IAPT), Association of Chemistry Teachers (ACT), and the Association of Teachers in Biological Sciences (ATBS). The first stage of the Olympiad examinations is conducted by IAPT, while the later stages are the responsibility of HBCSE.
The Science Olympiad program also follows 5 stages which are:
- Stage I: National Standard Examinations (NSE)
- Stage II: Indian National Olympiad (INO)
- Stage III: Orientation cum Selection Camp (OCSC)
- Stage IV: Pre-departure Training Camp (PDT)
- Stage V: Participation in International Olympiad (IO)
Stage I: National Standard Examinations (NSE)
Eligibility:
| Programs |
Age |
Class Studying (in addition to Age) |
| *NSEP,NSEC,NSEB,NSEA |
Not Older than 19 years as on 1st July of appearing year |
Class XII or Lower as on Nov. 30 of appearing year |
| *NSEJS |
Not Older than 15 years as on 1st January of appearing year |
Only from Class X or Class IX as on Nov. 30 of appearing year |
Syllabus:
| Programs |
Syllabus |
| NSEP, NSEC, NSEB |
Upto and Including Class XII of CBSE |
| Upto and Including Class XII of CBSE |
Upto and Including Class XII of CBSE with greater emphasis on Physics, Mathematics and Elementary Astronomy |
| NSEJS |
Upto and Including Class XII of CBSE with equal emphasis to Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics |
Exam Details:
| Examination |
Time |
Question Paper |
Language |
| NSEP |
09:30 am to 11:30 am |
Multiple choice questions of the following types:
1. 3-mark questions, each with only one of the four options correct, and
2. 6-mark questions, each with one or more than one option correct. To get credit, all correct option(s) and no incorrect option(s) should be marked. |
English, Hindi, Gujarati, Bangla |
| NSEC |
12:30 pm to 02:30 pm |
80 multiple choice questions, each with only one of the four options correct. |
English |
| NSEB |
03:00 pm to 05:00 pm |
80 multiple choice questions, each with only one of the four options correct. |
English |
| NSEA |
03:00 pm to 05:00 pm |
80 multiple choice questions, each with only one of the four options correct. |
English |
| NSEJS |
03:00 pm to 05:00 pm |
80 multiple choice questions, each with only one of the four options correct. |
English |
Enrollment Process:
1. This stage is conducted by The Indian Association of Physics Teachers (IAPT)
2. Registration usually starts in the month of September.
3. Check with Principal or Head of Department/Institution whether your school/college is a registered centre. If yes, all formalities can be completed in house.
4. If one’s school/college isn’t a Registered NSE Centre, a student has to approach a nearby Registered NSE Centre for enrollment. The IAPT (Indian Association of Physics Teachers) website will provide all the relevant information pertaining to locating a Registered NSE Centre and the enrollment process.
Details of Enrollment Process, Syllabus, Exam Details, Examination Fees and other details are available on the IAPT website: http://iapt.org.in/
Stage II: Indian National Olympiad (INO)
This Stage II is organized by The Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE). Organized in the Subjects of Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Physics (INAO, INBO, INChO, INPO). In order to appear in the Stage II exam a student has to satisfy some clauses pertaining to Stage I, for this follow website.
Stage III: Orientation cum Selection Camps (OCSC)
OCSC is conducted at HBCSE in Mumbai. Selection based on performance in INOs for a particular subject. The number of selections in a particular subject to be announced before the INO examinations.
Stage IV: Training of Indian Teams for International Olympiads at HBCSE
Selected teams undergo a rigorous training program at HBCSE in theory and experiments usually for one/two weeks or longer depending on the subject where special laboratories are set up at HBCSE for Astronomy and Observational Astronomy. Experts and Resource Persons from different fields are invited to the training camps.
Stage V: Participation in International Olympiad (IO)
The selected students are for each subject is teamed together with 2-3 Teacher Leaders to accompany them for the International Olympiads which are held in a new participating country every year either in the month of July or December each year.
Other Recognized Olympiads:
Some other recognized Olympiads in Science disciplines but participation in them is not directly organized by HBCSE are as -
1. JMO - Junior Mathematics Olympiadhttp://kvsangathan.nic.in/GeneralDocuments
2. JSO - Junior Science Olympiadhttp://kvsangathan.nic.in/GeneralDocuments
3. GMO - CBSE Group Mathematical Olympiad http://cbseacademic.in/
4. CTGO - CBSE-TERI GREEN Olympiad: http://www.teriin.org/olympiad
5. National Mathematics Talent Contests (NMTC): Organised by “The Association of Mathematics Teachers of India.” http://www.amtionline.com/nmtc.php
6. International Astronomy Olympiad - Junior (IAO - Junior): Participation is organized by the National Council of Science Museums (NCSM). http://ncsm.gov.in/
7. International Earth Science Olympiad (IESO): Participation is organized by the Geological Society of India and one may consult their website for more information - www.geosocindia.org.
8. International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI):Participation is organized by the Indian Association for Research in Computing Science and one may consult their website for more information - www.iarcs.org.in/inoi.
9. Asian Pacific Mathematics Olympiad (APMO):https://cms.math.ca/Competitions/APMO/
10. Asian Physics Olympiad (APhO): Participation is organized by IAPT.
http://www.iapt.org.in/index.php/exams/asian-physics-olympiad-apho.html The APMO, which started in 1989, is a contest specifically held for students in Asian countries and the countries in the rim of Pacific Ocean. A student can participate in APMO being in his/her own country. India has been participating in the APMO since 2015. The APMO is a one day event consisting of solving 5 problems in four and a half hours. The other rules and regulations for participating in APMO are much like the IMO.
11. European Girls’ Mathematical Olympiad (EGMO): It is an international Mathematics Competition. https://www.egmo.org/
The EGMO, which started in 2012, is a platform which seeks to promote a career in Mathematics amongst girl students by challenging the brightest four pre university girl students from each participating country. The EGMO is a two day event with two written tests held on two consecutive days. Each test consists of three problems and the contest lasts for four and half hours on each day. India has been participating in the EGMO since 2015 and the selection process for EGMO is conjoined with that for the IMO (The International Mathematical Olympiad) which will be discussed later in this handbook.