The International Junior Science Olympiad (IJSO) is an annual individual and team competition in the natural sciences.

What is IJSO?

IJSO has been established to recognize the significance of natural sciences in young people’s education and in all aspects of their lives.

• It is a purely educational event.
• IJSO aims to promote interest in science among school students, exposing them to problem solving, critical thinking and experimentation.
• IJSO is held in the first week of December of every year, in different countries.
• Currently around 50 member countries participate every year.
• The academic competitions of IJSO include challenging tests in topics of science, both as theory questions and practical tasks.
• The tests are designed to address your understanding of concepts, and your ability to apply concepts to situations described in the tests.

Stages

The Junior Science Olympiad program has 5 stages:

• Stage I: National Standard Examination in Junior Science (NSEJS)
• Stage II: Indian National Junior Science Olympiad (INJSO)
• Stage III: Orientation cum Selection Camp (OCSC) in Junior Science
• Stage IV: Pre-departure Training Camp (PDT) for IJSO,
• Stage V: Participation in International Junior Science Olympiad (IJSO)

Detailed information about eligibility and structure of the stages is given below:

Stage I: National Standard Examination in Junior Science (NSEJS)

• NSEJS is the first stage of IJSO. To proceed to the further stages, you need to enroll for NSEJS.
• Indian Association of Physics Teachers (IAPT) organizes NSEJS.
• Out of all the applicants, the top 300 qualify for the second stage, INJSO.
• The qualifying students receive a certificate.

Stage II: Indian National Junior Science Olympiad (INJSO)

• INJSO is the second stage of IJSO.
• It is organized across the country at 15 centers, by HBCSE.
• The date and timing of the exam will be sent to you by post, if you have qualified NSEJS.
• You will be eligible for TA/DA, if you are appearing for INJSO.
• The syllabus of INJSO is similar to NSEJS
• Out of all the applicants, top 35 will qualify for the third stage, OCSC.

Stage III: Orientation Cum Selection Camp (OCSC) in Junior Science

• OCSC in Junior Science is the third stage of IJSO.
• It is organized by HBCSE.
• The date of the exam is announced with the list of selected students for OCSC.
• Theoretical and experimental tests will be included in the camp, which is conducted for duration of 2-3 weeks.
• Orientation will be provided to students especially in experiments.
• The merit list will be made based on your score in theory and experiments, aggregated over all tests conducted in camp.
• 60% weightage is given for theory and 40% weightage for experiments.
• Your performance in the earlier stages will not be taken into consideration for the merit list and awards of OCSC.
• Top 6 students in the merit list are special merit awardees, who will be given Rs.5000 worth of books and cash.
• These 6 students will form the team that proceeds to IJSO, as long as they meet all the criteria’s like: age limit, valid passport, parent consent, medical fitness etc.

Stage IV: Pre-departure Training (PDT) Camp for IJSO

• Before leaving, there is another stage called PDT, which is the fourth stage.
• The 6 member team goes through a rigorous programme on theory and experiment at HBCSE.
• HBCSE is developing special laboratories for the purpose of experimental training.
• Experts from HBCSE and various institutions across the country train the 6 member team.

Stage V: Participation in International Junior Science Olympiad (IJSO)

• The 6 member student team and 3 teacher leaders will constitute the delegation to represent India at the International Junior Science Olympiad (IJSO).

How to apply

Eligibility Criteria for IJSO

• You must be born on or after 1 January 2003, i.e you must not be older than 15 years of age
• You are eligible to represent your country if you hold a valid passport of that country or are in the education system of that country for at least one academic year.
• You must agree with and accept the conditions as stated in the statutes from IJSO.
• A normal team consists of six students and three leaders.
• If a normal team cannot be fulfilled, a minimum team of three students and one leader is allowed to participate in IJSO.
• Teams consisting of less than three members do not qualify for team awards.
• You are not allowed to use your own collection of formulae from Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics, etc. during the competition.
• Each participating country that has either participated with a team or sent an observer to the IJSO in one of the previous two years, is invited to send a delegation of six students and three team leaders.
• Participating countries agree to pay the participation fee that the host country decides, obey all the rules of the IJSO statutes and any additional rules made by the host country for the ongoing event.

Registration for IJSO

• Only those countries, which have participated in one or more earlier IJSOs may register using the login ID and password sent by IJSO.
• If some country is planning to participate for the first time or if that country has not been sent the login ID and password, they can contact them at the IJSO official website http://www.ijsoweb.org/ for receiving the login ID and password.
• Last date for registration is 31 August 2018. If you can’t register by this date, you can email and mention the date you can complete registration by.

A. General Science Skills

1. Employ and Explain Scientific Methods
2. Use Scientific Terminology
3. Put Forward Hypotheses
4. Devise and Accurately Describe Methods/Experiments to Test Hypotheses
5. Assess the Validity of Different Sources of Information
6. Adequately Represent Data in Tables, Diagrams and Graphs
7. Interpret Data

B. Content Knowledge in Natural Sciences and Mathematics

Particles, Waves and Matter

Energy

Interactions

Structure, properties and functions

Systems

Development and Evolution

Mathematics Skills

Laboratory Skills

1. Work in the laboratory following safety regulations
2. Employ basic techniques for measuring the quantities mentioned in part B
3. Make observations using the five senses
4. Identify and use basic laboratory equipment
5. Use more sophisticated equipment if proper instructions are given
6. Collect data from an experiment being aware that instruments affect measurements
7. Identify error sources and estimate their effects

Exam Pattern for IJSO

• English is the working language of IJSO.
• Competition problems and their solutions should be presented to the IJSO International Board (IB) and team leaders in English.
• The examinations consist of three separate tests, done on different days.
• The tests require knowledge about Physics, Chemistry and Biology.
• The maximum score is 100 points.

Test

• The test is for duration of 3 hours.
• The test examination is composed of 30 multiple choice questions: 10 Physics, 10 Chemistry and 10 Biology.
• Each question has 4 options.
• You earn 1 point for each right answer, nothing for questions left unanswered and lose 0.25 for wrong answers.
• The maximum score for this test is 30 points.

Theoretical examination

• The theoretical examination is for duration of 3 hours.
• The theoretical examination is made up of three parts, one for each of the subjects.
• Each part contains several questions about one or more topics from the respective science.
• The maximum score for this test is 30.

Experimental examination

• The experimental examination is for duration of 3 hours.
• The experimental examination is done in groups of up to three people of the same country.
• Each country may have up to 2 teams.
• The groups should follow the instructions and answer the proposed questions.
• All students of the group receive the same grade.
• The maximum score for this test is 40 points.

Exam Dates for IJSO

Update you as soon as possible.

How to prepare

Preparation Tips for IJSO

• Practice is the key: Practice as much as you can. 70% of your IJSO preparation comprises of practice. Agarwal offers over 3.5 lakh questions in our question bank to help you learn and strengthen concepts in each chapter.
• Take All-India Level mock tests: Give time-bound mock tests in a completely exam-like environment to improve your efficiency at attempting questions. Agarwal offers an All-India Test Series that lets you compete with other students from all over India.
• Clear all your doubts: Don't get stuck with doubts. Discuss and clarify them with Subject Experts at Agarwal to get an instant reply.
• Study from the best sources: NCERT and several recommended books for IJSO are the minimum resources you need. Agarwal offers the best study material from all over the web to help you prepare better.
• Revision is important: When you go through a formula or concept, maintain revision notes in the form of bullet points. Revision will be useful when the exam is close and a good revision pattern will take less time. Normally, without these notes, you would have to go through the entire chapter to understand important points once again.