A blog by Physics Master Academy
A journey to International Physics Olympiad
In India International Olympiad (IO) programme follows a five stage process:
Stage I – National Standard Examinations (NSEs) in Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Astronomy, Junior Science organized by IAPT (Indian Association of Physics Teachers).All the subsequent stages are conducted by Homi Bhabha Center for Science Education (HBCSE), Mumbai.
Stage II – is the Indian National Olympiad (INO) examinations. The eligible students from stage one can participate in INO in respective subjects.
Stage III – is the Orientation Cum Selection Camps (OCSC). For these camps, about 35 students in each subject will be selected from INO on performance basis
Stage IV – These students will have a Pre Departure Training (PDT) for two weeks.
Stage V – Participation in International Olympiad (IO) of the selected students.
Stage I (National Standard Examination of Physics ) detail:
|
EXAM
|
National Standard Examination of Physics (NSEP ) |
|
Day & Date
|
Sunday November 26, 2023 |
|
Time of Exam
|
08.30 am to 10.30 am |
|
Venue
|
Respective NSE centre |
|
Eligibility (i.e) who can appear for
|
1. Must be eligible to hold an Indian passport. 2. Date of birth between 1 July 2004 and 30 June 2009, both days inclusive. 3. Must be residing and studying in India since 30 November 2021 or earlier. Must be studying in an Indian school system since 30 November 2021 or earlier. 4. Must not have completed (or scheduled to complete) class 12 board examination earlier than 30 November 2023. 5. Must not have commenced (or planning to commence) studies in a university or equivalent institution by 1 June, 2023. 6. Must not be appearing in NSEJS 2023. |
|
Level of Question Paper
|
Is broadly equivalent to senior secondary level (up to and including Class XII) of CBSE India |
|
Language of Question Paper
|
Question paper will be in English, Hindi, Gujarati, Bangla, Tamil & Telugu or any Indian Language provided 300 students OPT for it (option during registration) |
|
Question Paper Pattern
|
A) 48 multiple choice questions with one alternative correct. +3 marks credit for correct choice. –1 mark penalty for incorrect choice. B) 12 multiple choice questions with one or more than one correct alternatives. To get credit, all the correct option(s) and no incorrect option (s) should be marked. |
|
Total Marks
|
216 |
Awards and Recommendations:
Certificates shall be awarded to students who will be 1. Centre Top 10% 2. State Top 1% 3. National Top 1% (certificate with book prize) 4. Shortlisted 300 students for Indian National Olympiad in all the subjects. 5. All students attending the OCSC at HBCSE Mumbai will get merit certificate and a Gold Medal
Stage II (Indian National Physics Olympiad) details:
The best-performing students from the NSEP (approximately 300 students) qualify for the second stage — the Indian National Olympiads (INPhO). The responsibility of the programme from this stage onwards lies with HBCSE. The INPhOs are held in late January at around 18 centres across the country. The syllabus is the same as that of the NSEP. The tests consist of objective as well as long questions.
Stage III (Orientation cum Selection Camp) details:
The top students from the INPhOs (approximately 35) are invited for the third stage, the Orientation-cum-Selection Camps (OCSCs) held at HBCSE from April to June. At these camps, orientation is provided to students for the Olympiad level of theoretical and experimental tasks. Emphasis is laid on developing conceptual foundations and problem-solving skills. Students are exposed to innovative experiments with a focus on conceptual and procedural understanding in experimental science. On the basis of performance in these tests, few students (4-6) are selected to represent India at the international Olympiads.
Stage IV (Pre Departure Camp) details:
The selected Indian teams undergo a rigorous training programme at HBCSE in theory and experiment and in case of astronomy, observational astronomy prior to their departure for the international Olympiads. Special laboratories have been developed in HBCSE for this purpose. Resource persons from different institutions across the country are invited to the training camps.
Stage V (International Physics Olympiad) details:
The Olympiad programme culminates with the participation of the Indian students (4-6) in the International Olympiads. The students are accompanied by 2-4 teachers or mentors.
When and how to start preparing for Physics Olympiad?
It is recommended that students should start preparing for Physics Olympiad from Class 8th onwards. It is good time to make a better understanding of concept of science specially Physics. A student should have a good command on Mathematics to challenge Physics Olympiad because Mathematics is the language of Physics.
A student should also target to compete Junior Science Olympiad because it will work as a pre-preparation for Physics Olympiad.
Student must complete their syllabus of Physics before the mid-session of Class 11th.
What are the Best books and Study material for Physics Olympiad?
For NSEP stage we recommend JEE Mains/Advance material and PYQs with NCERT, H.C. Verma, I.E.Irodov, S.S. Krotov.
For stage II, we recommend JEE Advance subjective material, Path finder Physics, Reshnick-Halleday, Vijay A. Singh
For experimental Physics, we recommend Rajesh and H.C. Pradhan