10 Tips to Succeed ! Biology Olympiad

Preparing for the Indian Biology Olympiad requires research, perseverance and intelligence.  The completion is both theoretical and practical in nature, having a weigthtage of approximately 50% each.  The exam covers Molecular and cell biology, plant and animal physiology and anatomy, ethology, genetics, evolution, ecology and biosystematics. 

Let us look at some way of preparing intelligently for the examination.

• Know your examination: The exam is consists of multiple choice, data analysis and a free response section.  The free response section is supposed to be the toughest, and the pattern varies from year to year, requiring knowledge of a large number of subjects.

• Start well in time: Covering such a large number of subjects will require a lot of time for memorizing, understanding and revising.  Make sure that you start well in time.  If you have 6 months in hand, an average of 2-4 hours of study per day should be enough for you.

• Keep in touch with sites: You must study the relevant sites thoroughly, to keep abreast of the latest trends and changes in examination patterns.  The most important sites are the International Biology Organization site and the Homi Bhabha Center for Science Education website . Click here to get detailed rules for the International Biology Olympiad  .

• Practice Diagrams well: Diagrams tend to take a lot of time.  Be sure to practice them so well that you do not have to think too much in the examination.

• Know your reference books: A comprehensive list of reference books necessary for your preparation is given on HBCSE site.  Be sure to go through them well.

• Study your environment: Biology is the science of life, and you are surrounded by life.  When you start thinking about the application of Biology to daily life, you get an entirely different perspective.  Study the sites of mega-companies such as DuPont, Religare and IBM, who are working in application of biology and green techniques. 

• Use online resources: There are a number of online resources and YouTube videos which can be very useful for your Olympiad preparation.  Sites such as National Geographic and Discovery Channel can also make your Olympiad preparation interesting.

• Solve previous year’s papers: You can easily get previous year’s papers with solutions online. Click here to get complete exam papers . 

• Join forums: There are a number of participants who are preparing for the Indian Biology Olympiad or the International Biology Olympiad like you. A lot of their views are available on forums for you to understand and implement.

• Practice, practice, practice: Finally it is your diligence that is going to work for you.  You will be competing against the best in the Olympiads, so make sure you are better than them.

Best of Luck!