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ICO 2024-25 Eligibility Criteria

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Olympiads

ICO Eligibility

The Science Olympiad Foundation (SOF) is an educational organisation that organises the International Commerce Olympiad (ICO). The SOF was founded to develop a healthy and enriching competitive spirit among school students. 

Scientists, academicians and teachers created the SOF to promote the knowledge in students beyond their school curriculum. Subjects include science, maths, computer science, English and even general knowledge. It has been over 25 years since SOF has successfully conducted these Olympiads for students. 

ICO is one of the Olympiads the SOF has been organising regularly. Every year, the ICO is held in all CBSE affiliated schools for classes 11 and 12.

ICO 2024-25 Eligibility Criteria

  • All students in Classes 11 and 12 are eligible to take the Olympiad exam.

  • The CTF will not accept fewer than 20 entries from the school, with 10 from Class 11 and 12 or 20 from a single class (in case one of the classes is participating).

  • There are no other ICO exam eligibility criteria, such as minimum marks, set by the foundation.

  • Students must meet the ICO eligibility 2024-25 criteria listed below to apply for ICO.


ICO Eligibility 2024-25 (International Commerce Olympiad Eligibility)

Factors

ICO Eligibility 2024-25 for Olympiad Exam

Gender

Any

Region

India

Class/Age

Class 11-12

Details

Students from Science, Humanities, and Commerce stream can apply for ICO 2024-25

Note: At least 5 Students from each school need to apply.

 

ICO 2024-25 Olympiad - Important Dates

The ICO is conducted in two levels and the dates for the corresponding levels are announced well beforehand, or at least an estimation can be obtained from the official website. The Science Olympiad Foundation has declared the exam dates and a tentative period for the results. Find below an overview of the same.



Exam Date

Result Date

Date 1

10th December 2024

The results will be declared within 8 weeks of the last date of examination. 

Date 2

23rd January 2025

 

ICO 2024-25 Registration Fee

SOF charges INR 125 per student ($9 per student for International schools), including 18% GST, for the examination and that amount is payable if you belong to a school in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, or Bhutan.

  • Fee Exemption: If a student is suffering from any major physical disabilities or their parent was martyred during defence operations, they are excused from paying for the exam.

Additionally, the school can collect an amount up to INR 25 ($1 per student for International schools) for an honorarium of the in-charge, remuneration given to teachers, study material supplied by the SOF, and other miscellaneous expenses.

  • Schools participating in these olympiad exams can courier the filled forms and the payment. Payment can be remitted by the following modes:

  • Demand Draft or Multi-City Cheque: Drawn in favour of Science Olympiad Foundation payable at Delhi.

  • Online Transfer - NET/RTGS: In any of the following bank accounts, the amount can be deposited in SOF's bank account but should not exceed two lakhs in a single transaction per day.


ICO 2024-25 - Syllabus

The syllabus of the International Commerce Olympiad has been released by the Science Olympiad Foundation. Students must go through the same to get an idea of the extent of the learning required to sit for the exam. Having an idea of the syllabus will also help them time themselves for preparing. Find below an overview of the same.

 

Class

Section

Topics

11

1

Introductory Microeconomics, Statistics for Economics.

2

Nature and Purpose of Business, Forms of Business Organisations, Public, Private and Global Enterprises, Business Services, Emerging Modes of Business, Social Responsibility of Business and Business Ethics, Sources of Business Finance, Small Business, Internal Trade, International Business.

3

Theoretical Framework, Accounting Process, Financial Statements of Sole Proprietorship from Complete and Incomplete Records, Computers in Accounting.

4

Higher Order Thinking Questions - Syllabus as per Section-1, Section-2 and Section-3.

 

Class

Section

Topics

12

1

Introductory Macroeconomics, Indian Economic Development.

2

Nature and Significance of Management, Principles of Management, Business Environment, Planning, Organising, Staffing, Directing, Controlling, Financial Management, Financial Markets, Marketing Management, Consumer Protection.

3

Financial Statements of Not-for-Profit Organisations, Accounting for Partnership Firms, Accounting for Companies, Analysis of Financial Statements, Cash Flow Statement, Computerised Accounting.

4

Higher Order Thinking Questions - Syllabus as per Section-1, Section-2 and Section-3.

 

ICO 2024-25 - Examination Pattern and Marking Scheme

An awareness of the ICO examination pattern and marking scheme is necessary for the students to get an idea of what to expect from the examination. Find below details of the examination pattern and marking scheme of the ICO Olympiad. 


Class

Section

No. of Questions

Marks/Question

Total Marks

11th and 12th

Economics

15

1

15

Business Studies

15

1

15

Accountancy

15

1

15

Achievers Section

5

3

15

 

Grand Total

50

 

60


Conclusion

ICO 2024-25 is an exam that is highly regarded as a competitive exam not only in India but also across the world. Being a student, if you would like to apply for ICO 2024-25, then you can now easily follow this guide, which will let you know whether you are an eligible candidate or not.

FAQs on ICO 2024-25 Eligibility Criteria

1. How Does a Student Benefit by Taking Olympiad Exams?

Students pursuing 11th / 12th are at the threshold of making the most crucial decision about their career. The ICO assists the student’s in the self-realization of his / her potential and aptitude. Besides self-realization, SOF also recognizes the potential of the student by conferring upon them awards on Merit Basis.


The participants of Olympiads are ranked according to the marks obtained. Hence, after taking the exam, students can judge themselves academically at four different levels - within the school, at the city level, at the Zonal level, at the regional level, and above all at the International level.


Each of the students is provided with a Student Performance Report (SPR). The SPR analyses the strong and weak areas of the student and also gives a detailed performance comparison of the student vis-à-vis other students at School, City, Zonal and International level. Analysis of the student’s past 3 years’ performance is also provided.


The students are suitably awarded based on the International, Zonal, and School ranking obtained. Prizes are announced annually and include cash awards, gifts, medals, certificates, etc. The International toppers from each class are awarded at a grand prize distribution ceremony held in Delhi, presided over by eminent personalities. The prize for the Zonal winners as well as the school winners is sent to their respective schools. For the year 2024-25, a sum of Rs. 20 crores will be spent towards felicitations, awards, scholarships, etc.

2. Who all are Eligible to Sit for the Olympiads?

Students of classes 11th & 12th are eligible to appear for the SOF ICO. There is no other ICO exam eligibility criterion like minimum marks that need to be secured. SOF ICO is a single level exam. ICO olympiad eligibility is also for the students from Commerce & Humanities as well as Science.

3. When are the Results of the Olympiad Declared?

Results of Olympiads are declared within 8 weeks of the last date of examination. The results are sent to the schools concerned. The results of the Olympiad are also made available on our website.

4. Is it Possible for a Student to Compete in Multiple Olympiads?

ICO, NCO, NSO, IMO, IEO, IGKO, and ICO are all separate competitions, despite the fact that they are all run by the same foundation.


Students can register for all Olympiads in a year based on their ICO exam eligibility.

5. Is an admit card for ICO required in order to be eligible for the exam?

ICO admit card is an exam admit card that will allow the eligible candidates to take part in the examination. It is essential to get this admit card in order to be eligible for the ICO exam 2024-25. This admit card for ICO shall either be provided to the students via the school offices, or they can also access it via an online method. All you need to do is visit the official site of SOF and make sure you enter the registration number through which you have registered for the exams. No candidates shall be allowed to enter the exam hall without both the admit card and the school ID card.

6. What are the steps involved in the application of the ICO 2024-25 exam?

There are a number of steps that are involved in order to complete the application for ICO 2024-25, and they are given as follows:

  • Schools receive a prospectus from SOF that will contain the entire information regarding the ICO 2024-25 exam. If some schools have not yet registered but wish to participate in this event, they can email the SOF coordinator to look into it.

  • Once the prospectus is received, the school will have to hand it over to the students, who will then look at the details of the ICO 2024-25 exam mentioned.

  • The interested students then fill in the die application form, which is sent back to the SOF before the said deadline.

  • The coordinating teachers will then set up the students' roll numbers that will be used during exam time.

  • This list of student roll numbers is then sent along with the Student registration sheet and Student registration form to the ICO coordinators.

  • As per the guidelines mentioned, any school is eligible to register for the exam as long as there are more than five participants from each school.

7. Am I eligible to give ICO 2024-25 if I am a student of the Science stream?

All the streams, including the students from Humanity, Science, Commerce, and other such backgrounds, can take part in ICO 2024-25. The details of SOF ICO 2024-25 can be given as follows:

  • All the students who belong to Class 11 and 12 are eligible for the ICO exam 2024-25.

  • ICO exam is a single-level exam, and hence the rankings are based on only the exam taken at this level.

  • The ICO was first conducted in 2016 by Science Olympiad Foundation.

  • As soon as the results for ICO are released, the SPR also called the Student’s Performance Report, is provided to each student, which helps the students prepare better for the upcoming competitive exams.

  • ICO has spent nearly 18 crores of gifts for the students who show excellent calibre in these competitive exams.

8. What are the languages in which the ICO exam is conducted?

English is the only allowed language in which the students can attempt the exam. While it is impossible for other students to attempt this exam, they can always aim for other Olympiad exams conducted in multiple languages. Those students, who are ready to take up a challenge can also learn the English language to attempt the exam. Provided that you understand English fluently, you can score well in the ICO 2024-25 exam without any problem. Vedantu also aims at helping children who are highly interested but could not attempt due to the language barrier to help them out by providing them proper English lessons and classes on how to crack ICO 2024-25 exam.

9. If my school has not yet received the prospectus for ICO, how can I apply in such a case?

If the school has not yet received the prospectus, you can ask the school officials to add in an email that will help the SOF officials know whether they can send the prospectus. The application for ICO 2024-25 can only be made through schools. This is why most students cannot apply for the ICO exam. But if you are highly interested in participating in these competitive exams, you can request your school administrative officials to get the school registered. You can also ask your friends to accompany you during the competition as it is also mandatory that at least five students from each school participate in the contest due to feasibility reasons.

10. How do I register for ICO Olympiad?

Students of class 11 and 12 can register for the ICO Olympiad 2024-25 easily through their school. Their school must be registered with the Science Olympiad Foundation for the same. 

 

These schools receive registration forms that students must submit along with a nominal fee of INR 125. The schools return these filled forms with the registration fee to the SOF to confirm the registration of the students.