Indian Olympiad Qualifier in Junior Science - IOQJS

Olympiad

Indian Olympiad Qualifier in Junior Science - IOQJS

All About IOQJS

Indian Olympiad Qualifier in Junior Science or IOQJS is the first step of the International Science Olympiad program. It is a 3 hours-long examination consisting of two papers, usually organised in the month of January. IOQJS is conducted by the authorities of IAPT and HBCSE, as a combination of two competitive examinations, namely, the Indian National Olympiad (INO), and the National Standard Examination (NSE). The main objective of the Indian Olympiad Qualifier in Junior Science (IOQJS) exam, is to encourage students to analyse their competence in science subjects by participating on a global platform.

Due to the current pandemic situation, a few changes have been made to the pattern of the International Science Olympiad program. One of the major revisions in the exam pattern of the International Science Olympiad is that, now, instead of five stages, there will be four different stages of the Science Olympiad. Candidates qualifying in IOQJS will be eligible for the next stage of the four-level International Junior Science Olympiad.

Indian Olympiad Qualifier for Junior Science (IOQJS) or NSEJS is one of the most sought after exams in Schools. It also helps you build problem-solving aptitude early on in your academics which will eventually enhance your JEE & NEET performance. Preparing for this exam is not easy as the smallest of concepts can trick you in the exam. Therefore you should always trust a credible source and one of the best sources is Vedantu. Come be a part of Vedantu's prestigious ABHIMANYU Batch and Ace IOQJS easily.

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IOQJS Details

Eligibility: Candidates aspiring to take part in the IOQJS exam are advised to go through the eligibility criteria of the same before registering themselves. The eligibility criteria for IOQJS are listed below.

Age - Candidates must be born between 1 January 2006 and 31 December 2007.
Academic Requirements - Candidates must have been studying in India since 30 November 2023, or earlier. They must not have completed their 10th Board, or any other equivalent exam before 26 November 2023. Also, candidates studying in any Indian school system since November 2022 or earlier will be eligible for IOQJS.
Citizenship - Candidates aspiring to participate in the Indian Olympiad Qualifier in Junior Science must be Indian residents since November 2022 or earlier. They must be eligible to hold Indian passports. As per the latest notice from the Madras High Court, students who are Overseas Citizens of India will not be eligible for selection to the team representing India at the International Olympiads.
Candidates aspiring to participate in IOQJS must not be appearing for IOQA, IOQP, IOQC, or IOQB in the same year.

IOQJS - Importance

The Indian Olympiad Qualifier in Junior Science exam is among the most prestigious competitive exams in our country which assess the intellect and knowledge-base of students in secondary school-level science subjects. Qualifying candidates will be selected for Orientation cum Selection Camps (OCSC). In general, 35 or 40 candidates are selected at the OCSC level. The level next to the OCSC is the pre-departure camp. About 4 or 6 candidates are selected for this level. The pre-departure camp is carried out at the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education, wherein, subject experts and mentors from all across the country train the candidates for the final level of the Olympiad. At the final stage of the International Olympiad, the candidates from the pre-departure camp are accompanied by a few mentors.

Syllabus

The syllabus for the Indian Olympiad Qualifier in Junior Science is prepared by the authorities of the Indian Association of Physics Teachers and the Homi Bhabha Center for Science Education. As this Olympiad is for secondary school students, the IOQJS syllabus includes mostly all topics from Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Mathematics, that are covered in the CBSE curricula up to the 10th standard.

Exam Pattern

As per the revised IOQJS exam pattern, there will be two consecutive papers in the exam. Only those candidates who will meet the cut-off marks for the first paper will be eligible for the second paper. The duration of the IOQJS exam will be 3 hours. Candidates will be allotted duration of 1 hour for attempting Paper 1 and a duration of 2 hours for attempting Paper 2. There will be only objective-type questions in Paper 1, that is, answer choices will be provided for every question. In Paper 2, only subjective questions will be there. While meeting the cut-off marks for Paper 1, will make the candidates eligible for Paper 2, their performance in Paper 2 will determine if they will qualify for the Orientation cum Selection Camp.

For a better understanding, the IOQJS exam pattern is summarised in the below table.

IOQJS Exam Pattern

IOQJS Exam Pattern	Details
Duration	3 hours Paper 1: 1 hour Paper 2: 2 hours
Exam Mode	Pen-and-paper based
Types of questions	Paper 1: Multiple Choice Questions Paper 2: Subjective Questions
Will there be negative marking?	Yes. -1 for every incorrect response

IOQJS Registration

In general, the Junior Science Olympiad registration starts in the month of November. Aspiring candidates can get themselves registered on the official website - iaptexam.in, for IOQJS. The application window, fees, and other features of IOQJS are expected to be the same for this year as well. Also, aspiring candidates are recommended to keep an eye on the official website of IAPT and HBCSE for further information and updates.

Criteria for Stage 2

The Indian Olympiad Qualifier in Junior Science exam comprises 4 stages and only the candidates who will meet the cut-off marks in the first stage will be eligible for Stage 2. The first stage of IOQJS comprises two papers and candidates who qualify for the second paper will be eligible for Stage 2, Orientation Cum Selection Camp. About 35 to 40 candidates are generally selected for the second stage of OCSC.

IOQJS Result

The IOQJS result will be released in an online mode. Results for every stage will be notified on the official website of IAPT. All candidates will be able to check their results for IOQJS Paper 1. The results of IOQJS Paper 2 will be evaluated for candidates meeting the cut-off marks for IOQJS Paper 1. Candidates will be notified of the final results that will be published on the official website of IAPT and HBCSE.

The candidates who will qualify for the Indian Olympiad Qualifier exam will be trained for further rounds by the best mentors from all across the country. Keeping in view the current pandemic situation, it is most likely that all selected candidates for the final round of the Olympiad will have to appear in an online examination at the Homi Bhabha Center for Science Education, Mumbai. However, it is advisable that candidates must visit the official website of IAPT and HBCSE for further intimations regarding IOQJS.

FAQs on Indian Olympiad Qualifier in Junior Science - IOQJS

1. Who is Eligible for IOQJS?

Students studying in Class X and lower classes are eligible for IOQJS. Students aspiring to take IOQJS must be eligible to hold an Indian passport. They must have been studying in any Indian school system since November 2022 or before. They must be Indian citizens or have been residing and studying in India from November 2022, or before.

2. Is IOQJS and NSEJS Similar?

Yes, IOQJS and NSEJS are similar exams. NSEJS stands for the National Standard Examination in Junior Science whereas IOQJS stands for the Indian Olympiad Qualifier in Junior Science. IOQJS is the combination of NSEJS and the Indian National Olympiad examination. NSEJS and IOQJS have similar syllabi that cover topics from the secondary school-level (CBSE) syllabus up to Class X.

3. How to Crack IOQJS?

Students must cover all topics in the IOQJS syllabus from NCERT textbooks, firstly. It is advised that students should solve and practice as many questions as possible from the workbooks for Olympiads. They may also refer to books like H.C.Verma, O.P. Tandon, R. D. Sharma, S.L. Arora, etc.

4. How to Enroll for IOQJS?

Students can enrol for IOQJS on the official website of IAPT. They will have to register themselves on the website and then fill in the application form. Mostly, the application window for IOQJS is enabled in November and remains active till December. All the updates regarding the IOQJS registration and application are available on the official website of IAPT.