Padhega To Badhega: 10 Exams You Shouldn’t Miss in School

lthough the thought of exams sends chills down the spine of anyone, but there are a few exams conducted by some of the premier institutes that are quite beneficial for your career ahead. These are the exams that not only help you sharpen up your brain and aptitudinal skills, but some of these also get you scholarships for financially aiding your studies. You, as a student, should start learning in a way that not only get you marks in your academic examinations, but help you gain skills and apply your learnings to everyday life and excel in application-based examinations.

1- NTSE

Started by prestigious NCERT (National Council of Educational Research and Training), National Talent Search Examination (NTSE) is especially conducted for class 9^th students. The exam aims at assessing and awarding the students with high intellect and academic talent. The Exam can be taken in two of the most popular languages in Indian Schools – Hind & English. The Exam is conducted in two stages, first is mostly in the month of November at the state level and second at national-level in the month of May.

2- PSA

PSA is commonly known as Problem Solving Assessment test and is conducted by CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education). The exam aims at developing practical and application-based knowledge, and assessing problem solving and analytical skills. Launched as an optional exam in 2012, today PSA is a compulsory examination for students of Class 9^th and Class 11^th. The exam not only enhances the aptitudinal skills, but the marks obtained are also counted in the third and fourth formative assessments for the students. The 90 marks examination comprises of three main sections ‘Qualitative,’ ‘Quantitative,’ and ‘Language conventions’ and it can be taken in English or Hindi Language. PSA exam is compulsory ONLY for CBSE board students.

3- IMO

International Mathematics Olympiad is conducted by Science Olympiad Foundation (SOF), New Delhi. The organization conducts this examination to encourage math skills in India and abroad. The examination is open to the students of classes 1 to 12 studying in CBSE, ICSE or any other board. However there is a catch, students can only register for examination through the school and not individually. The exam can only be taken in English language and is conducted at various levels. Level 1 is conducted in the school and comprises of 50 multiple choice questions for students of class 5^th to 12^th. If the student excels in level 1, he/she can take up next exams at the city, state and international levels. Students are awarded cash prizes, medals, gifts and certificates based on the ranking at various levels.

4- NSO

National Science Olympiad is organized by Science Olympiad Foundation (SOF), New Delhi. The exam aims at instilling analytical thinking for the various science subject. The exam has three sections – mental ability, science and achiever’s section for students in grades 1-10; and physics/chemistry, achiever’s section, and mathematics/biology for students of class 11^th and 12^th. The syllabus of the NSO exam is as prescribed by the CBSE, ICSE, and various other state boards. Same as the IMO examination, the first-level exam takes place in school. Based on student’s performance in level 1, he/she can appear for city, state or national level. Students are suitably awarded based on their international, state and school rankings. The exam usually takes place in the month of November.

5- ZIO

The Zonal Informatics Olympiad is organized by Indian Association for Research in Computing Science, Chennai. The exam is open to students in classes 8^th to 12^th and is administrated as a computerized test. The exam aims at selecting meritorious students to represent India at International Olympiad for Informatics. ZIO is the first stage of this selection process. The second stage includes programming on a computer during Indian National Olympiad in Informatics (INOI). During the third stage, approx. thirty top-performing students in the INOI are selected for International Olympiad in Informatics Training Camp (IOITC). At IOITC, the selected students undergo a fortnight-long training camp, which trains them to represent India during the International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI). For the exam which is usually conducted in the month of November, a student can register as an individual or participate from the school.

6- NSTSE

National Science Talent Search Examination is conducted by Unified Council, which stresses on improvement through exams by checking the understanding rather than the facts. NSTSE measures the concept understanding of a student and helps them improve. The examination is open for all students in classes 2^nd to 12^th and students who perform well at school, city and national level are awarded cash prizes along with medals, mementoes, gifts and certificates. The syllabus for the examination is again picked up from the curriculum of CBSE/ICSE and State boards and provides detailed skill-wise feedback highlighting strengths and weaknesses of the student.

7- KVPY

The Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (KVPY) is a scholarship program examination started in 1999 by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India. The exam aims to identify and encourage students who are studying basic sciences to take up research career in science. Class 11^th and 12^th students are eligible to apply for this scholarship exam, which is held in two stages. The first stage includes an aptitude test and the selected candidates are required to appear for an interview to clear the final stage, based on the marks of each stage the fellowship is awarded to the successful students. The fellowships are offered up to the pre-Ph.D. level studies or 5 years whichever is earlier in basic science subjects.

8- iOS

International Olympiad of Science (iOS) is conducted by Society of Science Education with supported by SilverZone, New Delhi. Through this examination, the organization help students to judge themselves at international levels. Syllabus for the iOS exam, like other Olympiads, is based on the syllabus prescribed by ICSE, CBSE and State boards. Students of classes 1^st to 12^thare eligible to take the examination. Based on the merit, students are suitably rewarded and are eligible for participation at next levels. It is one of the prestigious examinations that promote science education nationally and internationally.

9- NCO

National Cyber Olympiad is conducted by Science Olympiad Foundation (SOF), New Delhi. The organization conducts this examination to encourage cyber readiness and enhance the reasoning and computing skills of students throughout India. The examination is open to the students of classes 2^nd to 12^th studying in CBSE, ICSE or any other state board. The exam is conducted at two level with first level comprising of 35 multiple choice questions for students in classes 1^st to 5^th and 50 MCQs for students in 6-12^th. There is no negative marking and the question paper is divided into three sections – Mental Ability, Logical and Analytical Reasoning and Computers and IT. Based on the performance in level 1 and the cyber quotient students are awarded suitable recognition and certificate of participation.

10- NSEA

National Standard Examination in Astronomy is a 2-stage examination conducted by Indian Association of Physics Teachers (IAPT). The exam act as the screening examination for selection of students for Astronomy Olympiad Program. Any student born in India after January 1996 and is in standard XII or below it is eligible to take part in it. The exam aim is to judge the knowledge and skills in physics, mathematics and elementary astronomy. It is conducted in English medium and comprises of 80 multiple choice questions and the successful students get eligibility to participate in Indian National Astronomy Olympiad and International Olympiad in Astronomy and Astrophysics.

We hope this list will motivate you to recognize your inclination towards one of the academic subjects and explore the opportunities lying ahead of you. We are sure, with these competitive examinations you can take a leap ahead of your peers.

All the Best!