The Orientation Selection Camp 2019 is the 3rd stage of the National Olympiad Programme in Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Junior Science and Physics conducted by Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education which is a national centre of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. Depending on the performance in the Indian National Olympiads students will be selected in each subject for the Orientation Selection Camp in that subject. At this camp orientation will be provided to students for Olympiad level of theoretical, experimental and observational (for astronomy) tasks. Emphasis is laid on developing conceptual foundations and problem-solving skills. The students are exposed to innovative experiments with focus on conceptual and procedural understanding in experimental science. In astronomy, students are trained in basic notions in astrophysics, astronomical data analysis and night sky observations.
Orientation Selection Camp 2019
The top students from the Indian National Olympiads Examinations (approximately 35 in each subject) are invited for the third stage i.e., the Orientation Selection Camp (OCSC) held at HBCSE during April to June. As already stated above, in this camp orientation is provided to the students for Olympiad level of theoretical, experimental and observational (for astronomy) tasks. Several theoretical and experimental/observational tests are held during the camp. On the basis of performance in these tests, few students (as mentioned in the table below) are selected to represent India at the International Olympiads.
| Events | Dates |
| Orientation Selection Camp | April/ May/June 2019 |
Selection Procedure for OCSC
The selection for the OCSC i.e., the Orientation Selection Camp will be purely bases on the basis of merit. Following is the procedure which will be applied for selection of students for OCSCs.
In a given year, a student can participate in the orientation/ training/ selection of only one subject including Mathematics (OCSC for the five science subjects, or International Mathematical Olympiad Training Camp (IMOTC)) according to a preference order decided by the student himself/herself. A student who qualifies in more than one subject (on the basis of his/her performance in INO or Indian National Mathematical Olympiad (INMO)) will be invited to the OCSC that is ranked highest in his/her preference list. So, the procedure is made such that there is no discrepancy with any student in the near future.
Schedule for OCSC
The dates for OCSC will be announced on the official website of HBCSE (olympiads.hbcse.tifr.res.in) by January 15, 2019. To the extent possible, care is taken that the camp dates do not overlap with
the national level competitive exams, (e.g. IIT-JEE or AIIMS) but still students are advised to select Mumbai as their examination centre of any national level entrance examination that might be scheduled during the OCSC period.
Number of Student Elected in International Olympiad
| International Olympiad | Number of Students Selected |
| International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA) | 5 |
| International Junior Science Olympiad (IJSO) | 6 |
| International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) | 5 |
| International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) | 4 |
| International Biology Olympiad (IBO) | 4 |
That’s all at the moment regarding Stage 3 i.e., the Orientation Selection Camp 2019! For more updates regarding the same, stay tuned to this space!
For more details regarding Olympiad 2018-19 –
- Download information Brochure of Mathematics Olympiad
- Download information Brochure of Science Olympiad
Official Website: www.olympiads.hbcse.tifr.res.in
