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Chemistry olympiad is a
competition in chemistry,
usually among high school
students, where the participants
solve problems and/or perform
and analyze experiments. In
many countries, chemistry
olympiads are held annually on
a national level, forming a team
of students representing the
country in the International
Chemistry Olympiad.

Chemistry
Olympiads
 Physics-Olympiads
Chemistry
The International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) has been conducted since 1968, and is a competition for
students at the secondary and higher secondary school levels. The IChO helps develop friendly relations
between the young people from different countries, and thus encourages co-operation and international
understanding. India started participating in this event from the year 1999 at the 31st IChO held at Bangkok,
Thailand. India hosted the 33rd International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) in its third year of participation in
2001 with the whole-hearted support of all countries.
To know the five stage process of this program click on Stages.
Stages
The chemistry Olympiad program follows the following 5 stages:
Stage I: National Standard Examination in Chemistry (NSEC),
Stage II: Indian National Chemistry Olympiad (INChO),
Stage III: Orientation cum Selection Camp (OCSC) in chemistry,
Stage IV: Pre-departure Training Camp (PDT) for IChO,
Stage V: Participation in International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO).
Stage 1 is entirely the responsibility of IAPT. All the remaining stages are organized by the HBCSE.

The detailed information about eligibility and structure of the stages is given below:
Stage I: National Standard Examination in Chemistry (NSEC)
NSEC is the first stage of selection of students in the chemistry Olympiad Programme which is organised by
the Indian Association of Physics Teachers (IAPT). Every student aspiring to go through successive stages of
the programme must enroll for NSEC. NSEC will be held at a large number of centres in the country.

Date and Time of NSEC 2008: 23 November 2008 (Sunday) 12:30 pm to 02:30 pm
th
Last Date for Enrollment for NSEC: 15 September 2008

Eligibility:
All Indian students of Class XI or Class XII (Science stream) and born after December 31, 1989 are eligible to
appear for NSEC. A student may appear for more than one subject provided the examination schedule allows it.
See information about the examination schedule under various subjects. Students who have passed Class XII
are not eligible to enroll for NSEC 2008.

It is the student's responsibility to ensure that the eligibility criteria are satisfied. In case at any stage of the
program it is found that the student does not satisfy the eligibility criteria, he/she may be disqualified from the
program.

Syllabus:
The syllabus for NSEC is broadly equivalent to the senior secondary level (Class XI and Class XII) of CBSE
Chemistry. This is only a rough guideline, and there is no detailed syllabus given for NSEC.

Question Paper:
NSEC emphasizes comprehension of the subject, not rote memory. Its format will be as follows:
The question paper will consist of 80 multiple choice questions, each with only one of the four options correct
(negative marks for incorrect answers). Total marks 240.
Language : English.

Qualifying for the Second Stage:

Based on performance in NSEC, the top 300 students in order of merit will qualify to appear for the Second
Stage of the Olympiad program (INChO). In case there is a tie at the last position, all additional students with
the same marks will also qualify for INChO 2009.

All students who qualify to appear for INChO 2009, will get a certificate of merit from IAPT.
 Physics-Olympiads
Stage IV: Pre-departure Training (PDT) Camp for IChO
The selected 4 member Indian team undergoes a rigorous training programme at HBCSE in theory and
experiment. Special laboratories have been developed at HBCSE for the purpose. Resource persons from
HBCSE and different institutions across the country are invited to train the students. The duration of training
will be subject to IChO regulations.

Stage V: Participation in International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO)

The 4 member student team, 2 teacher leaders and 1 scientific observer constitute the delegation to represent
India at the International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO). The 41st IChO is to be held in London, UK
tentatively in July 2009.

Syllabus for International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO)

Syllabus for Theoretical Component of IChO --- http://www.icho.sk/Icho_Syllabus_C_(2004).pdf

Syllabus for the Experimental Component of IChO --- http://www.icho.sk/Append_d.doc

Please note:
• The syllabus for National Standard Examination in Chemistry (NSEC) is broadly equivalent to the
senior secondary level (Class XI and Class XII) of CBSE Chemistry. This is only a rough guideline,
and there is no detailed syllabus given for NSEC.
• The syllabus for Indian National Chemistry Olympiad (INChO) is broadly similar to NSEC but the
difficulty level of the questions will be higher. Questions and problems in National Olympiads are
usually non-conventional and of high difficulty level, comparable to International Olympiads

Sample Papers for INChO

INChO 2008
Published Books
1. INChO Theory Papers (2002 - 2007) by Dr. Savita Ladage and Ms. Swapna Narvekar
This book can be purchased from

In-Charge,
HBCSE Publications Section,
Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education,
Tata Institute of Fundamental Research,
V. N. Purav Marg, Mankhurd,
Mumbai - 400088. India

Price: Rs. 150/- (for cash purchases made in person at HBCSE)

This book can also be purchased by sending a Demand Draft of Rs. 190/- (which includes postage charges
for registered parcel) in favour of Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education, payable at Mumbai and sent
to the address above.
 Physics-Olympiads
REFERENCE BOOKS FOR INCHO EXAMINATION
Suggested references that will be useful in preparing for the theory examinations of the Indian National
Chemistry Olympiad are given here. These books are usually available in most college libraries. You may
also consult your teachers for further guidance and choice of books.
a) Physical Chemistry
Maron & Prutton, Principles of Physical Chemistry, 4th Edition, Oxford and IBH Pub. Co. Pvt. Ltd.,
New Delhi/Calcutta.
Atkins P.W., Physical Chemistry, 5th Edition, Oxford University Press.
b) Organic Chemistry
Morrison & Boyd, Organic Chemistry, 6th Edition, Prentice Hall of India Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi.
Carey, Organic Chemistry, 3rd Edition, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Atkins & Carey, Organic Chemistry- a brief course, 2nd Edition, The McGraw-Hill Companies,
Inc.
c) Inorganic Chemistry
Lee, Concise Inorganic Chemistry, 5th Edition, ELBS with Chapman & Hall.
Cotton, Wilkinson & Gaus, Basic Inorganic Chemistry, 3rd Edition, John Wiley & Sons.
d) Analytical Chemistry
Christian, Analytical Chemistry, 5th Edition, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Skoog & West, Fundamentals of Analytical Chemistry, 2nd Edition, Holt International Edition.
Skoog, Principles of Instrumental Analysis, 3rd Edition, Holt-Saunders International Edition.
e) Biochemistry
Lehninger, Principles of Biochemistry , CBS publishers and distributors Pvt. Ltd., Delhi (chapters
on amino acids, proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids)
Mckee & Mckee, Biochemistry an Introduction, 2nd Edition, WCB/McGraw-Hill.
f) General Chemistry
Mahan, University Chemistry, 3rd Edition, Narosa Publishing House.
Ebbing, General Chemistry, 3rd Edition, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston.
Schaum series books on problems in various disciplines of chemistry.

REFERENCE BOOKS FOR PRACTICAL CHEMISTRY

Jeffrey, Bassett, Mendham & Denney, Vogel's Textbook of Quantitative Chemical Analysis, 5th Edition,
ELBS with Longman.
Arthur I.Vogel, Elementary Practical Organic Chemistry (Part 1, 2 and 3), CBS Publishers and
Distributors, Delhi.
Addison Ault, Techniques and Experiments for Organic Chemistry, 6th Edition, University Science Books,
Sausalito, California.
Day & Underwood, Quantitative Analysis, 5th Edition, Prentice Hall of India Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi.
CBSE practical books