International science olympiad

The International Science Olympiads are a group of worldwide annual competitions in various areas of science. The competitions are designed for the 4-6 best high school students from each participating country, selected through internal National Science Olympiads. To date there are 7 such ISO's:

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• The International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO, since 1959; not held in 1980)
• The International Physics Olympiad (IPhO, since 1967; not held in 1973, 1978, 1980)
• The International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO, since 1968; not held in 1971)
• The International Biology Olympiad (IBO, since 1990)
• The International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI, since 1989)
• The International Astronomy Olympiad (IAO, since 1996)
• The International Linguistic Olympiad (ILO, since 2003)

The Olympiads themselves are separate competitions each with its own organising body, even though they are loosely grouped together as "ISO's". The aims of each ISO are to promote a career in science; to challenge the brightest students from around the world; and to compare the various teaching systems of each country.

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Although the competitions are aimed for secondary school pupils, the standards of the exams are often extremely high. In fact, in several countries, achieving a high ranking in any ISO guarantees access to a university of choice and a fellowship.

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