Astronomy Olympiad is one of the presitigious Indian/International events, organised every year. Indian teams have been giving splendid performance consistently at the National and International level Astronomy Olympiads.
The astronomy Olympiad program follows the following 5 stages:
Stage 1: National Standard Examination in Astronomy (NSEA)
Stage 2: Indian National Astronomy Olympiad (INAO)
Stage 3: Orientation cum Selection Camp (OCSC) in astronomy
Stage 4: Pre-departure Training Camp (PDT) for IOAA
Stage 5: International Olympiad in Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA)
Stage 1 is entirely the responsibility of IAPT. All the remaining stages are organized by HBCSE.
Stage I: National Standard Examination in Astronomy (NSEA)
NSEA is the first stage of selection of students in the astronomy Olympiad Programme which is organized by the Indian Association of Physics Teachers (IAPT). Every student aspiring to go through successive stages of the programme must enroll for NSEA. NSEA will be held at a large number of centres in the country.
Date of NSEA 2011 : 27 November 2011 (Sunday)
Time of NSEA 2011: 03:00 pm to 05:00 pm
Last Date for Enrollment for NSEA: 15th September 2011
Eligibility: All Indian students who are born on or after January 1, 1993 and, in addition, are in Class XII or lower as of November 30, 2011, are eligible to appear for NSEA 2011 – 2012. If they qualify in the NSEA they will be eligible for subsequent stages leading to participation in International Olympiad in Astronomy and Astrophysics 2012. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that the eligibility criteria are satisfied. In case at any stage of the programme it is found that the student does not satisfy the eligibility criteria, he/she may be disqualified from the program.
Syllabus: The syllabus for NSEA is broadly equivalent to the senior secondary level (upto Class XII) of CBSE.There will be greater emphasis on physics and mathematics (calculus not expected) and elementary astronomy. This is only a rough guideline, and there is no detailed syllabus given for NSEA.
Question Paper: NSEA emphasizes comprehension of the subject, not rote memory. The question paper will consist of 80 multiple choice questions, each with only one of the four options correct.
Language : English.
Qualifying for the Second Stage: Based on performance in NSEA, the top 300 students in order of merit qualify to appear for the Second Stage of the Olympiad programme: INAO. In case there is a tie at the last position, all students with the same marks qualify for the INAO. All students who qualify to appear for the INAO get a certificate of merit from IAPT.
For any queries or clarifications and for any difficulties regarding enrollment for NSEA please visit: www.iapt.org.in