Introduction
The Mendel's Biology Olympiad (MBIO) is an annual international olympiad for secondary school students who are deeply interested in biology. By bringing together gifted students, the MBIO stimulates and fosters students' interest in learning biology and encourage them to value intellectual pursuits. The objectives of the competition are to:
‒ Stimulate deep interest in biological studies;
‒ Promote networking and communication between students;
‒ Promote the exchange of ideas about biology education.
History
Mendel's Biology International Olympiad (MBIO) was named after Gregor Johann Mendel, an Austrian biologist, botanist, and abbot - Augustinian friar. Founder of the doctrine of heredity. MBIO was founded by Myrzabek Alibayev in May 2017. Myrzabek Alibayev was a bronze medalist of IBO 2011, and an experienced coach for the International Biology Olympiad. MBIO is held every year since 2017. The first MBIO was held on May 27, 2017.
Suggested MBIO training materials
Who can take part in MBIO?
Any student in grades 8-12 who pays the registration fee and has internet access can participate.
What testing system is used?
We use one of the best testing services in the world – CANVAS. This service is used for testing students at universities.
What is the complexity of the tasks?
For each section of biology, we prepare a line of tasks of ascending complexity - from the level of the high school curriculum to the level of IBO. Therefore, the tasks of the Olympiad will be valuable for participants with any level of training - from the school level to those who are preparing for IBO. Some may solve 20% of the tasks, some 50%, some 80%. However, each participant will learn a lot of new things from the Olympiad and will be able to improve their level in biology significantly.
Do the subjects of the tasks correspond to the school curriculum?
No, we use the IBO curriculum as a basis to encourage students who study biology on a more profound level than the school curriculum.
How is the final ranking made?
The final ranking of the competitors is based on their equally weighted scores for the theoretical and practical tasks according to the t-score method. First, the t-score of the summed score of theoretical tasks is calculated.
Second, the t-score of the sum of the t-scores of the individual practical tasks is calculated. The final t-score of the competitor is the sum of these two. As a last step, the score is rescaled as follows: final score = 50 + (10 × final t-score).
Who prepares tasks for the Olympiad?
The authors of the tasks are members of our organizing committee, many of whom were participants in the past and are now members of the jury of the Republican and International Biology Olympiad.
What are available languages for the Olympiad?
English and Russian
If I don't have a laptop, can I solve the Olympiad task from my phone?
It is possible. The interface of the testing system is adapted to mobile devices, but solving tasks through a laptop is much more convenient.
What happens if the laptop turns off or the Internet goes down during the Olympiad?
Nothing terrible will happen. You will need to resume the work as soon as you fix your issues with your laptop or Internet and then contact us via contacts.
If the participant found the question incorrect, or he found out that he was incorrectly counted points - is it possible to challenge this?
Yes, of course. The policy of the olympiad is maximum transparency of scoring. Immediately after the end of the tour, the participant can see his answers and points earned for each question. If the question or answer given is incorrect or controversial, you can contact us in a particular discussion on the Canvas platform. We will consider your opinion, give an answer, and inform you of the decision regarding the disputed issue or scoring. Discussion of all issues takes place in an open mode - any participant of the Olympiad can follow its progress and take part in it.