Mendel's BIOlogy international olympiad
General information
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.
Past mbio's
Suggested MBIO training materials
F.A.Q
Who can take part in MBIO?
(1) Be a student of grades 8-12 in any country in the world.
(2) Register - fill out the registration form and pay the fee.
(3) Have a computer (a tablet or smartphone is also suitable) with Internet access and the ability to start solving tasks on exam days.
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 useful and interesting for participants with any level of training - from the middle level to those who are preparing for IBO. Someone will be able to solve 20% of the tasks, someone 50%, someone 80%. But each participant will learn a lot of new things from the Olympiad and will be able to significantly improve their level in biology.
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 faster than the school curriculum provides.
How is the final ranking is made?
The final ranking of the competitors is based upon their equally weighted scores for the theoretical and practical tasks according 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 and in what language?
The authors of the tasks are members of our organizing committee, many of whom were participants in the past, are now members of the jury of the Republican and International Biology Olympiad. Task language: English and Russian
If I don't have a laptop, can I solve the Olympiad task from my smartphone?
It is possible, the interface of the testing system is adapted to mobile devices, but participants who have a laptop will have advantages.
What happens if the laptop turns off or the Internet goes down during the Olympiad task?
Nothing terrible will happen. You will need to resume computer operation or Internet access as soon as possible and then write to our 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 olympiad is maximum transparency of scoring. Immediately after the end of the tour, the participant can see his answers and achieved points for each question are visible. If the question or answer given is incorrect or controversial, you can contact us on a special discussion on 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.