2 months before the International Biology Olympiad 2019

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PRACTICAL EXAMS There will be four round during the day of Practical Exams (16th July), each will last 90 mins. THE FOUR TOPICS (AND ARRANGEMENT) ARE: Neurobiology and Bioinformatics* Biochemistry Animal and Plant Anatomy, Systematics and Ecology Molecular Biology and Animal Physiology * Bioinformatics: offline version of Geneious Software  THE MAIN AIM IS TO ASSESS AND COMPARE: 1) students’ ability to use …

Most Useful Biological Prefixes and Suffixes for the Biology Olympiad

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Students preparing for the biology olympiad should be able to recognize word parts since they often give a clue as to the meaning of a word. Science terminology is predominately based on the Latin and Greek languages. Thus, Biolympiads.com compiled a list of the most common word parts which are common in biology. Prefix Meaning Example A a-, an- not, …

International Biology Olympiad 2019

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This year’s International Biology Olympiad will take place between 14th and 21st of July 2019 in Szeged, Hungary. The official website of the competition is http://www.ibo2019.org. About the exams As usual the questions in the IBO will be based on scientific reasoning, thinking skills, analysis of laboratory data, hypothesis testing etc. The theory exam will be comprised of 2 test papers. Each …

What are the keywords in the biology olympiad?

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Biology olympiads compared to usual school biology tests and exams mainly differ in wording of the question. I bet you noticed that in olympiads, creators of the exam play with words and make the question confusing or convoluted. So how can you go about this and answer the question correctly if everything in the question looks confusing? Well… this is …

General Biology

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The word biology means, “the science of life”, from the Greek bios, life, and logos, word or knowledge. Therefore, Biology is the science of Living Things. That is why Biology is sometimes known as Life Science. The science has been divided into many subdisciplines, such as botany, bacteriology, anatomy, zoology, histology, mycology, embryology, parasitology, genetics, molecular biology, systematics, immunology, microbiology, physiology, cell biology, cytology, ecology, and virology. Other branches of science include or are comprised in …

Amino acid mnemonics for the biology olympiad

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MNEMONICS FOR AMINO ACID PROPERTIES GLAMP TVIP = nonpolar, hydrophobic – Glycine, Leucine, Alanine, Methionine, Phenylalanine, Tryptophan, Valine, Isoleucine, Proline TCSy-TAG – like cyborg, charged – Tyrosine, Cysteine, Serine, Threonine, Asparagine, Glutamine Acidic, there’s only 2 – Glutamate, Aspartate Basic – HALelujiah – Histidine, Arginine, Lysine Aromatic – PfTT, since they have a smell – Phenylalanine, Tyrosine, Tryptophan ONE LETTER …

Two months before USABO: What should I study?

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The USA Biology Olympiad (USABO) will be administered from 5th to 15th of February, 2019. With only 2 months left, there many things that you can do to increase your chances of succes. USABO Exam Question Format   Teacher Resource Center (TRC) The TRC is dynamic. Once your school has completed the registration process and payment has been received, please …

How to manage your time when preparing for the biology olympiad?

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Usually, we start preparing for the biology olympiad in 11th grade. I guess it’s because thisis when we start thinking about our future. Admit it! That’s when you’re looking for any way tomake your curriculum vitae (a.k.a. résumé) and personal statement look good, as applications to universities are looming on the horizon. But hey – it’s not your fault. Why …

Recommended chapters from key biology textbooks

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Different biology textbooks can help you prepare for the biology olympiad. However, the majority of them are over 1000-page long, meaning that you need to be selective in your choice of what to read. Below you will find a list of recommend chapters from the key biology textbooks: Vander et al.: Human Physiology: The Mechanism of Body Function, Eighth Edition …

Biology Olympiad Strategies Book

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Recently, I published my very first book, How To Prepare for the Biology Olympiad And Science Competitions. Head to Amazon to purchase either a Kindle or paperback version. In this short article, I will share a small review of what you can find in the book. Science competitions test a student’s level of knowledge, power of scientific reasoning, and analytical thinking outside …

The International Brain Bee Competition 2018 Winners

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Berlin, 8 July 2018. Today, eighteen-year-old Piotr Oleksy from Crakow (Poland) has won the International Brain Bee World Competition at Europe’s biggest brain research conference in Berlin. Twenty-five young finalists in the competition, aged between 13 and 18 from 25 countries, took part. The judges were all impressed by their knowledge of the most complex organ of all living beings: the human …

How to prepare for the IBO 2018?

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The International Biology Olympiad (IBO) is a yearly Biology competition for secondary school students, who are winners of their respective National Biology Olympiad. Their skills in tackling biological problems, and dealing with biological experiments are tested. For a successful performance interest in biology, inventiveness, creativity and perseverance are necessary. IBO gathers young people from over the world in an open, …

Virtual Laboratory Exercises

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Here are some useful links to find some simulations of lab experiments. Keep in mind that in the biology olympiad, practical skills are very important so don’t ignore it! https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/courses/ap-biology/classroom-resources/investigative-labs-comprehensive-links?course=ap-biology https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulations/category/biology https://www.golabz.eu/ http://www.mhhe.com/biosci/genbio/virtual_labs_2K8/

Amino acid properties

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Amino acids and their properties are commonly tested in the biology olympiad. Thus, we have created a useful handout which will help you learn amino acids fast.  You can find the handout below: Amino acid review handout

Summer research internships

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If you are wondering how to prepare for the biology practical exam, this article is for you. No matter whether you are preparing for the USA Biology Olympiad (USABO), International Biology Olympiad (IBO), British Biology Olympiad (BBO) or any other competition, the practical part of the competition might be a killer so read on and you will find some tips …

Dilutions: Explanations and Examples of Common Methods

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There are many ways of expressing concentrations and dilution. Using C1V1 = C2V2 To make a fixed amount of a dilute solution from a stock solution, you can use the formula: C1V1 = C2V2 where: V1 = Volume of stock solution needed to make the new solution C1 = Concentration of stock solution V2 = Final volume of new solution C2 = Final concentration of new …