Olympiad Diary
Day 5
Day 5
The participants of our Olympiad tackled real-life scientific problems, from genetic calculations to cutting-edge genome assembly.
Today, we ran the OIBO theoretical round, featuring 60 tasks. The participants had four hours to handle multiple‑choice tests, matching exercises, and complex calculations. According to our academic council, the difficulty level increased considerably compared to the previous year.
The exam structure remained the same. First 40 multiple choice questions with one correct option out of five were followed by 10 matching tasks, and, finally, 10 calculation problems. The maximum score was 300. However, this year there were fewer easy test questions, while more challenging calculation tasks came on stage. The topics covered the entire spectrum of modern biology — from molecular biology, biochemistry, and cell biology to plant and animal biology, physiology, and genetics.
Beyond factual knowledge, the Olympiad tested such hands-on skills essential for a practicing biologist as analyzing information and finding interdisciplinary connections, especially those between biology and physics, or biology and chemistry. Yet the toughest opponent for every participant was the time. The fact that the time is limited is exactly what turns an olympiad into a competitive sport.
Today, we ran the OIBO theoretical round, featuring 60 tasks. The participants had four hours to handle multiple‑choice tests, matching exercises, and complex calculations. According to our academic council, the difficulty level increased considerably compared to the previous year.
The exam structure remained the same. First 40 multiple choice questions with one correct option out of five were followed by 10 matching tasks, and, finally, 10 calculation problems. The maximum score was 300. However, this year there were fewer easy test questions, while more challenging calculation tasks came on stage. The topics covered the entire spectrum of modern biology — from molecular biology, biochemistry, and cell biology to plant and animal biology, physiology, and genetics.
Beyond factual knowledge, the Olympiad tested such hands-on skills essential for a practicing biologist as analyzing information and finding interdisciplinary connections, especially those between biology and physics, or biology and chemistry. Yet the toughest opponent for every participant was the time. The fact that the time is limited is exactly what turns an olympiad into a competitive sport.
One of the most memorable problems asked the participants to compare two human genome assemblies. They looked at a map of differences between the classic assembly used for over 20 years and the new telomere‑to‑telomere (T2T) assembly. The latter is a breakthrough achieved through the input from researchers of the Sirius University of Science and Technology. The achievement made it possible to read the genome down to the very last nucleotide for the first time. The participants had to figure out which chromosome areas showed improved mapping after switching to the T2T assembly.
This problem perfectly illustrates the principle behind the entire round: almost all tasks were based on real research that scientists are doing right now, or on real methods used in modern labs.
"The hardest part of the theoretical round was the calculation problems. They did not only require the knowledge of biology but also that of maths and chemistry. The longest section was true/false questions where we had to choose between options. That section also felt tough because of the number of questions. But the multiple‑choice part was easy, and I really enjoyed it — I flew through it super fast. Despite the difficult rounds, the atmosphere in Sirius is wonderful. What won me over is how hospitable everyone is here. It’s really valuable to be among like‑minded people you can talk to about the topics you’re interested in. I plan to become a doctor, and the knowledge I gained at the OIBO will definitely help me. The diploma will also help with university admission. In the future, I want to find cures for cancer and other diseases," says Ayse Melisa Meric from Türkiye.
"The theoretical round was really complex, but I was able to understand some questions, I was able to learn some of the things whilst actually writing. The nice part was the one where we learned to identify types of skins of animals. And then my least favorite was the mathematical part because I didn’t really get the units that they were measuring with. We’d never done anything like that in South Africa, but I managed to answer the questions that seemed a bit easier for me. I am going to apply to Sirius University of Science and Technology. I would love to apply for environmental sciences or mining engineering because I feel that environmental sciences are more about using science, and physics, and mathematics all in one to try to sustain the environment, to try to find safer ways of preserving minerals and resources that we have. Also, mining engineering because I feel like it’s something that I really love and I’m willing to try to explore and get more into it," says Lina Siwele Tintswalo from the Republic of South Africa.
In the evening, the participants enjoyed the National Games Festival — a sports event where delegations from different countries presented traditional games from their cultures. The students happily played each other’s games and also tried Russian pastimes like gorodki and ring toss.
This problem perfectly illustrates the principle behind the entire round: almost all tasks were based on real research that scientists are doing right now, or on real methods used in modern labs.
"The hardest part of the theoretical round was the calculation problems. They did not only require the knowledge of biology but also that of maths and chemistry. The longest section was true/false questions where we had to choose between options. That section also felt tough because of the number of questions. But the multiple‑choice part was easy, and I really enjoyed it — I flew through it super fast. Despite the difficult rounds, the atmosphere in Sirius is wonderful. What won me over is how hospitable everyone is here. It’s really valuable to be among like‑minded people you can talk to about the topics you’re interested in. I plan to become a doctor, and the knowledge I gained at the OIBO will definitely help me. The diploma will also help with university admission. In the future, I want to find cures for cancer and other diseases," says Ayse Melisa Meric from Türkiye.
"The theoretical round was really complex, but I was able to understand some questions, I was able to learn some of the things whilst actually writing. The nice part was the one where we learned to identify types of skins of animals. And then my least favorite was the mathematical part because I didn’t really get the units that they were measuring with. We’d never done anything like that in South Africa, but I managed to answer the questions that seemed a bit easier for me. I am going to apply to Sirius University of Science and Technology. I would love to apply for environmental sciences or mining engineering because I feel that environmental sciences are more about using science, and physics, and mathematics all in one to try to sustain the environment, to try to find safer ways of preserving minerals and resources that we have. Also, mining engineering because I feel like it’s something that I really love and I’m willing to try to explore and get more into it," says Lina Siwele Tintswalo from the Republic of South Africa.
In the evening, the participants enjoyed the National Games Festival — a sports event where delegations from different countries presented traditional games from their cultures. The students happily played each other’s games and also tried Russian pastimes like gorodki and ring toss.
The festival featured 12 national games from all over the world — from South Ossetia to Cambodia. Despite the distances and cultural differences, the games brought participants together in friendly competition and real‑life communication. The lineup included team tag, tug‑of‑war, jumping games, and chase games.
