Olympiads have been held for more than 100 years. It all began with mathematical and physical Olympiads, which were similar in format to school tests. The organizers wrote the problems on the board, and the participants wrote down the solutions on sheets and handed them in. Then the results were announced. Sometimes assignments were published in magazines. In this case, the student sent a notebook with the solutions in an envelope by mail.
Since then the Olympiads have evolved and changed. First they were held on science subjects, and later on all other subjects, and not only on school subjects. Today’s Olympiad tasks cover literally all areas of life. Students compete in design, Latin, management, basics of entrepreneurship, robotics, financial literacy, biomedicine, oriental studies, journalism, political science and engineering. It is impossible to list everything.
The formats of the competitions also expanded. As the organizers do not have any restrictions, they are constantly coming up with new forms and combining existing ones in unimaginable combinations. It is interesting, but it is very hard to understand this diversity and to choose “the right” olympiad.
Though most intellectual competitions remained personal, there are very few classic olympiads.
Full-time
To take part in an intramural Olympiad it is enough to register and come to a predetermined location. For convenience of participants organizers of some competitions open their sites in large regional centers, at schools or universities. So if you are lucky you will write an Olympiad in your hometown school or after the competition you will have a walk in your dream university.
Online
In other words, online or Internet-Olympiads. This format attracts participants, because they do not need to go anywhere, just have a computer with Internet access. For today’s students this is a familiar “habitat”, and interactive tasks are much more interesting to perform.
Convenience and accessibility of correspondence olympiads are especially appreciated by parents of junior high school students, who have to accompany their children, if the competition is held in person. There is no such a problem with Internet-Olympiads.
True, there are not so many competitions entirely by correspondence. Most often, selection rounds are held remotely. Their number and duration depends on the rules of the Olympiad, and varies from several hours to several weeks or even months. Usually pupils are given the choice at what moment to perform the tasks, the main thing is to manage within the allotted time period. Those who successfully pass the correspondence tests are invited to the final in person.
For all their merits, the olympiads in absentia are unreliable. It is difficult to verify whether a participant carried out tasks himself or was assisted. That is why the Internet Olympiads do not give preferences for admission to universities.
Still, the competitions by correspondence are a good training, which is comfortable for pupils.
Team
Online team competition. Solving problems, it’s important to give a lot of correct answers in a row Math informatics and 8 other subjects
In such olympiads, students perform tasks together and fight for a common result. However, the formats of team competitions vary depending on the subject and the imagination of the organizers.
Team Olympiads are good teamwork experiences. Participants learn to work out common solutions, to respect the opinions of others, and to divide responsibilities. Working together and sharing the same goal helps keep students motivated and united. By the heat and spectacle team competitions are similar to sports competitions, so they are equally interesting for both participants, and those who just came to watch and to support their friends.
Theoretical and practical rounds
Olympiads are often held in several rounds, which are divided into theoretical and practical. The former usually involve written assignments or extended texts, so they are called written papers.
International
High school students represent their country at international competitions. To qualify for world-class competitions, students have to undergo a rigorous selection process.
