Malaysia

Ministry of Education Malaysia

www.moe.gov.my/

Organization:

The Malaysian Biology Olympiad Secretariat is a secretariat under the organization Ardent Educational Consultants SB, appointed by the Ministry of Education Malaysia to organize the selection, training, and participation of the Malaysian team in the IBO.

Collaborator:

Faculty of Science, University of Malaya

Structure:

There are four phases of the selection process:

1) Biology Explorer Competition (First Round)

An online competition open to all primary, secondary, and pre-university students.

2) Malaysian Biology Olympiad / MyBO (Second Round)

Top secondary & pre-university performers from the Biology Explorer Competition will be invited to participate in the MyBO, which is held onsite at Kuala Lumpur.

3) MyBO National Selection Camp (First Training Camp)

The top 20 scorers from MyBO will qualify for the National Selection Camp, conducted in hybrid (online and onsite). They will be selected further through a series of assessments.

4) MyBO National Final Camp (Final Training Camp)

The top 4 students from the National Selection Camp will be invited to the IBO team. They will participate in the National Final Camp, held onsite, which focuses on the IBO's practical and theoretical components. The camp will be hosted by the University of Malaya.

466

Round 1 (Biology Explorer Competition)

Format: Multiple choice

Venue: Online

Test producer: MyBO Secretariat & University of Malaya

Round 2 (Malaysian Biology Olympiad)

Format: Theoretical and practical

Venue: Onsite at a central location in Kuala Lumpur

Test producer: MyBO Secretariat & University of Malaya

Round 3 (IBO Selection)

Format: A series of theoretical and practical assessments, similar to IBO paper

Venue: Onsite at the training camp (University of Malaya)

Test producer: University of Malaya

1) MyBO National Selection Camp

Duration: 5 days

Venue: Hybrid - online at home, and onsite at the training camp in the University of Malaya

Participants: Top 20 students from MyBO

2) MyBO National Final Camp

Duration: 5 days

Venue: Training camp in the University of Malaya

Participants: 4 students from the IBO team

• Textbooks (high school and pre-university)
• Lecturer's syllabus
• Tests from past IBOs

• Certificates (endorsed by the Ministry of Education)
• Medals to the top winners based on specific ratios for Gold, Silver, and Bronze

1. Educational Status Requirement:

Participants must be working towards (have not completed) their studies towards a certificate of secondary school education on the dates of the IBO.

In particular, students must still be in school and are working towards:

● Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) - the national secondary school certificate, equivalent to GCE O-Level in the UK;

● International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE);

● International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP);

● or other equivalent secondary-level certifications.

2. Nationality Requirement:

Participants must be Malaysian citizens (possessing a valid nationally-issued identification document), domiciling, and attending school in Malaysia.

3. Age Requirement:

[Same as IBO requirement] Not be older than 20 years of age at 1 July of the year of the competition.

January to November

Minimum: 2.5 hours

Maximum: 4 hours

Minimum: 30 hours

Maximum: 40 hours

The main promotional effort is through the official channel: the MyBO Secretariat sends invitation letters to all schools in Malaysia (10,000+ of them), affixing an informational brochure and the endorsement by the Ministry of Education Malaysia.

We maintain an active social media presence at:

• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/malaysianbiologyolympiad/
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mybolympiad/

We also maintain the official website containing all relevant NBO information.

Malaysian Biology Olympiad Secretariat

• 2024: 466 students from 64 schools (0.1% of eligible schools)

This is our first time running the competition so the number is quite low.

None so far, but we are planning to have a media campaign for the 2025 Malaysian IBO participation