Malaysian Biology Olympiad (MyBO): Official Outline of the Path to IBO
Malaysia’s national Biology Olympiad is young: the IBO’s country page describes 2024 as the first year of the programme.2 It runs a four-step selection that ends with a team of four students for the International Biology Olympiad (IBO). This page outlines that structure according to the sources we could read. It is a map of the official picture, not an insider’s account of what the exams feel like, and we found no published IBO results for a Malaysian team to cite.
- Organiser
- Appointed by the Ministry of Education Malaysia; run by the MyBO Secretariat under Ardent Educational Consultants, with the Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, as collaborator2
- Who can enter
- Primary (Standard 4 to 6) and secondary (Form 1 to 5) students in the first round; Malaysian secondary students for the IBO team2,3
- Stages
- Biology Explorer Competition, MyBO national test, National Selection Camp, National Final Camp, IBO team of four
- Official website
- mybo-olympiad.my
- Language
- The IBO lists English; the first round is offered in English and Bahasa Melayu3
The path at a glance
| Stage | What happens | How sure we are |
|---|---|---|
| Biology Explorer Competition | An online multiple-choice first round for primary, secondary and pre-university students | Good: two official sources agree on the format |
| MyBO national test | An onsite theory and practical test in Kuala Lumpur for the best first-round students | Good for the format; the exact quota is not stated |
| National Selection Camp | About 20 students, five days, IBO-style theory and practical assessments | Good, with a small difference between sources |
| National Final Camp | The top four form the IBO team and train for five days | Good for the structure |
| IBO | Four students represent Malaysia | Good for the team size; results not found |
Stage 1: the Biology Explorer Competition
The first round is called the Biology Explorer Competition (BEC) and is held online. The IBO’s page says it is multiple choice and open to primary, secondary and pre-university students, and that 466 students took part in 2024.2 The official site adds that the paper has 30 objective questions in 1 hour 15 minutes, and that it is offered in English and Bahasa Melayu.3 Eligible year groups listed there are Standard 4 to 6 for the primary category and Form 1 to 5 for the secondary category, with equivalent international school years, and a pre-university category is named without details.3
For the 2026 cycle the official site lists online registration from May, a preparatory workshop in September, the online competition on 3 October 2026 and results in November. It lists a small entry fee and an optional paid workshop.3 The page is undated, so check the site for the current cycle. At this stage awards are certificates (gold, silver and bronze for the top 10%, honourable mentions and participation after that), not national medals.3 The syllabus the official site lists for the secondary category covers cell biology, human biology, plant biology, reproduction and development, genetics and evolution, and ecology and the environment.3
Stage 2: the MyBO national test
The best first-round performers are invited to the MyBO national test, an onsite theory and practical test at a central venue in Kuala Lumpur.2 The official site says the top 10% of the secondary category advance.3 The IBO’s page says this stage awards Ministry-endorsed certificates and medals.2 The sources we could read do not give a fixed number of places or a date for this stage.
Stage 3: the National Selection Camp
About 20 of the top performers go to a five-day selection camp at the University of Malaya, run partly online and partly onsite, with IBO-style theory and practical assessments set by the university.2 The size of the camp is stated slightly differently on the official site, which is covered in the box below.
Stage 4: the National Final Camp and the IBO team
From the selection camp, the top four students form the IBO team. They attend a five-day onsite final training camp at the University of Malaya with a practical and theory focus.2 To be on the team a student must be working towards a secondary certificate or equivalent on 1 January of the IBO year, be a Malaysian citizen with a valid national identity document who lives and studies in Malaysia, and be no older than 20 on 1 July of the IBO year. Homeschooled students are excluded.2 The study materials the IBO’s page lists are high school and pre-university textbooks, a lecturer’s syllabus and past IBO papers.2
Points for an Author
If you went through this programme yourself, these are the points we most need you to settle. They are grouped here so that nothing uncertain is buried in the text above.
Where the sources disagree
- Selection camp size. The IBO’s page says the top 20 attend,2 while the official site says the top 15 to 20 are invited.3
- Who advances from round one. The IBO’s page says top secondary and pre-university performers go to the national test,2 while the official site says the top 10% of the secondary category.3
- Registration end date. Inside the official site, the normal registration period ends on 27 August in one place and 12 August in another.3
- Language. The IBO lists English,1 while the official site says the first round is offered in English and Bahasa Melayu.3
Gaps a firsthand author could fill
- Dates and venues for the national test, the two camps and the announcement of the IBO team. The sources we could read do not give them.
- Malaysia’s results at the IBO. We found no confirmed team lists or medals, and the national programme only began in 2024 according to the IBO.
- How many students advance from the first round to the national test, and what the pre-university category involves.
- The Malay name of the programme, and whether the University of Malaya publishes its own page about it.
- What the online round, the onsite test and the camps are actually like, and what students wish they had known.
A firsthand author can settle every one of these points. If that could be you, email us or read how it works.
BiOGuide tips for students aiming at this path
These are general tips from BiOGuide, not advice from a Malaysian participant, and they apply to any student aiming at an IBO team.
- Train for the international format early. The IBO papers are in English and test reasoning on data and experiments, not only recall. The IBO preparation guide explains the format, and past IBO papers are in our practice papers.
- Build the core topics. The official first-round syllabus lines up with our notes on cell and molecular biology, animal physiology, plant physiology, genetics and ecology.
- Practise the practical side. The national test and both camps include practical work, so learn the lab techniques as well as the theory. Our practical notes are a start.
- Learn the English terms. Even if you answer in Bahasa Melayu at first, the IBO papers are in English, so learn the English names of structures, processes and methods.
- Use the official channels for anything dated. Registration, fees, workshop and competition dates change every year. The MyBO Secretariat decides, not us.
Official links and sources
- International Biology Olympiad, list of countries and regions (undated). ibo-info.org
- International Biology Olympiad, country page for the Malaysian Biology Olympiad (undated; it describes 2024 as the first year, so it was probably written in 2024 or 2025). ibo-info.org
- MyBO official site, page for the Biology Explorer Competition (undated, 2026 copyright, English). mybo-olympiad.my
Two more notes on sources. The official site page we read was the Biology Explorer Competition page, so it describes the first round far better than the later stages. We found no official results page: a results address on the site returned an error when we tried it. Everything in this guide was read in English, so nothing depends on a translation.
This outline was last checked on 8 October 2026 and will age. Spotted an error or out-of-date detail? Email r6394175@gmail.com.