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Singapore Biology Olympiad (SBO): Official Outline of the Path to IBO

Singapore sends a team of four to the International Biology Olympiad (IBO) and does very well. At the 37th IBO in Vilnius, Lithuania (12 to 19 July 2026), the Ministry of Education reported 3 gold and 1 silver medal and a joint fifth place among 78 countries and territories.3 In 2025 in Quezon City, the Philippines, the team won 4 gold medals and was joint first.4 This page outlines how the path to that team works according to the sources we could read. It is a map of the structure, not an insider’s account of what the tests feel like.

Programme
Singapore Biology Olympiad (SBO), listed by the IBO and established in 2000 according to its country page1,2
Organiser
Singapore Institute of Biology (SIBiol), co-organised with the Ministry of Education and hosted at the National Institute of Education2
Who can enter
Year 11 top Biology students nominated by junior colleges and through-train schools2
Stages
School-based theory test, practical tests, shortlist and training, residential camp, IBO team of four
Official website
sibiol.org.sg, as listed by the IBO; we could not read it ourselves
Language
English

The path at a glance

Stage What happens How sure we are
Theory test An online multiple-choice test taken at school in November Medium: from the IBO’s undated page only
Practical tests About the top 10% of theory scorers do four short practicals in one day Medium: from the IBO’s page only
Shortlist and training 6 to 10 students are shortlisted; weekly discussions with university staff in April and May Medium: from the IBO’s page only
Residential camp A five-day camp at the National Institute of Education in late May or early June Medium: from the IBO’s page only
IBO team Four students, confirmed by the Ministry’s results releases Good for the team size and results; the selection of the four is not explained

Stage 1: the theory test

The IBO’s page says schools nominate roughly their top 10% of Biology students, and between 250 and 350 students are invited each year. The test is 100 multiple-choice questions, sat online over three hours at the student’s own school under teacher supervision in November, and weighted to the IBO syllabus.2 Participation figures on the same page are 366 students from 22 schools in 2022, 382 from 22 in 2023 and 386 from 23 in 2024.2 Schools are notified in October.2 The test follows the IBO syllabus, and the page recommends Campbell’s Biology but says no special resources are produced.2

Stage 2: the practical tests

About the top 10% of theory scorers go on to practical tests: four one-hour practicals in a single day, taken in rotating groups of four students.2 Medals and Certificates of Merit go to roughly the top 10% to 25%.2 The Ministry of Education releases the results to the press after all the olympiads.2

Stage 3: shortlisting, training and the camp

The IBO’s page says about 6 to 10 students are shortlisted for Team Singapore training. Training has weekly discussions with academics from the National University of Singapore and the National Institute of Education, in April and May, followed by a five-day residential camp at the National Institute of Education in late May or early June that covers laboratory and dissection skills. Alumni have mentored the team since about 2005.2 Shortlisted students are interviewed for potential and attitude, and staff assess practical skills, attitude and emotional intelligence at the camp.2

Stage 4: the IBO team

Four students represent Singapore. The 2026 Ministry release credits medallists from NUS High School (three) and Raffles Institution (one), and names the delegation’s team leaders from the National Institute of Education, SIBiol, A*STAR and the Ministry.3 Results for the last three years are in the Ministry’s press releases: 2024 in Astana, Kazakhstan, with 2 gold and 2 silver medals and fifth place among 74;5 2025 and 2026 are given above.

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

  • The format of the theory test. The IBO’s page describes one test of 100 questions over three hours.2 A search summary we could not trace to its page described two tests of 40 questions each. We rely on the IBO’s page, but the format may have changed between years.
  • The official website. The IBO names the SIBiol activities page as the programme’s site,2 but the page returned no readable content when we tried to open it, so everything above rests on the IBO’s page rather than on the organiser’s own words.

Gaps a firsthand author could fill

  • How the final four are chosen from the 6 to 10 shortlisted students. The sources we could read name interviews and camp assessment, but not the rule.
  • The exact dates of each round and of the training, and what the IBO’s page means by its November and April to May months in a given year.
  • Whether schools have written criteria for nominating students, and how many students each school may send.
  • The official syllabus document, if one exists beyond following the IBO syllabus.
  • What the tests, the camp and the weekly sessions 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 Singaporean participant, and they apply to any student aiming at an IBO team.

  • Train for the international format early. The IBO papers 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.
  • Cover the whole IBO syllabus. The national test follows it, so use our notes from cell and molecular biology to evolution.
  • Practise the practical side. The selection includes four timed practical stations and a camp on laboratory and dissection skills, so learn techniques as well as theory. Our practical notes are a start.
  • Ask your school early. Entry is through school nomination according to the IBO’s page, so your Biology teacher is the first person to ask.
  • Use the official channels for anything dated. Dates and quotas change every year. SIBiol and your school decide, not us.

Official links and sources

  1. International Biology Olympiad, list of countries and regions (undated). ibo-info.org
  2. International Biology Olympiad, country page for the Singapore Biology Olympiad (undated, English). ibo-info.org. Its figures may be out of date, so we use it mainly for the structure.
  3. Ministry of Education Singapore, press release, 2 September 2026, on the 2026 international olympiads. moe.gov.sg
  4. Ministry of Education Singapore, press release, 27 August 2025, on the 2025 international olympiads. moe.gov.sg
  5. Ministry of Education Singapore, press release, 25 September 2024, on the 2024 international olympiads. moe.gov.sg

One more note on sources. The organiser’s own page, sibiol.org.sg, is named by the IBO but we could not read it, so the stage details come from the IBO’s page. 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.