The Physics Olympiad is a prestigious and challenging competition for high school level students who are interested in physics and want to excel in their understanding of the subject. It is designed to test students' problem-solving skills, theoretical knowledge, and practical understanding of various physics concepts. The Olympiad aims to identify and nurture young talents in the field of physics.
To be eligible for the competition, you must satisfy all the following criteria:
1. Be a Jamaican citizen or be currently enrolled in a Jamaican secondary school.
2. Be no older than 20 years of age on June 30, 2024.
3. Not have commenced university education or plan to be enrolled in a university until after June 30, 2024.
The top performing entrants from the qualifying exam (see how to enter below) will be invited to sit the First-Round theoretical exam which will take place on Saturday, October 28th on the UWI Mona campus.
The 30 top performing participants from the First Round will be invited to take part in the competition Finals which will include a theoretical exam and a separate experimental exam. The Finals will take place on Saturday, November 25th on the UWI Mona Campus.
Note that the competition will feature questions of a wide range of difficulty; from problems that students with little prior exposure to physics problem solving will find interesting, to more difficult problems that students at the level of CAPE Physics will find challenging.
You can check the general syllabus for the competition here.
All competitors will receive a digital Certificate of Participation sent to their registration email.
Competitors who make it to the Finals of the competition will be awarded additional prizes including gold, silver or bronze medals and certificates of merit. A gold medal will be awarded to the top 10% of the competition finalists. A silver medal or better will be awarded to the top 25% of the finalists. A bronze medal or better will be awarded to the top 50% of the finalists. All other finalists will be awarded an Honourable Mention.
In addition to a gold medal, a special prize will be awarded to the finalist with the highest overall competition score, whom shall be named as the Olympiad Champion. A special prize will also go to the finalist with the highest score in the experimental exam, whom shall be named the Top Olympiad Experimentalist.
You can enter the competition by paying the entry fee of J$500.00 and completing the qualifying exam below by the online entry deadline of September 30, 2023 October 14, 2023
Proof of payment of the entry fee is required for your entry to be considered. Please make your bank transfer to the below account:
Bank: NCB
Account Name: The Mona Symposium
Branch: University of the West Indies
Account Number: 401052704
Account Type: Chequing
Save your receipt to upload for proof of payments.
Alternatively, hard copies of the qualifying exam can be collected at the Department of Physics Main Office located on St. George’s Close, UWI Mona Campus, Kingston 7. In this case, the completed exam and J$500.00 entry fee should be submitted to the Department of Physics Main Office by the physical entry deadline of 3:00 PM on Friday September 29, 2023. EXTENDED! October 13, 2023!
Check out the following practice questions and solutions:
(Qualifying exam practice questions PDF)
For additional reading and preparation, we also recommend the textbook ‘Physics Olympiad – Basic to Advanced Exercises’ by The Committee of the Japan Physics Olympiad.
Reach out to us by sending an email to: physicsolympiad@uwimona.edu.jm
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