Talent Search Exams

Homi Bhabha Balvaidnyanik Examination

  1. What is Homi Bhabha Balvaidnyanik Examination ?

    2. Homi Bhabha BalVaidnyanik Examination (Junior Scientist) is an exam conducted by Mumbai Science Teachers Association to encourage students to take keen interest in science and its application in daily life. Exams are conducted for students of Std.6 and Std.9.

    The examination consists of three stages :

    1. Written Test
    2. Practical Examination
    3. Viva Voce & Project

  2. Why Homi Bhabha ?

    3. The main feature of this examination is that it does not have a prescribed text book. So, you really cant sit with a single book, solve it from start to end and top this exam. So, while you may top your school exam comfortably, the same cannot be said for this exam. Competitive examinations like the Homi Bhabha Balvaidnyanik exam look for concepts and real-time application of those concepts. They also serve as an indicator as to where you stand with respect to your peers all across the city. Most importantly, it inculcates a habit to be well-informed and understand a subject thoroughly.

  3. What is the format of the written test ?

    4. The written test consists of 100 questions :

    1. 30 Physics
    2. 30 Chemistry
    3. 30 Biology
    4. 10 General Science Awareness

  4. What is the Scoring pattern? Is there any negative marking ?

    5. One mark is alloted for each question.Total marks are hundred. There is no negative marking.

  5. What are the cut-offs for the written test ?

    6. There are no fixed cut-offs per se. Every year the cutoffs vary. They are mentioned at the time of declaration of results.

  6. In which language the Question paper would be?

    7. English, Marathi.

  7. What Scholarships and Awards do I get through?

    8. Scholarship awarded to students across their education:

    • Top 10% students will get Gold Medal, Certificate and Scholarship of Rs. 1000/-.
    • Next top 60% students will get Silver Medal, Certificate and Scholarship of Rs. 500/-.
    • Remaining all students will get Bronze Medal, Certificate and Scholarship of Rs. 300/-.

This competition is conducted in three phases as described below.

Phase No. Description of the phase Max Marks Duration of exam. Selection Procedure
Phase I Written test 100 multiple choice questions based on science & G.K.in science 100 90 min. a) Top 7.5% students are selected for phase II b) Students obtaining marks above 35 will get Passing certificate
Phase II Practical Test : For VI std.: There will be 10 experiments of 3 marks each based on general science. For IX std. : Physics: Chemistry: Biology: 3010 10 10 30 min.10 min. 10 min. 10 min. a) All candidates get merit certificate. b) Selection for phase III -30% of the marks obtained in phase I and marks obtained in phase II are considered. c) Top 10 % students are selected for phase III
Phase III Interview- a) General interview b) Evaluation of action research report 3030 5 to 10 min. 5 to 10 min. a) Considering 30% marks of Phase I, + Marks of Phase .II & Ph.III., top 10% will get Gold Medal, certificate and scholar ship of Rs. 700/- b) Rest of the candidates will get silver medal, certificates and prize of Rs. 100/-

Selection in each phase for Mumbai, Thane and Rest of Maharashtra region is done separately and also selection for each standard and medium.

Textbooks of IV, V and VI std of SSC syllabus and Content related to the above from ICSE and CBSE books for 6th std.

Dr.Homi Bhabha Balvaidnyanik Competition Publisher : Menaka Prakashan Pune. Science Ahead, reading newspaper for General awareness.

  • Textbooks of VII, VIII and IX std of SSC syllabus and Content related to the above from ICSE and CBSE books for 9th std.
  •  Marathi medium students should refer the English medium textbooks and the ICSE, CBSE books for examples. 
  • Majority of the questions will be from SSS board text books. 
  • Less emphasis will be given for knowledge based questions and more emphasis for understanding, reasoning, correlation, etc. 
  • The questions related to general knowledge in science will be based on the topics like happenings of the last year and science around day to day life.