IBO Challenge 2020

(A Substitute for the 31st IBO in Nagasaki)

Exam Operation Guidelines

Version: 1.0
Date: 31 May 2020

Created by IBO2020 Organizing Committee

1. Introduction
1.1. Purpose of this Document
• This official document serves as the guidelines for properly operated exams
during IBO Challenge 2020 (A Substitute for the 31st IBO in Nagasaki) with a
minimized risk of cheating.
• Not only does this document institute the rules to be abided by, it also
provides countries with recommended operational methods to further
protect their own countries from a potential (and false) accusation of
cheating. Please read the next section for detailed classifications.
1.2. Three Types of Operational Methods in this Document
• : All countries must implement the mandatory operational
methods (written in dark red) stated in this document. An exam that fails to
follow all mandatory methods will not be considered in the rankings.
• / : While we expect all countries to conduct the
exam in a preferred method (darker blue), we also accept a permitted
method (lighter blue) if the preferred method is impossible to install.
• : While it is not mandatory to implement, a recommended
(dark green) method is what we advise each country to follow in order to
protect your own country from a potential (and false) accusation of cheating.
1.3. Time Zone Abbreviations
• In order to avoid confusion, all dates on this document are followed by an
indication of time zone: JST or LT.
• JST (Japan Standard Time) indicates a date/time in the Japanese time
zone (UTC+9).
• LT (Local Time) indicates a date/time in a respective time zone in each
participating country.
1.4. Future Updates to This Document
• This document may be updated in the future. When a modification is made
to this document, the IBO2020 Organizing Committee will immediately
announce the modification and send the updated version of the guidelines
to all country coordinators.
2. Setting Up an Exam Venue
2.1. Required Equipment and Materials
• For each competitor, a computer with the internet is required
to access online resources and answer some questions during the
bioinformatics practical exam. However, unlike other mandatory methods,
failing to prepare the computer will not completely disqualify a student from
the medal consideration; in this case, the student’s scores will still be
considered, but with a score of 0 for the bioinformatics exam. Detailed
computer requirements and recommendations will be announced separately.
• All exams, including “practical” ones, will not require any lab equipment or
materials. Therefore, an exam venue does not need to be a laboratory.
2.2. Accepted Locations
• It is preferred to gather all four competitors in one physical
location to host the exam due to the relatively lower risk of cheating
compared to an exam done in separate locations.
• If your country is experiencing lockdown or movement
restrictions, it is permitted to use separate exam venues across the country
for all or some of the competitors. As long as a country can offer proper
supervision, a competitor can take the exam at a location such as a local
school or home.
• Whichever method your country adopts, all exam venues must include
proper supervision. Please read Section 6: Exam Supervision for more
information.

3. Exam Dates and Timetable

3.1. Exam Dates
• The practical exams (animal physiology and bioinformatics)
must take place on August 11th (LT: Local Time). The theoretical exam must
be conducted on the day after, August 12th (LT).
3.2. Exam Timetable
• Within the above dates, it is up to each country to decide the
starting time of exams. However, all competitors in each country must have
the same exam timetable to avoid ill-intended communication among
competitors. Countries with multiple time zones must create the timetable
 based on one specific time zone and conduct the exam based on that time
zone.
• Prior to the exam, all countries must submit their own exam
timetable to us via an online form, along with other exam-related
information. The details regarding this online form will be announced
separately.

4. Translation / Online Jury Meeting

4.1. Online Jury Meeting
• The jury meeting of IBO Challenge 2020 will be hosted online in a very
simple manner; participating countries will vote on whether they accept or
reject each exam question. Due to logistical difficulties, there will be no
video conferences or online discussions.
• There are no specific rules or recommendations on how to handle the jury
meeting within each country.
4.2. Translation
• There are no specific rules on how to coordinate the translation period within
each country. It is encouraged, however, to take advantage of online
communication tools to minimize the amount of physical contact during the
event.
• Countries that need to translate the questions must digitally
submit the final version of translated questions to the organizers in prior to
the exam. Please read Section 7: Handling of Question and Answer Sheets
for more information.

5. Oaths
All countries must submit two types of oaths to us: an oath document and a filmed
oath ceremony.
5.1. Oath Document
• Competitors, jury members, and exam supervisors must read
and sign the provided oath document that states that they are completely
free from any cheating-related activities according to the IBO principles of
“Fair Play.” The document must be submitted via an online form prior to the
exam.
 5.2. Filmed Oath Ceremony
• Before the exam begins, competitors, jury members, and
exam supervisors must film themselves reading out a provided oath script
while standing and raising their right hand. The videos must be submitted by
the end of August 11th (LT). The content of the oath and how to submit the
videos will be announced separately.

6. Exam Supervision
In order to accommodate countries with lockdowns or movement restrictions, we
accept two types of exam supervision: on-site (preferred) and online (permitted).
Please note that there are different mandatory and recommended operational
methods in each type.
6.1. On-site Supervision:
• At the exam venue, on-site supervision must be conducted by
a jury member or an equivalent person (e.g. teacher/professor who has been
involved in NBO, adult with no conflict of interests with the competitors).
Supervision must be conducted throughout the exam.
• If possible, a supervisor can set up an online video call (Zoom,
Skype, etc.) with a web-camera showing the venue during the exam and
submit a participation link to the IBO2020 Organizing Committee so that the
organizers can randomly join and supervise the venue as well. While this is
not mandatory, it is an effective way to increase your country’s credibility
against cheating.
• Recording competitors during the exam is also recommended,
if logistically possible. Although we do not ask countries to submit the
recordings, this may be useful when it comes to protecting your country from
a potential (and false) accusations of cheating.
6.2. Online Supervision:
• Online supervision must be conducted by a jury member via
an online conference tool, such as Zoom or Skype. It is permitted for one jury
member to supervise multiple competitors at different locations. Supervision
must be conducted throughout the exam.
• Both video and audio must be enabled during supervision.
The video must include a clear image of the competitor(s) and their
computer screens when computers are being used.
 • It is highly recommended to send a participation link to your
country’s online supervision to the IBO2020 Organizing Committee so that
the organizers can randomly join and supervise the exam as well. This is a
highly effective way to increase your country’s credibility against cheating.
• Recording the online supervision, using a recording function of
the online conferencing service you use, is also recommended. Although we
do not ask countries to submit the recordings, this may be useful when it
comes to protecting your country from a potential (and false) accusation of
cheating.

7. Handling of Question and Answer Sheets

7.1. Question Sheets
• In the morning of August 7th (LT: Local Time), all exam questions for the
online jury meeting will be sent to participating countries in two file formats:
Microsoft Word and PDF.
• After the online jury meeting, the finalized official English version of the
questions will be sent to countries on August 10th (LT).
• Countries that need to translate the questions must digitally
submit the final version of translated questions and get it certified by the
IBO2020 Organizing Committee prior to the exam. You must use the
certified question sheets for the exam.
NOTE: Countries that do not need to translate questions can simply use the
finalized official English version sent on August 10th for the exam.
• Competitors can take the exam with printed question sheets or using PDF
question sheets on a computer screen. Please note that online supervision
must show a competitor’s computer screen when it is used (see 6.2. Online
Supervision).
• After the exam, all question sheets used in the exam must be
scanned and digitally submitted to the IBO2020 Organizing Committee by
the end of August 13th (LT) along with the answer sheets. The hand-written
signature of a competitor is required on the question sheets.
7.2. Answer Sheets
• Answer sheets for all exams will be sent to all countries by July 15th (JST).
Competitors will use these sheets to answer all questions, excluding part of
the bioinformatics practical exam, which needs to be answered online.
 • The answer sheets must be printed and filled out by hand.
• After the exam, all answer sheets must be scanned and
digitally submitted to the IBO2020 Organizing Committee by the end of
August 13th (LT). The hand-written signature of a competitor is required on
the answer sheets.
7.3. Detailed Guidelines for Question/Answer Sheets
• More specific information on how to handle the question and answer sheets
(specific timetable, how to submit, etc.) will be available to participating
countries as additional guidelines.

8. Contact Us
8.1. Before and After the Exam
• If you have any questions, concerns, or requests, please email us at
ibo2020@jsf.or.jp. We will get back to you as soon as possible.
8.2. During the Exam Period
• In order to properly support countries and their competitors during the
exam, we are preparing a faster and more efficient way to communicate with
each other. More information will be available before the exam.