National Science Talent Contest or NSTC is an extension of the National Physics Talent Contest launched by PIEAS in 1995 on the directive of the then President of Pakistan. The purpose of the NSTC is to inspire the youth of the Nation to opt for careers in science, and mathematics and to prepare young students for participation in International Science Olympiads in Physics, Biology, Chemistry and Mathematics.
National Physics Talent Contest (NPTC) is one of the contests of National Science Talent Contest (NSTC). The top five winners of NPTC represent Pakistan in the International Physics Olympiad.[1]
National Biology Talent Contest (NBTC) is one of the contests of National Science Talent Contest (NSTC). The top four winners of NBTC represent Pakistan in the International Biology Olympiad.[2]
National Chemistry Talent Contest (NCTC) is one of the contests of National Science Talent Contest (NSTC). The top five winners of NCTC represent Pakistan in the International Chemistry Olympiad.[3]
National Mathematics Talent Contest (NMTC) is one of the contests of National Science Talent Contest (NSTC). The top six winners of NMTC represent Pakistan in International Mathematical Olympiad.[4]
In order to be selected as a representative for Pakistan in the International Science Olympiad (ISO), you must first pass the Screening Test of the National Biology Talent Contest (NBTC). The top 50 students who pass the screening test will then be invited to participate in training and selection camps held at the Home Institutes (HI) of NSTC. From these camps, the top 4-6 students will be chosen to represent Pakistan in ISO, based on their performance during the camp.
The registration process for the NSTC Screening Test can be completed on the STEM Careers Programme website. The screening test is typically conducted in the month of March annually.
The National Science Talent Contest (NSTC) awards cash prizes to the 'Team Pakistan' representing the country in the respective International Science Olympiad (ISO). The team is made up of students who have excelled in the NSTC and have been selected to participate in the ISO.
Scholarships for undergraduate programs in top-ranked Universities of Pakistan may be offered to the participants of the International Science Olympiads (ISOs).
In addition to cash prizes and certificates, the Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS) offers admissions to members of the Olympiad teams in its BS programs without the requirement of any entrance examination. This is an opportunity for students to continue their education in the field of science and technology without the burden of taking an entrance examination.
There are different educational institutions allotted for each subcategory of the NSTC, where students are trained and tested and further screened for the subsequent phases of the contest:
Pakistani students have been participating regularly in International Physics Contest (IPhO) since 2001 with earlier participation as observers. These students are selected through National Physics Talent Contest (NPTC).
| 1 | NPTC-05 | 32nd IPhO (2001) | Turkey | 1 honorable mention[5] | |
| 2 | NPTC-06 | 33rd IPhO (2002) | Indonesia | 2 bronze medals, 2 honorable mentions[6] | |
| 3 | NPTC-07 | 34th IPhO (2003) | Taiwan | 2 bronze medals, 3 honorable mentions[7] | |
| 4 | NPTC-08 | 35th IPhO (2004) | South Korea | 3 honorable mentions[8] | |
| 5 | NPTC-09 | 36th IPhO (2005) | Spain | 2 honorable mentions[9] | |
| 6 | NPTC-10 | 37th IPhO (2006) | Singapore | 1 bronze medal, 1 honorable mention[10] | |
| 7 | NPTC-11 | 38th IPhO (2007) | Iran | 2 honorable mentions[11] | |
| 8 | NPTC-12 | 39th IPhO (2008) | Vietnam | 1 silver medal, 1 bronze medal, 2 honorable mentions[12] | |
| 9 | NPTC-13 | 40th IPhO (2009) | Mexico | 2 bronze medals, 2 honorable mentions[13] | |
| 10 | NPTC-14 | 41st IPhO (2010) | Croatia | 3 honorable mentions[14] | |
| 11 | NPTC-15 | 42nd IPhO (2011) | Thailand | 2 bronze medals, 2 honorable mentions[15] | |
| 12 | NPTC-16 | 43rd IPhO (2012) | Estonia | 1 bronze medal[16] | |
| 13 | NPTC-17 | 44th IPhO (2013) | Denmark | - | |
| 14 | NPTC-18 | 45th IPhO (2014) | Kazakhstan | - | |
| 15 | NPTC-19 | 46th IPhO (2015) | India | 1 bronze medal, 1 honorable mention[17] | |
| 16 | NPTC-20 | 47th IPhO (2016) | Switzerland | 1 honorable mention[18] | |
| 17 | NPTC-21 | 48th IPhO (2017) | Indonesia | 2 honorable mentions[19] | |
| 18 | NPTC-22 | 49th IPhO (2018) | Portugal | - | |
| 19 | NPTC-23 | 50th IPhO (2019) | Israel | - | |
| 20 | NPTC-24 | 51st IPhO (2020) | International Distributed Physics Olympiad | - | |
| 21 | NPTC-25 | 52nd IPhO (2021) | Lithuania | 1 honorable mention[20] | |
| 22 | NPTC-26 | 53rd IPhO (2022) | Switzerland | 2 bronze medals, 1 honorable mention[21] | |
| 23 | NPTC-27 | 54th IPhO (2023) | Japan | 2 honorable mentions[22] |
Pakistani students have been participating regularly in International Biology Olympiad (IBO) since 2006 while earlier participation was as observer. These students are selected through National Biology Talent Contest (NBTC).
| 1 | NBTC-02 | 17th IBO (2006) | Argentina | 1 bronze medal[23] | |
| 2 | NBTC-03 | 18th IBO (2007) | Canada | 1 bronze medal | |
| 3 | NBTC-04 | 19th IBO (2008) | India | 1 silver medal | |
| 4 | NBTC-05 | 20th IBO (2009) | Japan | 2 bronze medals | |
| 5 | NBTC-06 | 21st IBO (2010) | South Korea | 2 bronze medals | |
| 6 | NBTC-07 | 22nd IBO (2011) | Taiwan | 4 bronze medals | |
| 7 | NBTC-08 | 23rd IBO (2012) | Singapore | 2 bronze medals, 1 honorable mention | |
| 8 | NBTC-09 | 24th IBO (2013) | Switzerland | - | |
| 9 | NBTC-10 | 25th IBO (2014) | Indonesia | 2 bronze medals, 2 honorable mentions | |
| 10 | NBTC-11 | 26th IBO (2015) | Denmark | 1 silver medal, 1 bronze medal, 2 honorable mentions | |
| 11 | NBTC-12 | 27th IBO (2016) | Vietnam | 2 bronze medals, 1 honorable mention | |
| 12 | NBTC-13 | 28th IBO (2017) | United Kingdom | 2 bronze medals | |
| 13 | NBTC-14 | 29th IBO (2018) | Iran | 1 honorable mention | |
| 14 | NBTC-15 | 30th IBO (2019) | Hungry | 1 bronze medals, 1 honorable mention | |
| 15 | NBTC-16 | 31st IBO (2020) Replaced by IBO Challenge | Japan | - | |
| 16 | NBTC-17 | 32nd IBO (2021)Replaced by IBO Challenge II | Portugal | - | |
| 17 | NBTC-18 | 33rd IBO (2022) | Armenia | 1 honorable mention | |
| 18 | NBTC-19 | 34th IBO (2023) | UAE | 1 bronze medal |
Pakistani students have been participating regularly in International Chemistry Olympiads (IChO) since 2006. These students are selected through National Chemistry Talent Contest (NCTC).
| 1 | NCTC-02 | 38th IChO (2006) | Republic of Korea | - | |
| 2 | NCTC-03 | 39th IChO (2007) | Russian Federation | 2 bronze medals[24] | |
| 3 | NCTC-04 | 40th IChO (2008) | Hungary | 3 bronze medals[25] | |
| 4 | NCTC-05 | 41st IChO (2009) | United Kingdom | 2 bronze medals[26] | |
| 5 | NCTC-06 | 42nd IChO (2010) | Japan | - | |
| 6 | NCTC-07 | 43rd IChO (2011) | Turkey | 2 bronze medals[27] | |
| 7 | NCTC-08 | 44th IChO (2012) | USA | 1 bronze medal[28] | |
| 8 | NCTC-09 | 45th IChO (2013) | Russian Federation | 3 bronze medals[29] | |
| 9 | NCTC-10 | 46th IChO (2014) | Vietnam | 4 bronze medals[30] | |
| 10 | NCTC-11 | 47th IChO (2015) | Azerbaijan | 2 bronze medals[31] | |
| 11 | NCTC-12 | 48th IChO (2016) | Georgia | 1 bronze medal[32] | |
| 12 | NCTC-13 | 49th IChO (2017) | Thailand | 1 bronze medal[33] | |
| 13 | NCTC-14 | 50th IChO (2018) | Czech Republic & Slovakia | 1 bronze medal[34] | |
| 14 | NCTC-15 | 51st IChO (2019) | France | 1 bronze medal[35] | |
| 15 | NCTC-16 | 52nd IChO (2020) | Turkey | - | |
| 16 | NCTC-17 | 53rd IChO (2021) | Japan | - | |
| 17 | NCTC-18 | 54th IChO (2022) | China | 1 honorable mention[36] | |
| 18 | NCTC-19 | 55th IChO (2023) | Switzerland | 1 honorable mention[37] |