Apeejay students qualify for final round of prestigious Homi Bhabha examination

Parthiv Raiguru, Ishaan Vats, and Sushrut Sadavarte, students of Apeejay School, Nerul, recently participated in the prestigious Homi Bhaba examination and surpassed the cut-off marks to clear the first two rounds of competition.

Conducted by Greater Bombay Science Teachers’ Association since 1981 the Dr Homi Bhabha Balvaidnyanik Competition comprises four stages of qualifying exams based on the subjects — Physics, Chemistry and Biology. But the exam can be attempted only by students from classes VI and IX from all Boards.

Class IX student Sushrut first participated in the competition in class VI. Parthiv did the same. However, the two could not qualify beyond the second round. This time, however, all the three students decided to take up the challenge once again and make their school proud.

“I cleared the theory followed by the practical round with a score of 77 and 15.5 respectively. I have qualified for the third level, which is the Action Research Project, which will be followed by the final interview rounds,” Sushrut said. Parthiv scored 14.5 and Ishaan scored 17.5 in the practical round.

How do you prepare for the Homi Bhabha exam? What books do you refer to? For the first level, only the state level books of the Maharashtra Board and the NCERT books of class IX are enough, the Apeejay students stated.

“For the second round, I would recommend buying the special Homi Bhabha booklet for the second level, which includes very good experiments that you can practise,” added Sushrut. “For the interview round, which is held to test basic skills, I have decided to revise NCERT as well as ICSE and state Board books.”

The teachers at Apeejay School, Nerul, were a constant source of support in the journey. Parthiv shared, “Such exams are well recognised in our school and the teachers always encourage and motivate us to participate. They addressed concerns timely and clarified my doubts.”

“For the second level, our teachers held a special workshop for the 10 students who had qualified for the round,” Sushrut said.

The Apeejay students frequently participate in various scholastic competitions. Parthiv, for instance, recently cleared the International Mathematics Olympiad and secured an international rank of 19. The results for the second round, which was conducted in February, has not been declared yet. “My parents are happy I cleared the rounds and constantly boost my confidence for the upcoming competitions.”

Sushrut, on the other hand, qualified the National Standard Examination in Junior Scientific (NSEJS). “I began participating in such competitions in class VI. I also took part in various competitions organised by private institutions which helped me a lot in learning how to tackle tough problems.”