The exam can be taken independently at home or at school, or under the supervision of a teacher during or outside of class.

OlyPortal

• Register in the OlyPortal with a Switch edu-ID. If you don't have one, you can create one directly. You can then also use your account for other Science Olympiads.
• You have 45 minutes to complete the exam. The timer begins automatically as soon as you start the exam. When the time is up, the exam will be automatically submitted.
• Your answers are automatically saved so you can switch between parts of the exam, but the timer is not paused when you exit the exam. You cannot save and exit the exam to finish it later. So make sure you have a stable internet connection and enough time before you start.

FAQ

Content

• The exam is available in German, French and English.
• You can expect two types of questions: 1) Single Choice: If you select the single correct answer, you get the maximum number of points. 2) Multiple True False: Each of the answers can be either true or false. The total score for the question is calculated from the points for each answer. You will therefore also receive some points if your answer is only partially correct. The maximum number of points is indicated next to the question number. The exam consists of three parts:

1. Essay critique: From the next round onwards, the Philosophy Olympiad is an essay competition. In this part, you will assess short excerpts regarding the Philosophy Olympiad criteria: 1. Relevance: Does the content of the excerpt relate to the given topic? 2. Philosophical understanding: Is the topic approached with philosophical depth? 3. Quality of argumentation: Is there a thesis which is well argued for? 4. Coherence: Is an understandable structure being followed? Are terms used consistently? Is the argumentation free of contradictions? 5.Originality: Does the text express the participant’s own thoughts and use proper examples?
2. Reading comprehension: In this part, you read short excerpts from philosophical texts and have to answer questions about their content.
3. Logic: In this part, you have to determine which conclusions logically follow from given statements.

OlyPortal

• If you conduct the test in class, allow time for registration or ask your students to do it in advance.
• Your students can participate without you registering in the OlyPortal yourself. However, if you would like to check your students' participation and view the total scores at the end of the test period (unfortunately, it is not technically possible to break down the scores by task or view the answers), register as a teacher in the OlyPortal and follow the instructions for creating a class.
• If you have already registered as a student with your Edu-ID, registration as a teacher with the same Edu-ID will not work. We apologise for the inconvenience, we did not see this coming before the introduction of the teacher portal. To re-register, either use a different Edu-ID or contact us at philosophy(at)olympiad.ch so that we can remove your Edu-ID from the system completely and you can start again.

FAQ

Help us identify talents

Do you have a student who you are convinced has a talent for philosophical essay writing that may not be accounted for by the test? Contact philosophy(at)olympiad.ch before October 5 to place a recommendation. Students recommended by teachers who do not qualify directly for the first essay round by passing the preliminary round test will receive an invitation by “wildcard” if possible.

You may participate in the Philosophy Olympiad if you:

1. currently attend a secondary school in Switzerland or the Principality of Liechtenstein (e.g. grammar school, vocational school, secondary school, international high school or possibly homeschooling, but not during a gap year after graduation), and
2. are not inscribed in a university yet (with the exception of Schülerstudium), and
3. or, being a Swiss or Liechtenstein national or resident, attend a foreign school.

Anyone who meets all the criteria but has reached the age of 20 on the reference date may participate in the national selection but is not eligible for participation in the International Philosophy Olympiad.

Participation is free of charge and, if possible, barriers.

Please accept the conditions of participation and the data protection policy before you participate.