International Psychology Olympiad – The winners presented

The International Psychology Olympiad (IPsyO) is a global platform and arena for Psychology enthusiasts from schools in 13 countries all over the world. TISB won the 5th position on a team level, where the results were calculated according to the six participating TISB student members. Among these participants, TISB Grade 12 students, Aaryani won first place, Smriti won the silver medal, and Viha won the bronze medal. We reached out to them to learn more about the Psychology Olympiad. 

I think this will help me remember that the only person’s approval I need is my own – Aaryani, Grade 12 

Ms Anindita, HOD of Psychology at TISB, gave a suggestion to the students to take part in the event. The exam took place over four hours total spread out over two days, on February 12 and 13 and during four sessions. The theme of the event was ‘Resilience and Recovery’. The exams consisted of multiple-choice questions, requiring both short answers and long answers. While studying IB, Psychology has reached many students as a very interesting subject that triggers their curiosities. When Ms Anindita reached out to the class to take part in this Olympiad, many of them were excited to do so.    

Receiving the award was significant for the students, as it was representative of their efforts and hard work. “I didn’t really think I was good at Psychology before the Olympiad and I feel like being the world topper has given me a lot of self-confidence and belief in my abilities”, says Aaryani, who feels both lucky and skilled. “It has also inspired me to combine economics and psychology at university and potentially study behavioural economics for social good”, says Aaryani about her future initiatives.  

Smriti agrees with Aaryani. “I enjoyed the course and developed time management skills in the process”, says Smriti, who regardless of the challenges was proud and honored to receive the result and recognition. “It was an opportunity for me to explore my interests and understanding in this subject area further, while also applying the skills I had acquired over the course of IB Psychology”, says Smriti, who despite the challenges felt proud and honored to receive the worldwide recognition. Taking the lessons learnt from the IPsyO with her in the future Smriti says: “In molding these skills, they become more useful for me to utilize in the future as I continue to pursue my higher studies.” 

Along with the other students, Viha was motivated by Ms Anindita and her presentation of the international Olympiad. “I am really delighted and overwhelmed to receive the medal”, explains Viha, whose medal gave her a validation and built her confidence in subjects related to Psychology, as well as the type of IPsyO competition. “It helped me develop my critical analysis skills which will certainly help me in my future as I am planning to pursue a major in Psychology”. 

While finishing with good results at the competition, the students offer a suggestion to other students. “I’d like to add a message for students who are interested in psychology - don’t get disheartened if you don’t get results when you first start studying the subject”, says Aaryani, who likes the field and the IPsyO opportunity, but does not feel that results are everything. “The most important thing is that you enjoy learning and studying it”, says Aaryani. Smriti agrees, and encourages students to take Olympiads and competitions, but without feeling intimidated and take on the challenge: “The experience is what matters the most.” 

See more content of the IPsyO and perhaps enter next year’s competition.