How to Problem-Solve Like A Science Olympian
Isobel McAllister joined the online Curious Minds Winter Camp ‘Olympiad Problem Solving’ session to share her Olympiad journey and provide students with an inspiring example of the opportunities available through STEM, and give advice on how to prepare for Science Olympiad Exams.
Isobel is an alum of the Curious Minds (CM) program, Junior Science Olympiad (JSO) Training Squad & Academy, and JSO Spring School, and also attended the 2025 Asian Science Camp. Isobel has recently been selected to represent Australia at the 2026 International Biology Olympiad and will travel to Lithuania this July to compete against students from over 80 countries.
She explained how her science teacher in Year 7 suggested she try the JSO Exams, which she sat through her school. From here she was invited to extension programs for the JSO Program and to participate in the CM Program.
Isobel said being involved in these programs helped her learn about other opportunities, especially hearing a peer talk about being a Science Olympian. Ultimately, these programs helped build her basic science knowledge and problem-solving skills and guide her into future success in the Australian Science Olympiad (ASO) Exams.
After sitting the ASO entrance exams in 2025, Isobel was excited to hear she had been selected for the ASO Summer School for Biology. The school was held in January 2026, where 24 students from each of the four ASO disciplines travelled to ANU, in Canberra. “It was great to be surrounded by others who are into science,” Isobel told the Curious Minds group. “I enjoyed meeting so many different people.”
From here she was selected to the Australian team for the 2026 International Biology Olympiad.
The hands shot up for question time, where Isobel was asked if she had travelled to Lithuania before, to which she replied, “No, but it is great to be going somewhere different that I may not go otherwise.” Another question asked if she had studied for the Olympiad Exams? “Not the initial exam,” Isobel told them.
“It’s mostly problem-solving, and they test your ability to think laterally”, though she noted that high school science lessons had helped, “but it’s not a prerequisite”.
Isobel also explained that she had sat the ASO Exams for Biology, Chemistry and Earth & Environmental Science in Years 10 and 11, getting through to the next stage when she was in year 11. For her future, she doesn’t have a clear direction yet but is looking at a science or engineering career focused on environmental sustainability.
The camp cohort then selected breakout ‘rooms’ to attend, choosing from Biology Olympiad, Chemistry Olympiad, Earth & Environmental Science Olympiad, Physics Olympiad, Mathematical Olympiad and CAT (Computational and Algorithmic Thinking). They discussed difficulty and logistics of the various exams, how to explore the exams and practice with past exam papers, and general advice. The Curious Minds students then tried solving questions with the guidance of the subject experts. Challenging!
Thank you, Isobel, for sharing your story and motivating our Curious Minds students to consider other STEM and extension opportunities that may be out there for them!
Check out our free Resources to help you prepare for sitting a Australian Science Olympiad Exam.
Featured Image: 2026 International Biology Team (L-R) Tiffany Yi, Isobel McAllister, Cameron Wong and Ethan Tay, during the 2026 ASO Summer School held onsite at ANU (Photo supplied).
