What is the National Biology Competition?

The National Biology Competition (NBC) is an annual competition for secondary school students (grades 9 to 12) to test their knowledge and understanding of biology. After being paused due to disruptions caused by COVID-19, the NBC was revived in 2024 and transitioned to an online format. The first online competition took place successfully on April 18, 2024.

Teachers/staff are required to proctor the exam in their school for their registered students. On the day of the exam, this will require approximately 2 hours of time commitment from the teachers/staff.

NBC school account registration began on February 25^th, 2024, and currently remains open. Schools that have already registered for an NBC school account do not need to register again in order to participate in subsequent competitions.

Quick Facts

2026 Competition Date & Time

Start: April 8, 2026 at 8:30 AM EDT
End: April 9, 2026 at 10:00 AM EDT

2026 Competition Seat Purchase and Registration Period

Seat purchase opens: March 2, 2026 at 11:59 PM EST
Seat purchase closes: April 6, 2026 at 11:59 PM EDT
Student registration closes: April 7, 2026 at 11:59 PM EDT

During this period, schools must first purchase student seats, after which students may register using their student key by April 7, 2026 at 11:59 PM EDT.

Cost

$7 CAD per student
A minimum registration of 5 students is required.

Exam Length

The exam is 75 minutes long.

Format

The exam consists of 50 multiple-choice questions. The exam is offered in English only and is geared toward Grade 11-12 students. Competition materials are available only in English.

Grading

Each multiple-choice question will have five answer choices, with only one correct answer. To discourage random guessing, the exam score is calculated by awarding one point for each correct answer and subtracting one-third of a point for each incorrect answer. No points are deducted or awarded for unanswered questions. Calculators are not permitted.

Eligibility

Any student can participate in the National Biology Competition, even multiple times (e.g., a student can write both the 2019 and 2020 exams). Registered students in attendance at a secondary school (grades 9 to 12) are classified as official contestants and are eligible for individual awards and team competition, including students who complete their studies at the end of the first semester. Students in their first year of CEGEP in Quebec are also eligible.

Team Competition

Schools with at least 5 eligible students will automatically be entered into the team competition and ranked on the Top Schools lists. The team scores are calculated by totaling the scores of the top 5 eligible students at each school.

The top three Canadian schools and the top three schools outside of Canada will each receive a Certificate of Excellence.

Schools entering fewer than 5 eligible students are not eligible for the team competition.

2026 NBC Team

Organizing Team	Exam Committee (Faculty)
Prof. Ritu Sarpal Samantha Delios Tanmay Paramekanti Tara McDonnell	Prof. Ritu Sarpal Prof. Shelby Riskin Prof. Heather McFarlane Prof. Chris Garside