What is an Olympiad?

Olympiad is a contest designed for schoolchildren to compete among peers by solving intellectual exercises or at times performing fascinating tests. Olympiads are held in different categories namely at a school, regional, national, and international level by various entities and educational centers. The most prestigious (and credible) Olympiads are those leading to the International Science Olympiads (ISO). In Kazakhstan the path goes as follows:

Fairly often, the first 5 Olympiads are simply referred to as "Republic" Olympiads, with correction suggesting its regional level or final stage. School Olympiads of this cycle (often called Daryn Olympiads due to being held by RNPC Daryn) begin in 2nd Quarter of the school year. Basically, you qualify for each following stage upon successful completion of the previous one. After the Republic level, 4-6 school kids are selected to represent Kazakhstan at the ISO. Among those are IMO, IPhO, IOI, IChO, IBO, IGeo, IESO, etc. They are somewhat similar to Olympic games in a sense that they represent the pinnacle of an olympian career. Some Universities automatically grant scholarships to the holders of gold medals in ISOs, while others significantly increase your chances for enrollment.