This year marked our school’s debut in the International Psychology Olympiad (IPsyO), a prestigious online competition designed to challenge gifted high school minds and spark the interest of future leaders in behavioural and brain sciences.
During the July holidays, eight of our dedicated students stepped up to take on the initial qualification round—a rigorous 300-multi-choice question individual examination.
With only the top six students per country or region advancing to the International Final, our students delivered incredible results, securing two global finalist spots:
- Mei Peacock – Advanced to the Final Round with Distinction.
- Alina Chen – Advanced to the Final Round with Highest Distinction.
Stellar International Final Achievements
The gruelling Final Round tested advanced analytical and applied problem-solving skills across two comprehensive modules: a 100-question Material-Based Objective Test and a 3-hour Advanced Thinking written task evaluating research design, methodological reasoning, and psychological analysis.
Following this final stage, Alina Chen achieved extraordinary success, earning a Gold Award and placing in the Top 10 Internationally for the Advanced Thinking module!
Insights from Alina Chen, Year 12
“Participating in the International Psychology Olympiad has encouraged me to challenge myself in additional material beyond the syllabus and to consistently apply theoretical concepts to real-world issues. The exam covered a broad variety of topics ranging from lifespan development to abnormal psychology and neurological disorders, and even proposing my own research design and then critiquing it.
More than anything, this experience made me realise how relevant psychology is to everything we do. It moves beyond memorising facts and into understanding the motivations behind every day human behaviour. If you are even slightly curious about how the mind works, or perhaps want to pursue a career in neuroscience, it is a great way to further explore your interests to see if anything clicks with you. It is definitely worth the effort and you might be surprised with what you learn!”