The content of the exam will reflect the similarities in the secondary school biology curricula among the provinces. To correct for haphazard guessing, the score of the examination is based on the number of questions a student answers correctly minus one-third of the number of questions answered incorrectly. No points are deducted or awarded for unanswered questions. Calculators are not permitted. Students who do not meet the above requirements are welcome to write the examination as unofficial contestants.
Teachers can also write the examination as unofficial contestants.
The top 250 competitors are recognized as National Biology Scholars . Each of the top 50 students will receive a National Biology Scholar with Distinction certificate. The next 200 students will receive a National Biology Scholar certificate. Each school with 10 or more participating students will be presented with a Certificate of Achievement to award to its top scorer in the competition. If a student does not register, then the award will be presented to the next highest scorer in the 2001 competition to meet the above conditions.