Industry: Education
Client: Singapore National Economics Olympiad (SGNEO)
https://www.sgneo.com/
Role: Sumedh, Executive Member, Junior Economics Society of Singapore
Location: Singapore
The Singapore National Economics Olympiad (SGNEO) is one of the premier academic competitions for economics students in Singapore. With record numbers of participants and increasing international interest, the organising team needed a secure, structured, and scalable method to conduct the Olympiad online without increasing manual workload.
In this interview, Sumedh, a member of the SGNEO organising team, discusses how Quilgo helped them efficiently manage over 130 participants, enhance exam integrity, and significantly reduce organisational stress.
An Interview with the SGNEO Organizing Team
Quilgo: Could you briefly introduce yourself and SGNEO’s mission?
Sumedh (SGNEO): My name is Sumedh, and I’m an executive member of the SGNEO organising team. My responsibilities include writing competition questions, coordinating communication with participants, and collaborating with professors throughout the preparation process.
SGNEO exists to give students who are deeply passionate about economics an opportunity to challenge themselves beyond the high school level. Our goal is to foster a deeper understanding of the subject and provide a platform for students to grow academically.
Quilgo: What does the Olympiad look like in practice, and why is it important for students in Singapore?
Sumedh: This year, SGNEO reached a record of 180 sign-ups. The competition typically consists of two rounds: an open first round, followed by a second round in which the top 40–50% of participants advance to compete at a higher level, including against international teams.
It’s an important event because it allows students to sharpen their economics skills and gain national and global recognition. Singapore has also placed first twice in the World Economics Olympiad, which highlights the strength and value of these competitions.
The Challenge: Running a Large Olympiad Online
Quilgo: What were the biggest challenges of organizing SGNEO as an online competition?
Sumedh: The primary challenge we faced was scaling the event. Coordinating a large number of participants, addressing their questions, and ensuring seamless communication, all while collaborating with professors to finalize the exam content, required considerable effort. Additionally, we had to ensure the Olympiad was conducted in a manner that upheld fairness and integrity, particularly given that so many students were taking the test remotely.
Quilgo: Before Quilgo, how did you expect to manage the testing process?
Sumedh: Without Quilgo, we likely would have relied on a more manual, live-monitoring approach, which placed much more pressure on the organising team. Quilgo allowed us to reduce that burden and implement a far more efficient and structured testing workflow.
Quilgo: What made Quilgo the right solution for SGNEO?
Sumedh: Our priority was finding a platform that could support a large number of students while also preventing cheating and ensuring exam integrity.
Quilgo stood out for its strong proctoring capabilities, including camera monitoring, person detection, and screen tracking. These features made the experience feel much closer to an in-person exam environment, which was exactly what we needed for a national-level competition.
Quilgo: How was the setup experience for your team?
Sumedh: The setup was straightforward, and we were able to customise the configuration based on SGNEO’s specific requirements. That flexibility was very valuable for our format.
Quilgo: Which Quilgo features had the greatest impact during the Olympiad?
Sumedh: The camera and screen tracking features were the most useful. They allowed us to monitor participants effectively and maintain a high standard of fairness. Quilgo also provided post-exam reports highlighting suspicious behaviour, which helped us review sessions efficiently without having to manually observe every student in real time.
Results & Impact
Quilgo: Did Quilgo improve competition reliability overall?
Sumedh: Absolutely. The improvements were drastic. In rare cases, technical issues can still create uncertainty, so live video streaming might further strengthen the process in the future, but overall, the platform greatly enhanced trust and security and made the entire workflow much more efficient for us.
Quilgo helped SGNEO successfully deliver the Olympiad online with measurable improvements:
- 130+ participants completed the Olympiad using Quilgo
- Over 10 hours saved in manual effort
- Significantly reduced organisational stress
- Drastic improvements in fairness, integrity, and reliability
Quilgo: Would you recommend Quilgo to other academic competition organisers?
Sumedh: Yes, definitely. For anyone running a large online competition for the first time, my advice is simple: use Quilgo. It makes the process far more manageable and secure.
Quilgo: How would you describe Quilgo in one sentence to another Olympiad organiser?
Sumedh: Quilgo lets you host a competition and relax at the same time.
Final Thoughts
At Quilgo, we’re proud to support initiatives like SGNEO that empower students through fair, high-level academic competition. SGNEO’s experience demonstrates how secure online proctoring and automation can help organizers focus less on operational stress — and more on delivering meaningful academic impact.
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