Science Olympiad is one of the premier science competitions in the United States.

As an added incentive, students who win a coveted Science Olympiad medal at state and national levels are often held in high regard in college admissions.

If you're looking to lead your own team, we've got you covered.

In this post, we provide the ultimate guide for how to start a Science Olympiad team at your school in 202

4. What Is Science Olympiad?

Science Olympiad is a well-known and extremely population national team-based competition for high schoolers.

Science Olympiad is a highly dynamic program, with thousands of middle school and high school teams participating each year.

Each middle or high school usually has 1

- 2 teams made up of 15 members that compete in district, regional, state, and national competitions.

Teams compete in both test-based and build-based events (hands-on engineering projects), with subjects tested ranging from forestry to anatomy or building roller coaster contraptions.

In Science Olympiad, there are around 20 of these 'events' per year, with most of which rotating on a bi-annual basis.

In Science Olympiad, scoring and placement is an event-specific process that varies highly across tests.

For example, Anatomy and Physiology consists of multiple-choice and open-ended questions and are thus graded according to an answer key.

Placing in a build event like Flight, however, is solely based on whichever team's aircraft stays the longest time aloft.

College admissions are familiar with Science Olympiad.

Starting a Science Olympiad team is an endeavor few attempt and can likely reflect well on your college application.

Additionally, placing well at the state or national level especially adds substance to your application, as competition becomes extremely tense the higher level you go.

Participating and winning in Science Olympiad showcases positive factors colleges seek—drive, intellectual curiosity, and a collaborative spirit.

Why Should I Start a Science Olympiad Team?

First, starting a Science Olympiad team guarantees you a spot on your school's team.

Many competitive middle and high schools hold numerous intramural rounds to determine team placement.

You'll get the advantage of sparing yourself the hassle of going through this process.

Second, starting a Science Olympiad team also means you'll be guaranteed an officer position.

If you're co-founding it, you can appoint yourself as Co-President.

Even better, if you're founding it yourself, claim the position of President!

It's good to gather some friends around, of course, to fill up the officer team and help you lead your new team to victory in the future. https://www. youtube. com/watch?v=N3jywbAqfNU If you're planning on starting a Science Olympiad team, that means you must have a high aptitude for STEM.

However, there are many parts where analytical skills and practical thinking overlap with another field—research!

To start a Science Olympiad team requires a lot of time and effort, and usually takes a while to see results.

Therefore, consider starting a club at your school for the International Research Olympiad (IRO).

You get to directly be affiliated with a prestigious, international competition.

Plus, it takes 10x less of the logistics required to get it running.

Watch the above video for more insight into the competition!

How To Start a Science Olympiad Team: 4 Steps Despite the time commitment, starting a Science Olympiad team can be highly beneficial and pay off in the long run.

If you want to know how to start a Science Olympiad team at your middle school or high school, make sure to follow the steps below.

1. Find Sponsors/Mentors A helpful sponsor or mentor will form the backbone of your Science Olympiad team.

They'll be in charge of some of the logistics, such as signing transportation forms for the school, providing you with a classroom for your team to practice in, and overall supporting your team.

A good place to start is to look in your school's science department.

A science teacher would be a great mentor as they'll know some prerequisite knowledge in a few events and will most likely have necessary supplies for your team to work with (e. g. a Physics teacher providing you with building material).

Lastly, if applicable, find out the right point of contact for filling out a club application to start your Science Olympiad team.

This is usually a principal or counselor.

2. Recruit Interested Students It goes without saying that your team members are the most important part of Science Olympiad.

They're the ones you'll compete with, practice with, and make memories together.

Since Science Olympiad encompasses numerous events, it's a good rule of thumb to market to as many people as possible to fill more niches.

After you start a Science Olympiad team, ask around to see if there's any club fairs that you can participate in to spread the word.

Additionally, tell your friends (and tell them to tell their friends) about your new Science Olympiad team.

Don't be discouraged if you don't meet the maximum 15-number count for your team in first year.

It's very normal for up-and-coming Science Olympiad teams to have close to 7, or even 5 members.

Also keep in mind that although the rules do vary, almost all Science Olympiad competitions at all levels allow teams to choose certain events to drop (i. e. not participate in and have it not affect the overall placement).

3. Learn About Events & Practice!

So you've started your Science Olympiad team, but here comes the most important part: actually practicing for the events your team is targeting.

The best way to do this is to head over to Science Olympiad Wiki and familiarize yourself with the rules for the events you and your team plan on competing in.

Once you've laid down a certain framework for how to approach each test, supplement the gaps by tackling the content.

Test-based Science Olympiad events are usually learned from textbook-adjacent mediums and watching videos.

Build events are worked on throughout a competition season.

But where the real magic happens is in practice sessions!

Science Olympiad is built on teamwork and the best way to bond is via spending time together.

Not only can you help each other study, but you'll learn more about each other and build a collaborative and welcoming team dynamic.

Another key thing that happens through practicing for Science Olympiad is that your team members will gradually get a better grasp on their weaknesses and strengths and find their testing 'niche'.

This is crucial.

Science Olympiad teams have only upwards of 15 people and sometimes more than 20 events, which means that each member has to be well-versed in at least one event.

4. Tourney Time!

Latly, one of the best parts of Science Olympiad is (obviously) the competition!

As a new Science Olympiad team, make sure you register your school on your state's Science Olympiad website so you can attend competitions when they roll around.

Typically, the competition season starts in March when regionals occur.

Advancing teams then compete in Science Olympiad state usually a month later in April, and nationals in late May.

The golden practice period is during the late fall to early winter.

This is when many colleges and even other high schools host their own practice contests called invitationals.

These are usually less high-stakes and are excellent for putting your team's learned skills to the test.

How to Start a Science Olympiad Team—Concluding Remarks In this post, we covered how to start a Science Olympiad team at your school.

Science Olympiad is one of the nation's premier STEM competitions for middle and high school students.

Participating in this competition is often the source of many students' happiest memories in school.

Also, it is a great way to learn outside the classroom, participate in fun tourneys, and make new friends.

However, don't stop there.

Science Olympiad is just one of many STEM-based competitions out there.

Check out the International Research Olympiad, the world's premier contest for student researchers.

Don't miss out on the opportunity to be directly involved!

Image Credit: Troy High School Warrior Weekly.