The US National Chemistry Olympiad (USNCO) is the one of the best best opportunities for high school students based in the United States to do chemistry at the highest level.

The two things that make it stand out are the challenging nature of the competition, as well as the prestige associated with the competition.

Doing well in the competition will allow you to qualify for a training camp, from which participants are selected to join the US team for the International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO).

This also signals to top-tier universities your ability to deal with some of the most academically challenging environments in the world.

This guide is designed to help you perform as well as possible in the competition.

Eligibility and Registration Eligibility Criteria To be eligible for the USNCO, students must meet the following requirements: Academic Standing: Participants must be enrolled in a high school (grades 9-12) in the United States.

Home-schooled students are also eligible, provided they meet equivalent academic standards.

Age Limit: Students must be under 20 years of age on July 1st of the year in which they participate in the competition.

Citizenship and Residency: While U.

S. citizenship is not a strict requirement, participants must be legal residents of the United States and attending a U.

S. high school.

This includes students on F-1 visas and other international students residing in the country.

Previous Participation: Students who have represented the United States at the International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) are not eligible to participate in the USNCO again.

However, previous participation in the USNCO itself, without advancing to the IChO, does not disqualify a student from future participation.

The most important eligibility criteria for the USNCO is earning a qualifying score on the local exam, which is the competition’s “opens” round.

This score changes from year to year, with about 1,000 people invited to participate in USNCO annually from a pool of roughly 10,000 test takers.

Registration Process The registration process for the USNCO involves several steps and typically begins at the school or local level: School Registration: Schools must first register to participate in the Local Chemistry Olympiad.

This is usually coordinated by a chemistry teacher or another school official who will act as the exam coordinator.

Local Section Exams: The Local Chemistry Olympiad exams are administered by the American Chemical Society (ACS) Local Sections.

Interested students should contact their chemistry teacher or the local ACS section for details about registration and exam dates.

The Local Section Exam is typically held in March and consists of multiple-choice questions covering a wide range of chemistry topics.

Advancement to National Exam: Top-performing students from the Local Section Exams are nominated by their local sections to advance to the National Chemistry Olympiad Exam.

Each local section determines the number of students they can nominate based on ACS guidelines.

The National Exam usually takes place in April and consists of three parts: multiple-choice questions, free-response questions, and laboratory practical tasks.

Fees: There may be a nominal fee for participating in the Local and National Exams to cover administrative costs.

Schools or local sections may assist with these fees or provide financial aid if necessary.

Results and Selection: Results from the National Exam are used to select the top 20 students, who are invited to participate in a rigorous two-week study camp.

From this group, the top four students are chosen to represent the United States at the IChO.

Structure Local Chemistry Olympiad Exam The journey to the USNCO begins with the Local Chemistry Olympiad Exam, which serves as the preliminary qualifying round.

Here’s what you need to know about this crucial first step: Focus and Format: The Local Chemistry Olympiad Exam covers a wide range of chemistry topics, including general chemistry, organic chemistry, physical chemistry, and analytical chemistry.

The exam typically consists of multiple-choice questions that must be completed in a set amount of time, usually around 90 minutes.

Content and Difficulty: The questions range from basic to advanced, requiring a strong grasp of fundamental concepts and the ability to apply these concepts to solve problems.

Calculators are generally allowed, but students should confirm this with their local exam coordinators.

Scoring and Advancement: Each correct answer earns points, while incorrect answers typically do not incur penalties.

The top scorers on the Local Chemistry Olympiad Exam, usually the top 1,000 to 1,200 students nationwide, advance to the USNCO National Exam USNCO National Exam Those who excel in the Local Chemistry Olympiad Exam move on to the USNCO National Exam, which is significantly more comprehensive and challenging: Format and Content: The National Exam includes three parts: multiple-choice questions, free-response questions, and laboratory practical tasks.

The exam covers a broad range of topics, including but not limited to organic chemistry, inorganic chemistry, physical chemistry, and analytical chemistry.

Free-Response and Laboratory Questions: The free-response section requires students to provide detailed solutions and explanations, demonstrating their deep understanding of chemistry concepts and problem-solving skills.

The laboratory practical section tests students’ hands-on skills in experimental chemistry, including designing experiments, conducting them, analyzing data, and drawing conclusions.

Scoring and Selection: The scores from the National Exam are used to select the top 20 students, who are then invited to participate in an intensive two-week study camp.

Topics to Study There are two sets of topics in chemistry that you will need to study in order to perform well in USNCO.

First, you need to study the areas that will appear in the local Olympiad.

After that, you will need to study the additional areas that will appear in USNCO.

Local Chemistry Olympiad Topics General Chemistry: Atomic structure Periodic trends Chemical bonding Stoichiometry States of matter Chemical reactions Thermochemistry Organic Chemistry: Functional groups Nomenclature Basic reactions Stereochemistry Physical Chemistry: Gas laws Solutions Thermodynamics Kinetics Analytical Chemistry: Acid-base titrations Redox reactions Electrochemistry USNCO National Exam Topics In addition to the topics covered in the Local Chemistry Olympiad Exam, students need to delve deeper into more advanced and specialized areas of chemistry: Advanced Organic Chemistry: Reaction mechanisms Synthesis and retrosynthesis Spectroscopy (NMR, IR, MS) Advanced Inorganic Chemistry: Coordination chemistry Transition metals Crystal field theory Advanced Physical Chemistry: Quantum chemistry Statistical mechanics Surface chemistry Advanced Analytical Chemistry: Instrumental analysis Chromatography Spectrophotometry Biochemistry: Amino acids and proteins Enzyme kinetics Metabolic pathways Conclusions If you are interested in chemistry, you have probably thought about doing research in the field at some point, as well as competitions that assess your skills in the subject.

One way you can pursue this is by registering for the International Research Olympiad.

This nonprofit competition had over 1000 participants last year and an in-person finals event at Harvard University.

The Olympiad aims to meritocratically assess research capabilities.

Full disclosure: While I am on the board of the IRO, I do believe that it is a genuinely valuable competition.

Board members are not compensated monetarily by the IRO.