Physics Olympiad (F=ma)
United States Physics Olympiad, beginning with the F=ma exam
A 25-question mechanics exam that opens the pathway to the United States physics team.
Run by American Association of Physics Teachers
Key facts
- Eligible grades
-
Not confirmed. Check the organiser's rules before entering.AAPT does not publish a grade range on the registration pages checked. Third-party guides describe it as grades 9 to 12 with no GPA or prior competition requirement.
- Recommended preparation
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Fluency with mechanics: kinematics, forces, energy and momentum
Why: The F=ma exam is entirely mechanics. AAPT does not publish a coursework prerequisite, but the documented scope is the mechanics portion of a high school physics course.Based on the published exam or entry format.This is Compete's reading of the competition's documented content, not a requirement stated by the organiser. You may enter without it.
- Compete guidance, not an eligibility restriction. Students outside this are still eligible if the official eligibility above allows them.
- Eligible ages
-
Not confirmed. This organiser may set eligibility by grade rather than age. We do not convert one into the other.The age limit governs team selection rather than sitting the F=ma exam. Reported by a third party; confirm with AAPT. Source note: the only reference found for this was a third-party listing or encyclopedia, not the organiser. Eligibility must come from the organiser, so this is marked unconfirmed until a first-party page confirms it.Source, checked 2026-09-02
- Individual or team
- Individual
- Where it runs
- Online · United States
- Entry cost
- A per-student fee paid by the school, typically under $502027 fees not published. For the 2025 cycle AAPT charged a school registration fee of $75, or $37.50 for AAPT members, PER SCHOOL, plus $15 per student. Whether the school or the student pays is a local decision.
- Registration deadline
- Set locally, not published as a single national date 2027 deadline not published; expected in mid-to-late January 2027 based on prior years. The 2026 deadline was 20 January 2026, extended to 21 January at 11:59 p.m. EST. The 2025 deadline was 27 January.
- Competition dates
- F=ma exam in winter, USAPhO semifinal in spring, training camp in late spring.
- Difficulty
- Highly competitiveNational-level field. Expect months of structured work, and usually a coach or a strong team.
- Prizes
- Training camp place and international team selectionNo cash prizes. Recognition, U.S. Physics Team selection and the training camp.
What Physics Olympiad (F=ma) is
The United States Physics Olympiad begins with the F=ma exam, a 75-minute, 25-question multiple-choice paper covering classical mechanics only. High scorers advance to the USA Physics Olympiad semifinal exam, which is free response and covers the full syllabus, and the top twenty attend a training camp from which the five-person team for the International Physics Olympiad is selected. The mechanics-only first round makes it more approachable than it sounds.
How the competition works
New for 2026, the F=ma and USAPhO exams are conducted ONLINE via Educational Vistas only, with no printable versions available. A handheld calculator may be used with memory cleared of data and programs, limited to basic scientific functions, and only scratch paper provided by the proctor may be used.
Eligibility notes
Registration is by school or approved testing centre. International team selection requires United States citizenship or permanent residency.
How to register
- Ask a physics teacher to register your school as a testing centre before the autumn deadline.
- Sit the F=ma exam at your school in the winter. It covers classical mechanics only.
- If you clear the national cutoff, sit the USAPhO semifinal exam in the spring.
- Top scorers are invited to the training camp.
What skills you need
- Classical mechanics
- Electromagnetism for the semifinal round
- Calculus-based problem solving
- Estimation
- Free response physics writing
Recommended resources
-
US Physics Team official page (also: past f=ma and usapho exams)
Registration, exam dates, rules and past exams. Free archive of past exams with solutions, published by the American Association of Physics Teachers.
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International Physics Olympiad past problems
Free international past papers, useful once you reach semifinal level.
Past problems and materials
Only materials the organiser or an authorised archive publishes openly are listed here.
- AAPT past exam archive
Published free with solutions.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need calculus for the F=ma exam?
It is not formally required and many problems are solvable without it, but calculus makes several standard problem types considerably faster. Most students who clear the cutoff have at least basic calculus.
What does the F=ma exam cover?
Classical mechanics only: kinematics, dynamics, energy, momentum, rotation, oscillations and gravitation. Electromagnetism appears only at the semifinal stage.
Reviews, tips and resources from other students
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Something out of date?
If a deadline, fee or eligibility rule on this page no longer matches the official site, flag it and it goes into the review queue.
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