Chemistry Olympiad

Key facts

Eligible grades

All interested secondary school students in grades 9 to 12 who can be accommodated by their Local Section are invited to participate.

The phrase 'who can be accommodated' matters: capacity is set locally and registration does not guarantee a place.

Source, checked 2026-09-02

Recommended preparation

Familiarity with a full first-year high school chemistry curriculum

Why: The organiser publishes a fixed topic breakdown for the 60 multiple-choice questions: six questions each on stoichiometry and solutions, descriptive and laboratory chemistry, states of matter, thermodynamics, kinetics, equilibrium, oxidation-reduction, atomic structure and periodicity, bonding and molecular structure, and organic and biochemistry. That breadth maps onto a full introductory course, and the national exam adds a 90-minute laboratory practical, so bench experience matters. ACS does not publish a coursework prerequisite; this is Compete's reading of the documented content.

Based on the organiser's published topic breakdown.

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.

ACS sets eligibility by grade, not age.

Individual or team

Individual

Where it runs

In person · United States

Entry cost

Usually free to the studentACS does not publish a national fee. Local Sections may charge their own registration fee, typically collected through the school, and a student whose school declines to cover it may register as an individual. Ask your Local Section Coordinator.

Registration deadline

Set locally, not published as a single national date There is no single national deadline; each Local Section sets its own, and some cut off weeks in advance. For reference, the 2026 cycle opened student registration on 6 October 2025, and one Local Section set its own registration close at 13 February 2026. Contact your Local Section Coordinator early.

Competition dates

2027 dates not yet published. The 2026 cycle ran: student registration open 6 October 2025; Local Exam 27 February to 16 March 2026; National Exam 10 to 19 April 2026; Study Camp 31 May to 13 June 2026; International Chemistry Olympiad 10 to 19 July 2026. Each Local Section picks its own exam date within the national window.

Difficulty

Highly competitiveNational-level field. Expect months of structured work, and usually a coach or a strong team.

Prizes

Study camp invitation and international team selectionNo cash prizes. Recognition at the National Exam is by Honors and High Honors tiers, with Study Camp invitation and international team selection as the pathway.