Preparation guide
How to prepare for Chemistry Olympiad
A local exam, a national exam, then a study camp that picks the four-person United States team.
Highly competitive · All interested secondary school students in grades 9 to 12 who can be accommodated by their Local Section are invited to participate.
Where the points actually are
The multiple-choice topic split is published by ACS and is the same every year, which makes this one of the most targetable science exams in this directory. 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. Study to that split.
Topic breakdown
- 01The published topic split
- Ten areas, six questions each, in a fixed order. Work out which of the ten you are weakest at and spend your time there rather than revising evenly.
- 02Laboratory chemistry
- The national exam includes a 90-minute practical, which is unusual among US olympiad selection exams. Bench practice is not optional if you reach that round.
- 03Thermodynamics and equilibrium
- Twelve questions between them, and consistently where students lose the most on the local exam.
- 04Pacing
- 110 minutes for 60 questions on the local exam is under two minutes each. Practise to the clock.
A study plan that works backwards from the date
- Autumn Register through your ACS Local Section Coordinator when registration opens, usually early October. Work through past local exams, which ACS publishes free.
- December to February Attack the topics from the published split where you score worst. Use the free ACS coaching programme material.
- March Sit the local exam. Nomination to the national exam follows from your Local Section.
- If nominated Get bench time before April. The laboratory practical is a third of the national exam and cannot be revised for on paper.
Tips that come from the format itself
- The topic breakdown is published and fixed. Study against it rather than revising a textbook front to back.
- Your odds depend partly on geography: each Local Section may nominate only a set number of students based on its ACS membership.
- No more than two students from any one school can sit the national exam, so a strong school programme concentrates the competition.
- Ask for accommodations early if you need them. ACS states that time extensions generally cannot be granted, so plan accordingly.
Practice resources
-
ACS Chemistry Olympiad
Programme structure, the four tiers, current dates and registration.
-
Exam information and format
Exact format of both exams, plus the published topic breakdown of the 60 multiple-choice questions.
-
Coaching programme
Free online help published by ACS to prepare for the exam.
Past papers and official materials
- Past exams and preparation material
ACS publishes past local and national exams with answer keys through its exam preparation pages.
Skills this builds
- Stoichiometry and equilibrium
- Thermodynamics and kinetics
- Organic chemistry
- Laboratory technique
- Quantitative problem solving