CPhO

Overview

The National Physics Competition for Secondary School Students (全国中学生物理竞赛, Chinese Physics Olympiad, CPhO) is run by the Chinese Physical Society under the China Association for Science and Technology. Since 1985 the Society has chosen top finalists for the national training team for the International Physics Olympiad (IPhO).

Who can take part

Current high school students, registered through their schools at designated local sites. Students already admitted to and enrolled at university, or who have graduated, cannot take part. The competition follows a zero-fee principle set by the Ministry of Education and the China Association for Science and Technology.

Levels or stages

Preliminary

A theory-only paper, written at the same time nationwide in each region on a single national paper.

Regional final (复赛)

Theory and experiment components. The theory paper carries 320 points and the experiment 80 points.

National final (决赛)

Theory (280 points) and experiment (120 points). Regional committees recommend top scorers to the national final, with extra places for provinces that did well before. Top finalists are chosen for the national training team.

Important dates

For the 43rd competition in 2026: the preliminary is on September 5, 2026 from 9:00 to 12:00. The regional final theory exam is on September 19, 2026 from 9:00 to 12:00 and the experiment exam the same day from 14:00 to 15:00. The national final is October 29 to November 4, 2026 in Guangzhou.

Marking and results

The preliminary is marked from a national paper. The Peking University competition page gives the preliminary as 200 points; other pages report a different maximum, so check the current notice. Casio fx-991CN CW II is the calculator specified for the 2026 competition.

How to apply

Register through your school and the local physical society or competition committee; details vary by province.

Preparation tips

Practise past preliminary and regional papers, and train for the experiment component as well as theory.