IChO

Overview

The International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) is an annual chemistry competition for secondary school students, aimed at promoting international contacts in chemistry and encouraging independent, creative solving of chemical problems. It has a practical (experimental) and a theoretical examination. It is held as a rule at the beginning of July in one of the participating countries. The details below follow the regulations approved in Prague in July 2018.

Who can take part

• Students must not be university students and must be under 20 years old on 1 July of the competition year.

• Competitors must attend secondary schools that are not specialised in chemistry. If they graduated before 1 May, the organiser must be told the month and year.

• Competitors must hold the passport of the country they represent, or have been in that country's secondary school system for more than one academic year.

• Each country's delegation is expected to have four competitors and two mentors, and may add two scientific observers.

• Countries are expected to choose teams in an open process; the national chemistry olympiad is the usual route.

Exam pattern

The total is 100 points. There is at least one day of rest between the two parts.

Medals

The best 10 to 12 percent of competitors receive gold medals, the next 20 to 22 percent silver and the following 30 to 32 percent bronze. Non-medalists in the best 70 to 71 percent receive an honorable mention.

How to take part

Entry is only through your national chemistry olympiad. The host organiser invites countries that took part in either of the two preceding years. Other countries must apply by the end of November before the Olympiad and send an observer to two consecutive Olympiads before their students can compete.

Preparation tips

• Work through past theoretical and practical problems published after each IChO.

• Practise laboratory technique, since the practical part is 40 percent of the score.