Overview
Science Olympiad is a national team STEM competition for middle and high school students. It was founded in 1984 and, per its site, involves about 7,000 teams across 450 tournaments in all 50 states.
Who can take it
Students join through their state's Science Olympiad organisation. Registration happens through individual state programmes.
Levels or stages
Divisions
Division B: middle school.
Division C: high school.
Tournament levels
Competition runs through regional, state and national tournaments, ending at the National Tournament.
Exam pattern
Teams compete in 46 standard events covering science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Each year's rules are published for free as PDFs; the 2027 rules are available.
How to apply
Contact your state Science Olympiad chapter to register a team. The national site offers study materials, practice tournaments, webinars and kits.
Preparation tips
Read the current rules for each event before choosing events.
Use the practice tournaments and event videos.
How many events are there?
The site lists 46 standardised events.