About USABO/IBO
"As the premiere biology competition for high school students in the United States, the USA Biolympiad (USABO) enriches the life science education of nearly 10,000 talented students annually. It provides the motivation, curricular resources, and skills training to take them beyond their classroom experience to the level of international competitiveness." - USABO
"As the premier high school biology student competition worldwide, we aim to identify, inspire, empower and support the next generation of leaders in the life sciences and to develop their international network." - IBO
USABO Site: www.usabo-trc.org/
IBO Site: www.ibo-info.org/en/
FAQs: www.usabo-trc.org/faqs
"As the premier high school biology student competition worldwide, we aim to identify, inspire, empower and support the next generation of leaders in the life sciences and to develop their international network." - IBO
USABO Site: www.usabo-trc.org/
IBO Site: www.ibo-info.org/en/
FAQs: www.usabo-trc.org/faqs
Exam Structure
Round 1: USABO Open Exam
Round 2: USABO Semifinal Exam
Round 3: USABO National Finals
Round 4: IBO
Theoretical Exam Topic Breakdown (for all four rounds)
Animal Anatomy & Physiology: 25%
Cell Biology: 20%
Genetics & Evolution: 20%
Plant Anatomy & Physiology: 15%
Ecology: 10%
Ethology: 5%
Biosystematics: 5%
*USABO may introduce bioinformatics and neurobiology in the future.
- Open to all high schoolers
- 50 minutes long
- Consists of 50 MCQs, one response per question
- No penalty for guessing
- Usually roughly top 10% of scorers (or 500-600 people) advance to Round 2
Round 2: USABO Semifinal Exam
- Around 500-600 people take it
- 120 minutes long
- 3 parts:
- Part A: MCQs with one answer
- Part B: more complex and sequential MCQs with multiple answers
- Part C: short answer or true/false questions
- No penalty for guessing
- Top 50 scorers receive certificate
- Top 20 scorers advance to Round 3
Round 3: USABO National Finals
- Top 20 semifinal scorers are selected for Round 3
- Camp lasts for 12 days at a top research university (10 days of instruction, 2 days of testing)
- Testing consists of 2 parts, each on one day:
- 6-hour Practical Exam
- 3-hour Theoretical Exam
- Top 4 scorers are selected to compete at the IBO as a part of Team USA
Round 4: IBO
- 6-day trip to IBO host country
- Consists of the opening ceremony, practical exam, theoretical exam, and closing ceremony
- Top 10% of scorers receive gold medals, the next 20% receive silver, and the next 30% receive bronze
Theoretical Exam Topic Breakdown (for all four rounds)
Animal Anatomy & Physiology: 25%
Cell Biology: 20%
Genetics & Evolution: 20%
Plant Anatomy & Physiology: 15%
Ecology: 10%
Ethology: 5%
Biosystematics: 5%
*USABO may introduce bioinformatics and neurobiology in the future.