U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad: Exam Rules
Rules for Participation in the 2008 USNCO Competition
The following rules govern the U.S. National Olympiad (USNCO), a multi-tiered competition designed to stimulate and promote achievement in high school chemistry. These rules are followed by information on obtaining insurance and responding to special situations.
Rules
- All students who take the USNCO national examination MUST BE U.S. CITIZENS on the day it is taken. (They MUST BE eligible for a U.S. passport.) Green card holders are not eligible.
- High school students who will graduate no earlier than spring 2008 are eligible.
- A student's date of birth must fall after July 31, 1988
- No more than two students per teacher or per high school may be nominated to take the national exam. In the case of magnet programs or split enrollment, a student’s school is defined as the high school where the student takes science class.
- Eligible students who have previously attended the study camp automatically qualify for the national exam and do not count against the limit on the number of eligible students from their local section or school.
- Winners of gold medals at the International Chemistry Olympiad are not eligible to compete in subsequent USNCO study camps.
- Students who have taken advanced placement courses in chemistry are eligible. Likewise, students who have received credit for college level courses (limited to no more than two semesters or three quarters beyond general chemistry) are eligible.
- A student may participate only in the competition of the section in which the student's high school is located. If the section is not participating, the USNCO national office will assign the student to a section.
- A student who participates in the Physics Olympiad study camp, the Mathematics Olympiad study camp, or the Biology Olympiad study camp is not eligible to participate in the Chemistry Olympiad study camp during the same summer.
* These rules apply to students taking the USNCO national examination. Local sections are encouraged to develop their own procedures for identifying outstanding students at the local level and choosing national examination candidates. The sections are reminded, however, that all students who take the national exam must meet the qualifications outlined above.
Insurance
The American Chemical Society provides an excess insurance coverage during the national examination activities. To ensure proper coverage, the national office must submit a list of all lab practical sites to the insurance company. As a participant, you must submit this information in early March. Refer to the schedule for details.
Special Situations
- Students with disabilities
- The USNCO will make accommodations to allow students with disabilities to participate, as long as those accommodations would not require a fundamental modification of the test standards. Please contact the USNCO office at (202) 872-6328 or email usnco@acs.org for more information.
- Translations to other languages
- You may translate the Local Section examinations from English into other languages to encourage participation by non-English speaking minorities. If you do so, please send a copy to the ACS Examinations Institute or to the USNCO national office. The National Exam must be administered only in English.