U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad (USNCO)
A national chemistry competition for high schoolers, run in three stages by the American Chemical Society.
About this resource
The U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad is a chemistry competition run by the American Chemical Society (ACS) to select the four-student team that represents the U.S. at the International Chemistry Olympiad. It runs in three stages: a Local Exam each March (administered through local ACS sections, roughly 10,000 students nationally), a National Exam each April for students selected by their local section, and a two-week Study Camp each June for the top 20 national scorers, from which the final four-person team is chosen. National Exam scorers are recognized in tiers ("Honors" and "High Honors").
Quick links — the specific pages you probably want
How to apply / get started
Ask your chemistry teacher or school counselor to register you through your local ACS section; the Local Exam is typically given in March.
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Sources & verification
Verified against these sources on 2026-09-13. Details change — always confirm on the organization's own website before relying on this for a deadline or an appointment.