USA Biology Olympiad

The USA Biology Olympiad (USABO) is a national competition sponsored by the Center for Excellence in Education to select the competitors for the International Biology Olympiad. Each year, twenty National Finalists gather at a nationally recognized institution for a two-week training camp. From the program's inception through 2009, the camp was held at George Mason University; as of 2010, the camp is instead held at Purdue University. At the end of the two weeks, four students are selected to represent the United States at the International Biology Olympiad.

USABO finalists are selected in two rounds of tests. The open exam is a short and challenging, multiple-choice exam open to all high school students which was administered in the first week of February. The top 500 or 10% of the competitors advance to the semi-final round, which will be administered in March. This second exam consists of two multiple-choice sections and one free response. The twenty highest scorers move on to the USABO Finals. After the ten-day training period, the Finalists undergo a day of practical examinations and a day of theoretical testing similar, in some respects, to the semifinal examination; however, the finals exam is far more comprehensive. The top 12 scorers on the Study Camp exam earn medals. The scorers that are ranked 1st - 4th receive gold medals. The scorers that are ranked 5th - 8th receive silver medals. The scorers that are ranked 9th - 12th receive bronze medals. The scorers that are ranked 13th - 20th receive nothing.

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