The five STEM olympiads (USAPhO, USAMO, USACO, USNCO, and USABO) are highly competitive international competitions that encourage high school students to go above and beyond in subjects related to physics, mathematics, computer science, chemistry, and biology. Each olympiad program consists of multiple rounds of testing, with the final exam representing your country on the international level. This page provides information, study materials, and other resources for students who are interested in getting started with these olympiads. While this page is directed towards U.S. residents, the format, content, and statistics provided is generally ubiquitous.
Click the buttons at the top to begin learning about these olympiads!
This resource provides a concise summary of the USAPhO program, including the format, content, and selectivity statistics.
This resource is the USAPhO home page. Most of the main details needed to compete can be found through this page.
This resource addresses some frequently asked questions and the overall format of the competition. It covers scope, qualification requirements, and answering format.
This resource addresses the rules and regulations of the USAPhO competition. Before signing up for the F=ma Exam, make sure you are legally allowed to compete in the USAPhO program.
This YouTube video provides general information for the F=ma Exam, the primary test in the USAPhO program. Cararra is currently a student attending UC Berkeley and has great experience in STEM olympiads.
This YouTube playlist covers the majority of the classical mechanics needed for the F=ma and the USAPhO exams. Presented by MIT, this is a great resource if you are just getting into physics or have gaps in your classical mechanics knowledge.
This resource provides past F=ma and USAPhO exams and solutions. Many who compete in the STEM olympiads say the best way to study is to do past exams.
This YouTube playlist consists of walkthroughs of past F=ma and USAPhO exam problems. Presented by Cararra, this is a great resource for those who are stuck on a particular problem or are lacking the correct mindset needed to approach these problems.
Coupled with the Morin Blue textbook, the Morin Red textbook is a great resource for learnign classical mechanics. Written by David Morin, a senior lecturer at Harvard, this textbook is known as one of the best for preparing for the F=ma and USAPhO exams.
Coupled with the Morin Red textbook, the Morin Blue textbook is a great resource for challenging classical mechanics problems. Many who participate in USAPhO recommend practicing classical mechanics probelms with this textbook, as the difficulty is similar to the F=ma and USAPhO exams.
This resource provides a concise summary of the USAMO program, including the format, content, and selectivity statistics. It also explains why USAMO is such a unique olympiad compared to the other 4 STEM olympiads.
The Art of Problem Solving (AoPS) is a corporation and a community of mathematics professionals dedicated to helping students excel in math. AoPS is known as one of the best resources for advancing in competitive math. This link directs you to some of the courses offered by AoPS.
This is a link to past AMC 10 problems. If you're in grade 10 and below, this is a great resource to prepare for the first round of the IMO program.
This is a link to past AMC 12 problems. If you're in grade 12 and below, this is a great resource to prepare for the first round of the IMO program.
This link leads to problems and solutions from past AIME exams. AIME is the second exam in the IMO program. Preparing for the AIME is also a great way to prepare for AMC 12.
This link leads to problems and solutions from past USAMO exams. USAMO is the third round in the IMO program. Preparing for USAMO is also a great way to prepare for AMC 12 and the AIME.
This link leads to a video walkthrough of the 2019 AMC 10B. If you are in grade 10 or below and are new to USAMO, this video will introduce you to the mindset needed for competitive math.
This link leads to a video walkthrough of the 2016 AMC 12A. If eligible for AMC 12, this video will introduce you to the mindset needed for the competition.
The AIME is the second round of the USAMO program. This playlist prepares students for this exam. Preparing for the AIME will also help you prepare for AMC 10 and AMC 12.
Introduction to Counting & Probability is a textbook written by David Patrick, a teacher and curriculum developer for AoPS. This textbook is one of the best for competitive math, and it is applicable to all rounds of USAMO.
Introduction to Number Theory is a textbook written by Mathew Crawford. This textbook will help you develop the problem solving skills needed for all roudns USAMO.
This resource provides a concise summary of the information regarding the format and purpose of USACO. It also offers coding language recommendations for competitive programming.
Offered by USACO Guide, this resource provides general information regarding USACO and how to prepare. It also introduces you to USACO Guide, which is known among USACO competitors as the best competitive programming source. To access division specific guides, click the dropdown at the top and select your current division.
This YouTube video is a great resource to learn how to begin coding in Python. It teaches you how to set up a coding environment (IDE), basic Python functions, and basic algorithms.
This YouTube video is a great resource to learn how to begin coding in C++. It teaches you how to set up a coding environment (IDE), basic C++ functions, and basic algorithms.
This YouTube video is a great resource to learn how to begin coding in Java. It teaches you how to set up a coding environment (IDE), basic Java functions, and basic algorithms.
This YouTube playlist is a comprehensive series of videos that guide you through some of the most used algorithms in USACO. While you should do some further reading on each algorithm, these videos provide a great introduction to some of the systems you will inevitably be using on these coding challenges.
This resources offers previous USACO Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum problems. Doing previous problems is usually a good way to prepare for USACO, as it provides you with the right mindset to approach these problems.
Suggested by USACO Guide, Crash Course Coding Companion is a great book for reading about the different algorithms used on USACO in depth. Understanding the algorithms fully is a great way to understand how to implement them on difficult problem sets.
Cracking the Coding Interview is a world renowned textbook used for preparing for technical coding interviews. While this is usually used by people looking to land a good job, problems from this book emulate USACO Silver and Gold problems, and many previous USACO finalists have used this book to advance their USACO level.
This resource provides basic information regarding the USNCO format and scope. It also includes a basic analysis of how competetive this competition is, as well as who you will be competing against.
The USNCO Exams Reference Page is the page that you will get on every USNCO exam. It's important to note what you will be given and to be familiar with this sheet.
This resource covers all ten units of AP Chemistry, which is helpful for the general chemistry portions of the USNCO Local and USNCO National exams. While these are review videos, if you have a decently strong chemistry background, this should be decent for USNCO.
Past exams are one of the best ways to prepare for USNCO. Even if you have a large amount of chemistry knowledge, it is often hard to apply this knowledge to USNCO problems, as they require a unique mindset to solve. Doing past exams will prepare you for what you will see on future exams, especially if you practice on recent exams.
This YouTube video will summarize everything you need to know for the USNCO Local Exam. While you should do some independent studying, this resource is a very helpful guide for planning your study plan to qualify for the USNCO National Exam.
This organic chemistry playlist should cover most of what you need to know for the USNCO Local and National exams. You don't need to watch every video, but there are over 200 different organic chemistry videos to study from. Do "Control + F" and look for the organic chemistry topics that are covered on the exam you are studying for.
These USNCO Walkthroughs help to demonstrate the mindset needed to do well on these exams. This playlist includes one USNCO Local Exam walkthrough and one USNCO National Exam walkthrough.
This playlist is especially valuable to those taking the USNCO National Exam. During the National Exam, you will need to perform two different labs. This playlist provides helpful information regarding simple laboratory procedures that you may need to perform.
There are only a handful of biochemistry questions on each exam. However, It's helpful to understand the basics of biochemistry so that you can ensure you'll do well on these questions. This short playlist is great for gaining the shallow yet important biochemistry background needed for the USNCO Local and USNCO National exams.
Organic Chemistry by David Klein is known as one of the best organic chemistry textbooks ever made. It covers most of organic chemistry and has great practice problems that are similar to the USNCO format.
Chemistry by Steven Zumdahl is a great general chemistry textbook. If you need an introduction to AP Chemistry topics, this is the textbook for you. It covers all the general chemistry and electrochemistry topics covered on the USNCO exams, and is a great tool for preparing.
This resource is a summary that describes the format, content, and unique nature of USABO.
If you want to pass even the first exam of USABO, you will need Campbell's Biology. Known as the best biology textbook for USABO, Campbell's Biology covers almost all of the USABO Open Exam and a large portion of the USABO Semifinal Exam.
This resource provides previous USABO Open and USABO Semifinal exams. Doing previous problems is a great way to get a feeling for what will be on future exams.
MIT OCW Genetics is a free online course that provides content needed for the genetics section of the USABO Open Exam.
While Campbell's Biology covers a lot of biochemistry content, an AP understanding of thermodynamics
(unit 6 and 9), equilibrium (unit 7), and acids and bases (unit 8) is very helpful for USABO. Focus on these units, as they will help you most.
The Crash Course Biology Playlist is a great introduction to USABO, as it covers the AP Biology curriculum in great depth. This resource will help you to get started with USABO and better understand some of the topics covered in Campbell's Biology.
The Kaplan MCAT Biochemistry Review is sufficient for the USABO Open Exam. Paired with Lehninger's Principles of Biochemistry, these two textbooks cover all the biochemistry needed for USABO.
Lehninger's Principles of Biochemistry is a great textbook for exploring biochemistry for the USABO Semifinal Exam. Because the textbook is very in-depth, only chapters 1 - 10 are required for the exam. However, exploring the rest of the textbook will only help you.
Vander's Human Physiology is a gret textbook for exploring human physiology. While some of human physiology is covered in Campbell's Biology, a deeper knowledge of human functionality is required for the USABO Semifinal Exam.
Raven's Biology of Plants is the only botany textbook you will need for the USABO exams. This book covers a wide range of topics that you will need for USABO without sacrificing quality or scope.
This resource is an invite link to the Biology Olympiad Discord Server. This server is full of motivated biology students who are dedicated to USABO and other biology competitions. While these students compete against each other during USABO, they are happy to help each other study during times of preparation.