The 2027 seasons of the three science olympiads in physics, chemistry and biology are now open. For the USA Biology Olympiad (USABO), school registration closes on November 15 and student registration on November 22, a little more than three weeks away. Registration for F=ma, the first round of the physics olympiad, closes on January 14, 2027. The U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad (USNCO) is organized locally by the Orange County Section of the American Chemical Society, which held both its 2026 local exam and the national exam in Irvine. The three competitions share one feature: students cannot register on their own and must go through a school or a local section.

The 2027 Science Olympiad Season: What Happened

Each olympiad has a different organizer, and the 2027 schedules are either posted on the official sites or follow the usual pattern:

Competition Organizer How to register First-round exam
USA Biology Olympiad (USABO) Center for Excellence in Education School registers and pays first, then registers students February 15, 2027, 4 p.m. ET, online Open Exam
U.S. Physics Olympiad: F=ma / USAPhO American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) School or test site registers, then students register on the online platform February 9, 2027, F=ma online exam
U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad (USNCO) American Chemical Society (ACS); local exams run by local sections Through the school chemistry teacher and the local section Local Section Exam; Orange County 2027 date not yet posted

What the Science Olympiads Mean for Irvine Families

The key point for Irvine families is that registration runs through the school. If the school does not register, the student cannot sit the exam, and the USABO and F=ma registration deadlines fall about three months and about one month, respectively, before the first-round exam. Students in grades 9 through 11 who plan to pursue science should confirm now with a science teacher or club advisor whether their school is participating this year.

USABO Biology Olympiad: Three November Deadlines

USABO 2027 registration opened on August 7, 2026, and the official calendar lists three deadlines:

  • School payment: October 23, 11:59 p.m. ET; a flat $125 per school covers all participating students.
  • School registration: closes November 15, 11:59 p.m. ET.
  • Student registration: closes November 22, 11:59 p.m. ET.

Students can register only after their school has registered, and schools that took part from 2011 through 2026 must still register and pay again. A student whose school is not participating can choose “My school is not participating in the 2027 USABO” on the USABO homepage and ask to test with another school, subject to USABO approval; if the student advances, the host school is recognized as the supporting school. Homeschooled students must contact USABO before registration closes to test at a local high school and may be responsible for the $125 fee.

Eligible students are in grades 9 through 12 and are U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents; seniors may compete if they have not formally enrolled in an undergraduate program. All exams are online and held at one time nationwide, proctored by the school’s test administrator. Administrators and students complete an online certificate that includes the Honor Code (Revised 2026), and schools are asked to record the exam session and send the recording to USABO.

A practice exam runs from January 8 to 22, 2027, the online Open Exam follows on February 15, and then come the Semifinal Exam and the National Finals, which in 2027 will be held in person only. On the Open Exam, the top 20% receive Honorable Mention and the top 30% a Certificate of Merit; on the Semifinal, the top 50 receive Recognition of Academic Excellence, the next 75 Honorable Mention and the next 100 a Certificate of Merit. The 2027 International Biology Olympiad (IBO) will be held in Warsaw, Poland.

F=ma Physics Olympiad: Registration Closes January 14

AAPT has posted these 2027 dates: F=ma registration closes January 14, 2027, and the exam is on February 9; the second round, the U.S. Physics Olympiad (USAPhO), is on March 14. The exact exam windows and the dates of the training camp at the University of Maryland are still to be announced.

The fee is $80 per school ($40 for AAPT members) plus $16 per student, and schools give only the number of students at registration. The exam is online through Educational Vistas but must be proctored in person. Proctors should hold at least a two-year degree; parents, relatives and acquaintances may not proctor, and for-profit test preparation companies may not serve as test sites. Homeschooled students can contact community colleges, universities or libraries to arrange proctoring. Students must be U.S. citizens, permanent residents or currently attending a U.S. school, and they must be located in the United States when testing.

USNCO Chemistry Olympiad: Organized in Irvine by the Orange County Section

The chemistry olympiad has three levels: the Local Section Exam, the National Exam and a June study camp for the top 20 national scorers, from which the U.S. team for the International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) is chosen. The Orange County Section’s report on 2026 offers a useful reference:

  • Local exam: held on Saturday morning, February 28, 2026, at Irvine Valley College (IVC), with 237 students from 37 high schools across the county.
  • National exam: the top 13 local scorers advanced to the national exam on April 18, 2026, at the University of California, Irvine (UCI); it lasted 4.75 hours and included written and laboratory parts.
  • National top 20: two Orange County students, from Troy High School and the Orange County School of the Arts, were invited to the study camp; one was named to the U.S. team and won a gold medal at the 2026 IChO in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

The Orange County Section has not yet posted its 2027 page, and the national ACS site required a human verification check during this review and could not be opened, so this article does not give 2027 exam dates or eligibility rules for USNCO. Students should ask their school chemistry teacher whether the school will enter the Orange County local exam.

EDUBUS Recommendations for the Science Olympiads

Biology students should watch November. USABO school registration closes on November 15, one week before student registration. If the school has not registered, students should apply to test with another school early rather than discover the problem just before November 22.

Physics students should secure a test site before December. F=ma registration runs to mid-January, but the proctor rules are strict, and students whose school does not host the exam need time to contact a community college or library.

Chemistry students should build on AP Chemistry. The Orange County local exam was held in late February, about four months from now; students taking AP Chemistry can align competition preparation with their course.

Seniors should check the timing. First-round results for all three competitions arrive after February 2027, too late for the University of California application due November 30 and for most private university regular deadlines in January; only results from earlier years can appear in this year’s applications. The competitions suit students in grades 9 through 11 as a multi-year commitment.

For formats and history, see the encyclopedia entries for F=ma / USAPhO, USNCO and USABO. For course foundations, see EDUBUS AP Physics C, AP Chemistry and AP Biology, and for individual preparation, one-on-one tutoring. For presenting competition results in college applications, see the university admissions planning service.

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