I’m pretty sure we should be able to talk about the difficulty as long as test questions aren’t revealed.
Here is a list of good books to read:
I read some of the success stories on biolympiads.com they’re pretty good
Woah, that was a twice the difficulty of any of the practice tests! I had to guess on so many of them. The wording on so many of the questions was time consuming and confusing. I really hope the cut off is low.
Hey,
Have a look at the post again. It was updated:
2016: 23.88
2015: 22.5
2014: 28.5
2013: 28.5
2012: 24
2011: 29
2010: 21
2009: 27
2008: 29
2007: 30
2006: 26
2005: 26
2004: 24
@Anonymous1418 There are some nice tips on how to sometimes ignore the long question, jump to the answers, cross out illogical ones and then read the question looking for supporting facts for those options that you think could be correct: http://biolympiads.com/2017/01/last-minute-top-tips-before-biology-olympiad-2017.html
That’s kind of another side of taking the test. Not only knowledge is required, but also you should have your strategy of how to save as much time as possible!
@Martyynyyte That’s a good strategy. I tried doing that for some of the test questions, but I got caught up in the details and lost time. :((
did questions from past exam show up this year
just gonna say it right now, that test was insane
@Harryp17 sorry can’t answer
What’s the usual Finalist cutoff? I heard it’s crazy (140+)
@AXGaming depends. The semifinal test is not really as consistent as the open exams. They are out of 200-220 and the cut off is usually from 140-160 from what I know. So about a 60-70% cut off.
can someone add me to the doc?
@KiaAfzali how is the semifinal round scored?
wait do u guys know anyone else taking the test after the 17th (intial deadline)?
@AXGaming You can download them from: http://www.rtmsd.org/Page/12253
Each year is different. Just download one and look at how many questions are in that year and how many points each is worth. Apparently some of the older ones don’t have a part C, which is the essay/short answer section.
Any advice on staying motivated?
I got a 16 last year as a freshman and did equally bad this year, and am really dissapointed because i did really well on the practice tests, but panicked during the test and felt like time was passing rapidly…i feel like after taking it twice and still not making semi’s is pretty sad and embarrasing…
That was pretty tough… I think the cut off is going to be an 19 or maybe even 18.
Its ok man. When i first studied for USABO, I was junior. I did decent on the practice tests (35-39) so I was pretty confident that I would make it. Last year (the first time i took it), when I took the test, I completely got caught up on one of the harder earlier problems and I panicked. With panic came mistakes. For like the questions that had multiple answers, I would put one of the multiple answers in the next slot which would mess up whole test so I had to erase and go back which would cost me more time. Eventually I couldnt even finish. I knew I failed but I was hopeful when results day came around. lmao i missed the cutoff by like 1 question. I was so fricking bummed bc all my hours spent in usabo was wasted just bc of a one time mistake where I panicked.
For a long time, I didn’t even want to touch a biology textbook bc it reminded me of my failure.
but the thing that got me back was because I love bio. If you really love bio and study it bc you are naturally curious, eventually you will find the will to pick up that pencil and start studying again. I hope that even if you don’t make it this year, you will eventually get into bio again because you genuinely love bio.
Now for advice for the test. One of the things about usabo that annoys me is that even if you know the stuff, you can completely fail if you don’t practice test taking strategies. (unless you are a naturally gifted test taker. hats off to you guys) Try like taking the practice tests with 10-20 minutes less time. This will help you quicken your speed.
Also try taking the semi and ibo tests. They will definitely strengthen your critical thinking skills and prep you for unexpected insane open exams.
But most importantly remember why you study. Sometimes its really hard to study for a comp if you are only thinking about the results. keep loving bio and eventually you will naturally find the results
Hope you make it this year bro. rooting for you xD
@GeometryForLife I was getting 38-41 on the practice tests, and I will probably get a 20 on this year’s test. Don’t worry, you’re not alone.