LOL i got 59ez money
Last year i was selected to be part of the egyptian chemistry olympiad team
@AmSherLocked where does part 3 come into play? Can you elaborate on how scoring works? I thought all 3 parts were used to rank, now I’m a bit confused 
thanks!
^Bump. I would also like to know how the scoring for USNCO works.
The MC is scored first. Then, the FRQs and Lab Practicals of the top ~150 participants only are scored.
You have 200 points total for National exam. MC is out of 75 points (1.25 per question), FRQ out of 100, lab out of 25.
Basically there are 3 cutoffs: honors (top 150, based off of MC score only)-> high honors (top 50, need to make MC cutoff and FRQ cutoff)-> camp. You need to pass first 2 for camp consideration. Lab component often is the tilting point for camp qualification because a lot of the High Honors (top 50) will have similar scores for FRQ + MC. In past years it’s gotten so competitive that you would need 170+ to be in good shape for qualifying for camp.
Should be OK to discuss the local exam now.
Does anyone know when ACS will post the 2016 Local Exam (with the answer key) onto the website?
@Ninjadu Sometime tomorrow.
What’s are typical good scores for MC and FRQ?
Does anybody know where I can find solutions(not just the answers) to previous national exam multiple choice questions?
@ninjamoney There aren’t any. If you want solutions you’ll need to post the question on a forum like this one.
Is the entire national exam individual (including lab practical section)?
@Cornbread1999 Yes, all individual.
Does anybody know why the 2016 local chemistry olympiad exam isn’t posted on their website?
@ninjamonkey Two guesses:
- Delayed to this Monday
- They forgot
I realize it’s really late to be asking since there’s less than a week left before I take it (at least where I am), but I’m curious, how are people finding the random/arcane knowledge for this test? I noticed on some practice tests to get the answer you have to know some pretty specific and obscure info like the color of this one ion in a certain oxidation state. How are you guys finding this info?
Also does anybody have guides/resources for predicting reactions like the ones in the free response section?
@biochemnerd123 There are a few reactions you just have to know and many random things you also just have to know (for example, the halogens almost always follow disproportionation redox reactions). You also need to have the solubility rules down.
For all of the non-radioactive-decay reactions, force a double-replacement / redox reaction to happen, and will get the correct answer almost all of the time.
@1golfer1 thanks!!!
I know it’s really late now, but does anyone want to try to compile some of these random things into a last minute list?
@biochemnerd123 The best advice I have is just to RELAX. You have the knowledge to answer ever question on the exam. Do not let the time constraints cause you to panic, especially on the lab – Spending more time thinking will save you in the long run.