How does the Physics Olympiad work?

The tests are the primary measure used to select the 20 members of the US Physics Team. Once selected, the top 20 students are invited to attend a training camp in May or June, from which the top 5 students and 1 alternate are selected to compete in the International Physics Olympiad, or IPhO as the US traveling team.

How many questions are asked in IPhO?

The present format (from 2014-15 onwards) is composed entirely of 70 multiple-choice questions. 60 of these have only one option correct and, 10, more than one. 3 marks are awarded for the solving each of the first 60 correctly and 1 mark deducted for each mistake there.

How do you compete in Physics Olympiad?

Students must be eligible to compete at the International Physics Olympiad to be invited to U.S. Physics Team training camp. This requires that they are U.S. citizens, or hold a green card and have attended school in the U.S. for at least three years.

How to prepare for the International Physics Olympiad?

The International Physics Olympiad 1 Physics Olympiad preparatory materials. Preparing for a physics olympiad can be a difficult and enjoyable undertaking. 2 Syllabus. The syllabus is the list of subjects that the authors of International Physics Olympiad problems can base the problems on. 3 Past problems. 4 Other competitions.

How to prepare for the IPhO?

Everyone preparing for the IPhO should get aquainted with the syllabus to ensure that they have a firm grasp of the topics that they may encounter in the problems. The range of topics is limited to secondary school physics though textbooks for that level may not cover all of the material or some of it in insufficient detail.

How should the Secretariat of the IPhO be invited to the Olympics?

The members of the Secretariat of the IPhO should be invited to the Olympiads as the members and heads of the International Board; their relevant expenses should be paid by the organizers of the competition. The members of the Secretariat should not be leaders of any national team.

Is INPhO a stepping stone to Physics Olympiad?

This reply is being written from an Indian perspective, focused around INPhO as the stepping stone. However, the points can be generalized with ease. India’s participation in Physics Olympiads has been quite old and the results at IPhO speak about how good the process is.