Cleveland US National Chemistry Olympiad (USNCO)
We are pleased to announce the Cleveland Section of The American Chemical Society (ACS) will participate in the 2026 U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad (USNCO). This annual sponsored event supports and acknowledges the efforts and achievements of chemistry students and their high school teachers. Please see below for more information, rules, and eligibility.
2025-26 coordinator: Mark Waner, Professor of Chemistry, John Carroll University. Contact me for questions and updates.
Calendar of events:
| August – December | Local High School Chemistry teachers will be contacted about getting their students involved in the USNCO competition. |
| February | Students need to register prior to Feb. 27, 2026 to receive instructions on taking the Cleveland Local Section Exam. Register with the ACS here. |
| February 27 - March 16, 2026 | Cleveland Local ACS exam taken on paper at multiple test sites/times, 60 multiple choice, 110 minutes |
| April 10-19, 2026 | National Exam Parts 1, 2 and 3 – date and location TBD |
| April/May | Cleveland Section Education Night- all students eligible for the National Exam will be invited. |
| June 2026 | Study camp at the University of Maryland for the top 20 National Exam scores. |
| July 2026 | International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) in Uzbekistan |
The Cleveland section will nominate students to take the USNCO National Examination based on the ACS’s Local Section Exam. The local exam will be taken on paper. The registration site is available here.
Those students eligible for the National Exam (with a maximum of two students per high school) will be notified after March 23, 2026. Parts 1, 2, and 3 of the National Exam will be administered at a local university between the dates of April 10-19, 2026. All three sections are taken on the same day. The exact exam date and location will be determined soon.
Part I |
Part II |
Part III |
| *Multiple choice
*60 questions *90 minutes *Covers broad areas of chemistry |
* Problem Solving
* 8 extended response questions *105 minutes *Covers chemical theory and models |
* Lab Practical
*Typically 2 problems *Typically 90 minutes *Problem solving lab topic |
The top 150 students will be listed in the Honor Roll, and the top 20 students will be selected to attend a two-week study camp, June 2026 (dates TBD) to prepare for the international competition. The study camp is at the University of Maryland. Based on performance at the camp, four students will be selected to represent the United States in the International Chemistry Olympiad Competition (IChO).
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Local students that participated in the USNCO