• Competition Testing

     

    USA Biology Olympiad and American Mathematics Competition

    2024 Information

    • Friday, November 10, 2023 - Student Registration Closes - Register Here
    • Thursday February 1, 2024 - Open Exam ONLINE OR IN PERSON (TBD) - 4 PM

  • American Mathematics Competitions 

    Test Date: Wednesday, November 8, 2022 (B Day)

    Test Time: 8:00AM at the Academies of Loudoun

    Students must provide their own transportation to the Academies.  Students enrolled in the Academies on A days, may participate, but they must also provide their own transportation to their home school at the conclusion of the competition.

    (Register HERE by September 14, 2024!)

    • The Mathematical Association of America offers the AMC 10/12 Competition annually.  This year, the Academies of Loudoun will provide an optional opportunity for students to sign up and compete in this competition on Wednesday, November 8, 2023 beginning at 8:00 am.  Students will need to provide their own transportation to school that day.

      The AMC 10 and the AMC 12 are both 25 questions, 75 minute, multiple choice examinations in high school mathematics designed to promote the development and enhancement of problem-solving skills.  No calculators are permitted on the AMC 10/12.

      The AMC 10 is for students:

      • in grade 10 or below and under 17.5 years of age on November 8, 2023.
      • covers high school curriculum up to 10th grade. 

      The AMC 12 is for students:

      • in grade 12 or below and under the age of 19.5 years of age on November 8, 2023.
      • covers the entire high school curriculum including trigonometry, advanced algebra and geometry, but excludes calculus.

      More information about the competition can be found at https://maa.org/math-competitions/amc-1012

  •  USA Biology Olympiad

    • 2022 Information

      1. Wednesday November 16, 2022 - Student Registration Closes - Register Here

      2. Thursday February 2, 2022 - Open Exam ONLINE OR IN PERSON (TBD) - 4 PM

    • Center for Excellence in Education, USA Biology Olympiad (https://www.usabo-trc.org/)
      As the premiere biology competition for high school students in the United States, the USA Biolympiad (USABO) enriches the life science education of nearly 10,000 talented students annually. It provides the motivation, curricular resources, and skills training to take them beyond their classroom experience to the level of international competitiveness.
      Each student who is taking the exam must register for the current year's USABO. Once a student has registered, the student receives his/her own unique ID number that will allow him/her access to the resources on the Student Resource Center (SRC) after the registration fee is received for his/her school or Center. This unique student ID number MUST be used for all USABO exams.
      Eligibility Requirements

      • High school seniors are eligible provided that they have not enrolled formally in an undergraduate program at a college or university.

      • All interested students in grades 9 to 12 are eligible to participate in the USABO.

      • Students must be U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents of the United States.

      • Home-schooled students are invited to participate in the USABO. Arrangements must be made before the close of registration through the USABO to participate in the exam at high schools within their local area. 

    Round 1: USABO Online Open Exam

    • Is a 50-minute, nationwide multiple-choice exam available to any high school biology student (grades 9 to 12) who is registered by a school or one of the select authorized USABO Centers.

    • Administered/proctored at a registered school or authorized USABO Center (classroom or location designated by the teacher/test administrator) within the online date and time period designated by the Center for Excellence in Education (CEE).

    • Structured with multiple choice questions with one response.

    • Has NO Penalty for guessing.

    Round 2: USABO Online Semifinal Exam

    • Is a 120-minute exam containing three parts:

      1. Part A is primarily multiple choice questions with one answer.

      2. Part B has more complex, sequenced multiple choice questions that may have several correct answers and may require calculations or extensive interpretation of graphs (see posted example). 

      3. Part C may be short answer or essay and multiple true/false choice questions. .

    • Administered at a registered school or authorized USABO Center (classroom or location designated by the teacher/test administrator) over a 120-minute period on the designated date and during the online time period identified by the Center for Excellence in Education (CEE) on the USABO Calendar.

    • Taken by students who score in the top 10% of the Open Exam.

    • Has NO Penalty for guessing. For Part B multiple choice questions with more than one answer, the question value will be the number of wrong responses subtracted from the number of right responses with no question value below zero.

    • Part C Multiple/True False Questions will be scored as follows: 4 correct responses = 1 point; 3 = .6; 2 = .2; and 1 or 0 = 0. Write your answer in the space provided.

     

    • Theoretical Exam Categories
      Each of the seven topics is covered in the four exams: Open, Semifinal, Nationals, and IBO:

      • Animal anatomy and physiology: 25%

      • Cell Biology: 20%

      • Genetics and Evolution: 20%

      • Plant anatomy and physiology: 15%

      • Ecology: 10%

      • Ethology: 5%

      • Biosystematics: 5%