USABO

Overview

The United States of America Biology Olympiad (USABO) is a prestigious national biology competition for students interested in studying biology. It is sponsored by the Center for Excellence in Education (CEE) to ultimately select competitors for the United States team to compete in the annual International Biology Olympiad (IBO).  The USABO hopes to enrich the life science education of students in the US and provides exposure to biology beyond the classroom experience. USABO currently sees over 10,000 students participate each year.

Eligibility

• US high school student

• Attend a USABO-registered school

• Register for the USABO Open Exam online

• Have a teacher who is willing to administer the Open Exam

• US citizens or legal permanent residents of the US 

Topics Tested

Mostly based on Campbell Biology Textbook (8th edition & above)

• Animal anatomy & physiology (25%)

• Cell biology (20%)

• Genetics & evolution (20%)

• Plant anatomy & physiology (15%)

• Ecology (10%)

• Ethology (5%)

• Biosystematics (5%)

Rounds

Open Exam

• Online, proctored at a registered school or authorized Test Center

• 50 minutes, 50 multiple-choice questions

• No penalties for guessing

• Top 10% of scorers qualify for the Online Semifinal Exam

• Takes place 02/04/26 04:00-04:50 pm ET for 2025-2026 season

Semifinal Exam

• Online, proctored at a registered school or authorized Test Center 

• 120 min

• Part A - MCQ, Part B - sequenced MCQ with extensive calculation and graph interpretation, Part C - short answer/essay/T or F

• No penalties for guessing 

• Top 20 scores progress to National Finals

• Takes place 03/27/26 04:00-06:00 pm ET for 2025-2026 season

National Finals 

• Held at a host university over a 12-day period with 10 days of instruction and 2 days of testing

• Practical exams - 6 hours

• Theoretical exams - 3 hours 

• Prohibits participation in any other national academic Olympiad/summer program, such as RSI

• Top 4 scores are invited to join the USA Biolympiad Team, which moves on to compete in IBO

• Takes place 06/22-07/04 at TBD for 2025-2026 season

International Biology Olympiad

• 8-day competition in a host country

• Get to know competitors from many different countries

• Takes place 07/12-07/19 at Vilniua, Lithuania for 2024-2025 season

Why Compete?

The USABO experience allows high school students to gain a unique opportunity to enrich their biology knowledge and meet like-minded peers in the process. It also lets students deepen their knowledge of biology beyond the classroom setting. For students wanting to pursue a career in STEM, having strong biology fundamentals can help them succeed. USABO is also a great opportunity to develop a science-based spike for college applications. It looks impressive on college applications because it's a highly competitive, national science competition. Participating in USABO not only shows that students have a passion for biology, but also shows that they are highly motivated and hardworking individuals.