IChO

IChO is an international level Olympiad exam in Chemistry. The exam is conducted in two parts: practical and theoretical competitions. For each part, students need to follow the rules specified by the organising authority. The organising country’s Scientific Board of IChO prepares the competition tasks. The 56th edition of the IChO will be held in Riyad, Saudi Arabia from 21 – 30 July 2024.

Participation in the olympiad is decided on the national level through the national olympiads of the participating country. Therefore, the top 4 students get to participate in the IChO.

IChO Syllabus

IChO syllabus is divided into two parts:

• Experimental part
• Theoretical part

The questions are set according to the three levels mentioned below:

• Level 1: Covers the basic experimental activities that are taken to be understood easily by the participants.
• Level 2: Consists of the experimental tests taught at the school level and are part of the school curriculum.
• Level 3: Contain the experimental questions, not in the participating country’s chemistry syllabus.

Note: These levels apply to both parts of the exam. Experimental Part

The experimental part syllabus of the IChO is broadly divided into five parts. Each part covers a different aspect of Chemistry.

Syllabus of IChO

Experimental Part

• Synthesis of inorganic and organic compounds.
• Identification of inorganic and organic compounds: general principles.
• Determination of some inorganic and organic compounds: general principles.
• Special measurements and procedures.
• Evaluation of results

Theoretical Part

The theoretical part of the exam is divided into 12 topics.

• Analytical Chemistry
• The atom
• Chemical bonding
• Chemical calculations
• Periodic trends
• Inorganic Chemistry
• Physical Chemistry
• Chemical Kinetics
• Spectroscopy
• Organic Chemistry
• Polymers
• Biochemistry

IChO Important Dates

Following are the key dates for the 56th edition of ICHO 2024 in Riyad, Saudi Arabia.

Parameters	Dates
Arrival & Registration	21 July 2024
Opening Ceremony & Activities	22 July 2024
Activities	23 July 2024
Practical Exam & Activities	24 July 2024
Activities	25 July 2024
Theoretical Exam Reunion Event	26 July 2024
Activities	27 July 2024
Activities	28 July 2024
Closing Ceremony	29 July 2024
Departure Day	30 July 2024

IChO Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for the IChO, students must have fulfilled the criteria mentioned below.

Students must have strong knowledge of Chemistry.

• Students must belong to one of the participating countries of IChO.
• Participants must be below the age of 20 years on July 1 of the year the IChO is held.
• The student must be studying at the school level or a recent graduate who is yet to start their university-level education.
• Participants must possess the passport of the country they are representing.
• The student must have performed and scored among top students in national-level Olympiads.

IChO 2024 Exam Pattern

The exam pattern of IChO is a well-structured one. The exam covers both the practical and the experimental application of the subject. Here are a few key points of the IChO exam pattern.

• The experimental part of the exam will contain at least two independent tasks. Organisers provide the substances for quantitative analytical chemistry tasks. Most marking is awarded to the mean values. Still, there are also step markings for other aspects, such as equations, calculations and explanations.
• The exam has an overall mark of 100 points. The ratio of theoretical to practical tasks is 60-40.
• The exam also follows consequential marking. If a student makes the same mistake twice, the marks will be deducted only once.
• The units used in the exam tasks are SI units.

IChO Participation Fee

Here are the full details of the IChO 2024 participation fee and mode of payment.

• The IChO 2024 participation fee is USD 3000 for a team.
• The International Chemistry Olympiad 2024 fees can be paid online only. There is no mode for physical payment.
• The payments can be made through Net Banking, Credit/Debit Card, UPI, and Wallets.

IChO Selection Process

The IChO exam begins nationally through the National Science Olympiad in Chemistry. Then, the top students from the national Olympiad go to the international level and participate in the IChO. The participating countries must give the names of 5 students from the national Olympiads.

IChO Stages

These are conducted in 5 stages spread across the period of almost a year.

International Chemistry Olympiad Stages

NSEC → INChO → Orientation Cum Selection Camp → Pre-Departure Camp →
International Chemistry Olympiad (conducted in the hosting country)

Stage I: National Standard Examination in Chemistry (NSEC):

The Association of Teachers in Biology Sciences (ATBS) organises the NSE exams in Biology. The syllabus covers the biological sciences up till Class 12. The registration fee for NSEB is Rs 200.

Stage II: Indian National Chemistry Olympiad (INChO)

Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE) organises the INO for Biology and other science streams. The syllabus is the same for INOB and NSEB. It is held in January every year.

Stage III: Orientation cum Selection Camp (OCSC) in Chemistry

35 students from the Indian National Olympiad in Chemistry went for the orientation cum selection camp. HBCSE organises the camp, and several observational/experimental tests are conducted for students to work on their skills.

Stage IV: Pre-departure Training Camp (PDT) for IChO.

The pre-departure training camp is to train students in specialised libraries developed by HBCSE. Thorough training on experimental and theoretical concepts of Biology is given to the students to prepare for the International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO).

Stage V: Participation in International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO).

Students selected from the national camps get to participate in the International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO).

The IChO is organised in July every year. The primary tasks are shared with the participating countries in January. So students can start training for IChO.

Preparatory Stage

• These problems are meant for the students. A minimum of 25 theoretical and 5 practical questions are shared as preparatory problems.
• Preparatory problems also include all the questions based on the three levels discussed above.

Competition Stages

The exam contains two stages:

• Practical competition
• Theoretical Competition

Each competition is allotted five hours. The information available to the students is in the language of their choice to avoid any language barrier.

All the participating students get a certificate of participation. In addition, a special mention is given to students who are in the top 70 to 71%.

IChO 2024 Awards

The IChO 2024 awards are given to top-performing students. The gold, silver and bronze medals are provided based on the competitors’ performance.

IChO 2023 Award	Top performing percentage
Gold	10-12%
Silver	20-22%
Bronze	30-32%