The First-Year American Chemical Society Exam is an annual event run by the Orange County Section of the ACS. It is open to any first-year chemistry student enrolled in college-prep and honors.
Eight students from each High School may take the exam. The top-scorer from each school gets his/her name engraved on a plaque that is showcased at the participating school. Around 90 public and private high schools and more than 300 students participate in the 54th annual ACS First Year Chemistry Examination. This year Geordie Taber was the First year exam school winner!
The International Chemistry Olympiad is an annual event where countries from throughout the world send their four best high school chemistry students to compete against each other. About 80 countries participate in the competition, which is held in a different country each year.
The selection process begins at the local level. Typically, about forty High Schools from all over Orange County send as many as four students each to compete in the local section exam, which is usually held in March-April. The top twelve scorers on this exam are eligible to advance to the national round of the competition where each student takes a five-hour exam that includes extensive laboratory work. Approximately 1,000 students across the U.S. advance to this round. Those that score among the top twenty nationally on this test are invited to attend the Olympiad Study Camp at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The top four at the camp will then go on to represent the U.S. at the international competition in July. This year Logan Armijo was the Second year exam school winner!
