About USABO

What is the USA Biolympiad?

Official information

Official

Summarized from the official USABO website for the 2027 USABO (school year 2026–27). Verified 2026-09-24. Rules and dates change every year, so check the sources below.

The USA Biolympiad (USABO) is run by the Center for Excellence in Education (CEE), a nonprofit organization.

USABO is a national biology competition for high school students. It begins with an online Open Exam taken at registered schools. Top scorers advance to a Semifinal Exam, then to National Finals, and four students are selected to represent the United States at the International Biology Olympiad (IBO).

How the competition works

1
Open Exam February 3, 2027 · 4 PM ET
50 minutes, online, multiple choice (one response per question), proctored in person at a registered school or USABO test center. No penalty for guessing.
Top 10% advance to the Semifinal Exam.
2
Semifinal Exam March 2, 2027 · 4 PM ET
120 minutes, proctored. Part A mainly multiple choice, Part B multiple true/false, Part C short answer and/or essay on IBO practical topics. No penalty for guessing.
The top 20 are invited to the National Finals (finalists announced March 30, 2027).
3
National Finals June 20–30, 2027 (in person only)
A residential program with laboratory and theoretical training plus a practical exam (about 6 hours) and a theoretical exam (about 3 hours).
The top four form the USA team.
4
International Biology Olympiad July 18–25, 2027 · Warsaw, Poland
The international competition for national teams.

Eligibility

Open to students in grades 9–12.
Students must be U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents (green card holders).
Seniors are eligible if they have not formally enrolled in an undergraduate college program.
Homeschooled students can participate by arranging to test at a local registered high school before registration closes.
Students register individually each year, but only after their school has registered.

Registration

A school registers online and pays a $125 flat fee. The fee covers all participating students from that school.
A state-certified teacher (or a teacher with an equivalent life-science degree) serves as the lead test administrator.
2027 season: school fee deadline October 23, 2026; school registration closes November 15, 2026; student registration closes November 22, 2026.

Other official dates

Practice exam window: January 8–22, 2027
Open Exam scores posted: February 15, 2027
Semifinal scores available: March 23, 2027

Sources

Plano East USABO Club plans

Club

School registration status: To be confirmed with the club sponsor
Meetings: TBD, Room 5-213.
Preparation follows the club's study plan: Learn → Practice → Analyze → Review → Retest.

The club is a student organization at Plano East Senior High School. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by CEE or USABO.

Club-created practice material

Club-created

Practice questions and mocks on this site are original, written in the style of olympiad questions, and checked against published sources before they are published. They are not official USABO questions, and mock scores do not predict official results. For real past exams, use the official materials.