National Chemistry Olympiad, monitored by STAN (Student Teacher Association of Nepal), is an annual talent hunt program that selects four of the best young chemists to compete for the International Chemistry Olympiad. High school students less than 20 years and gap year students not enrolled in any undergraduate programs are eligible to participate in this competition.

It has three rounds:

District round: This is by far the easiest round to compete in. Venues are determined, and you need to arrive there on time. Afterwards, you are required to take an MCQ exam. The exam will check your chemistry knowledge from high school.

Preparation:

Your chemistry textbooks and notes are more than enough. The same MCQ questions from your book will appear in the exam. Questions will be a mix of all chemistry topics, with slightly more focus on organic. Normally, all students easily qualify for the next round. Generally, calculators are not allowed, but it is better to contact the organizers for certainty.

Province round: It is the place where things get a bit tricky. This round will happen in a certain provincial venue, so be aware to get there in time. This exam will be a mix of MCQs and theory. The question will be harder in the district rounds, but solvable with high school chemistry knowledge. Theory questions will be the same as in your chemistry exams. You should have a proper understanding of numericals, organic conversions, reaction mechanisms, and inorganic reactions. A thorough knowledge of your textbooks is sufficient for this round. This round might eliminate a few students who performed terribly.

The provincial winners will be recognized with medals, and all the participants will be awarded certificates.

National round: This is the final selection round for ICHO. Normally, there will be 3-5 days of closed camp, and a final exam involving both theory and practical exams. However, this is not always necessary. Sometime there might be only theory exams without any closed camp. Practical exams might feature salt analysis, volumetric analysis, filtration, etc.  To prepare for this round, if you have some time, then you are advised to go beyond your high school curriculum and delve deeper into derivations and reaction mechanisms. Nevertheless, the weight of your high school will be more, typically around 80-20.

Resources for ICHO:

For organic chemistry:

For Inorganic Chemistry:

For Physical Chemistry:

Additional Tips:

Don’t panic, it’s just an exam, not the end.

See your exam centre, which you will be notified of by email.

Clear your 11-12 concepts.

Be on time! The final round will normally be in the central chemistry department, TU.  It is middle of nowhere.

Take an extra pen.

Try to do well in all rounds. They might average your all-around results during team selection. You don’t want to experience heartbreak after an excellent final round, but a poor state round.

Funding is extremely rare (almost impossible). Be ready to cover your expenses. You can talk to your school, and local government for help.