Introduction to the Website
Hello, and welcome to this website!
Over the years, I've become deeply involved in chemistry olympiads, and one thing I've consistently found frustrating is how difficult it can be to find high-quality resources. Useful materials are often scattered across countless websites, documents, and forums, making the learning process far more challenging than it needs to be.
To help make that journey a little easier, I created this website to compile the resources that I personally found valuable on my path to becoming a USNCO camper, along with other materials that I believe are useful, insightful, or simply fascinating. While this collection is intended to support students preparing for chemistry olympiads, I also hope it serves as a resource for anyone with a passion for chemistry.
I hope you find something here that helps you learn, explore, and enjoy chemistry as much as I have.
Above all, one of the most meaningful lessons I've learned throughout my journey is that the chemistry community thrives on generosity, collaboration, and the willingness to help one another. This website is my small contribution to that spirit. I encourage you to connect with others, share what you've learned, and never hesitate to ask for help. After all, we're all united by the same passion for chemistry.
Q&A — Tips for Chemistry Olympiad & General Chemistry
Common questions, answered honestly.
When should you ideally start chemistry olympiad?
Generally, starting earlier gives you an advantage — but starting late is absolutely not a death sentence. I personally started very late and it worked out. That said, if you're in an extremely competitive country or region where making camp or IChO is the only way to get academic benefits (e.g. gaokao score reductions), you should either start early or reconsider whether olympiad is the right path for you. For most people, though, the amount of effort you put in matters far more than the start date. One caveat: starting too young can cause mental frustration — your brain may not yet be ready to process complex chemistry, and slow early progress can be discouraging.
How do I balance school and olympiad studies?
Your schoolwork should generally come first, unless you have a guaranteed path that excuses you from GPA requirements. Treat olympiad prep as a very demanding extracurricular. Don't sacrifice sleep or mental health to study extra mechanisms; burnout will hurt your progress more than a missed chapter. Be strategic about how you allocate your time, especially during exam season.
The Olympiad truth — what should I realistically expect?
The uncomfortable truth: not everyone will reach their goal. Olympiad is inherently selective. There will always be more people wanting IChO gold than people getting it. There's nothing to do about it except work hard, prepare for the possibility of failure, and — most importantly — enjoy the journey. That's the real reward.
Is hiring a private tutor necessary?
No. Tutors generally just feed you textbook content, which self-study does equally well. However, reaching out to peers, friends, or teachers for specific questions is strongly encouraged — Q&A is crucial for building a strong conceptual foundation. Use your community.
How important is talent in chemistry olympiad?
Less than you'd think. Chemistry, being experiment-driven, is less talent-dependent than math olympiads. The areas where talent marginally helps: memorization, problem-solving intuition, and lab skills — but none of these are insurmountable. Consistent effort erases talent gaps. Don't overthink it.
What if I don't have access to a lab?
Start with your school's teachers — ask about using school lab resources. If unavailable, try reaching out to local universities or institutions (some charge fees or require paperwork, but it's worth asking). You can also search online for chemistry olympiad lab training facilities. If all else fails: buy basic lab equipment and work at home. Use water to practice techniques like pipetting, volume measuring, TLC, etc. — it genuinely helps.
I keep forgetting what I study. What do I do?
First, secure your mental state — forgetting is completely normal and not a sign of failure. Combat it with spaced repetition: review at a short interval (e.g. 20 minutes later), then again the next day. Experiment with what interval works for you. Reference the Ebbinghaus forgetting curve for the science behind this.
What calculator should I use for chemistry olympiad?
Personal preference matters, but the Casio FX series is highly recommended — it has every function you'll need. Most importantly: make sure your calculator is accepted by your olympiad (typically no GDC or CAS calculators), and stick to one calculator so you build muscle memory.
Any tricks for scoring higher on exams?
Know your test (do practice mocks). Skim all questions before starting. Prioritize easy questions — they often carry the same weight as hard ones, so securing all the things you know is crucial. Don't waste time on questions you're unsure about at the expense of ones you know.
Why do I keep making stupid mistakes?
This is universal and mostly comes down to insufficient practice. But even with practice, your brain isn't a machine — mistakes will always happen at some rate. The important thing: accept their existence, don't let them tilt you, and most critically — analyze whether a mistake is actually conceptual (not just dismiss it as "stupid"). Misclassifying a conceptual gap as a careless error is a very common and costly mistake.
How do I get the most out of practice exams and mocks?
Simulate real exam conditions: time yourself, no distractions, treat it seriously (but don't go overboard replicating the exact room). Always review every single mistake afterwards. But go beyond just correcting answers — analyze your test-taking mindset and time management: what sections took too long, where did confidence fail you, what would you do differently?
What if I get nervous before an exam?
Think of tennis player Rafael Nadal — he aligns his bottles in a specific way and has pre-serve rituals before every point. Pre-exam rituals work. Bring something you associate with focus or luck (something allowed in the exam room), and develop your own small ritual while waiting for the papers to be handed out. It grounds you.
What do I do if I'm stuck on a concept I can't understand?
Always ask. Use Reddit, Discord (CODS server), teachers, friends, peers, or tutors. If you can't get an answer: unless it's a truly fundamental concept blocking everything else, leave it for now and move on — you'll likely figure it out as your overall understanding matures.