IUPAC · Global·July each year · rotating host nation

IChOInternational Chemistry Olympiad

The world's most demanding chemistry competition. IChO spans all branches at undergraduate depth — physical, inorganic, organic, analytical — in a 5-hour theoretical exam. Prepare with free advanced simulators and official prep problems.

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Theoretical
5–6 problems · ~5 hours
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Practical
3–4 lab tasks · ~5 hours
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Prep Problems
~30 advance problems
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Selection
4 students/country · via USNCO
📊 Data-Driven Strategy·261 official problems analyzed

The single biggest finding

Physical chemistry — kinetics, thermodynamics, and electrochemistry combined — makes up over 50% of every IChO problem set we analyzed. Analytical chemistry alone is ~20% of preparatory problems, while coordination chemistry — often assumed to be a headline IChO topic — barely registers. If you're prioritizing study time, physical chemistry depth and analytical technique matter far more than coordination chemistry memorization.

IChO Preparatory Problems

Official pre-competition problem sets, by domain · n = 222 questions

Physical Chemistry — Kinetics
22.5%
Analytical Chemistry
20.7%
Physical Chemistry — Thermodynamics
15.3%
Physical Chemistry
14.4%
Organic Chemistry
13.1%
Physical Chemistry — Electrochemistry
5.4%
Inorganic Chemistry — Solid State
3.6%
Other
5%

IChO Compiled Volumes

Multi-year compiled official problem collections · n = 39 questions

Physical Chemistry
30.8%
Organic Chemistry
17.9%
Physical Chemistry — Thermodynamics
12.8%
Physical Chemistry — Kinetics
12.8%
Analytical Chemistry
10.3%
Analytical Chemistry — Spectroscopy
5.1%
Physical Chemistry — Electrochemistry
5.1%
Other
5.1%
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Analytical chemistry is the real gap
Titrimetric/gravimetric methods, spectrophotometry, and electroanalytical technique are heavily tested but rarely taught alongside general/organic chemistry. Our Advanced Chemistry ebook opens with exactly this chapter.
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Spectroscopy shows up as real technique, not trivia
Spectrophotometry, IR, Raman, and mass spectrometry appear repeatedly as analytical methods within larger problems. Our simulators for NMR, mass spec, and Beer-Lambert absorption cover exactly this.

Ready to prepare?

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No Curriculum Boundary
IChO problems routinely require first-year university chemistry — thermodynamic cycles, crystal field theory, advanced spectroscopy, and organometallic reactions.
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Heavy Calculation Load
Expect multi-step quantitative problems: equilibrium constants, electrochemical potentials, partition functions, and Born-Haber cycles within a single question.
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Practical Lab Skills
The practical exam tests synthesis, titration, spectroscopic analysis, and kinetic measurements under strict time constraints with real reagents.

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