German Chemistry Olympiad
The German selection process for the International Chemistry Olympiad is an annual nationwide competition, the important task of which is to determine the German selection team, consisting of four Olympians, for the International Chemistry Olympiad . On the other hand, however, the main focus is on promoting and establishing contacts between students who are enthusiastic about chemistry. The competition is designed for pupils in the upper level of general high schools. However, there is no age limit set down below, which is why younger participants can also take part successfully with the appropriate enthusiasm and talent. Across Germany, over a thousand students take part in the first round of the competition every year.
The first two rounds take place at the state level. The first round is worked on by the students themselves in home work and the second round from IChO 2016 in the form of a three-hour exam. From over a thousand participants, 60 nationwide will then make it to the third round. The candidates are invited to a one-week seminar, where their performance in two theoretical exams will determine their progress. The fourth and final national round will take place in Kiel , where the 15 remaining candidates will be subjected to a theoretical and practical exam until the four national candidates have been determined at the end. These four candidates will then represent Germany in the international Chemistry Olympiad.
Candidates are pupils up to the 13th grade or the 20th year.
The German Chemistry Olympiad is organized by the Leibniz Institute for Science and Mathematics Education (IPN) at the University of Kiel .
1 round
The tasks of the first round are usually hung up on posters in the schools in order to make passing students aware of the competition in the first place. Those who are interested can then obtain these tasks from the chemistry teachers on handy A4 sheets and download them from the Internet. This is also the case if no posters are posted. The tasks of this first selection round are difficult to set up at the normal school level and usually do not represent any hurdles in advancing, as motivation and interest are primarily intended to be aroused here. They are worked on by the student at home, whereby literature and internet research are permitted and even encouraged. The correspondingly processed solutions are then returned by the student to the subject teacher, who then corrects them himself and forwards the results. Achievement of the second round is then dependent on a relatively low percentage set in advance, which can easily be achieved with normal commitment. Thus, the number of participants in the following round is not limited. The first round of the competition for the corresponding Olympiad takes place in the summer before the final round and overlaps in time with the last two final rounds of the previous Olympiad. This gives potential participants a few months to work on the tasks. The deadline for submission is usually in September.
2nd round
The topics of the tasks in the second round usually appear in mid-November and are written in the form of a three-hour exam on the first Friday in December. In contrast to the first round, the tasks in the second round go beyond the school level. Due to the high level, the student can reach the third round without completing the exam. The exams are returned to the state representatives via the supervising teachers, who correct them. From all participants, the best 60 nationwide will be selected and invited to the third round. Regardless of this, the best participants from the federal states are invited to state seminars, in which the focus is on getting to know the other participants, doing laboratory work beyond school level and dealing with tasks from previous third rounds.
3rd round
From the participants in the second round, the best 60 are determined centrally and invited to the third round. This takes place as part of a one-week seminar, usually at the end of February in Göttingen, centrally for all of Germany. Here, the students are given a deeper insight into theoretical chemistry, as former participants and members of the friends' association give extensive lectures on their careers, certain sub-areas of chemistry, as well as tasks from the Chemistry Olympiad. Most of these lectures provide preparation for the two five-hour exams that will be written during this week and which will actually constitute the third round. In parallel to the chemical part of the seminar, extensive leisure activities are offered, whereby contacts and intensive friendships are established among the chemistry enthusiasts. The journey to and from the third round is usually done by train, with travel costs being fully reimbursed. With the help of the two exams, the best 15 students are then selected and invited to the 4th round in Kiel. In special cases such as only minimal point differences or particularly young participants, sometimes more students are invited to the fourth round.
4th round
The last round within Germany will then take place in Kiel at the Leibniz Institute for Science Education (IPN) at the University of Kiel. This in turn takes place as part of a one-week event. In contrast to the third round, the focus here is on practical chemistry, as the participants normally only have limited opportunities to carry out more demanding syntheses and analyzes in their schools. The skills and working techniques learned are then tested in a practical test at the end of the week, which, together with a theoretical exam written during the week, forms the 4th round. The two exams contain or roughly deal with the topics of the international round, the focal points of which have been defined in the form of “Preparatory Problems” already published by the host country, which can serve as excellent preparation for the 4th round for the student. The best four students are then determined using the results of the two tests and represent Germany's Olympic team. In the event of illness or failure of a team member, substitute candidates are usually also appointed.