Information for Coordinators

Become a USNCO Coordinator

USNCO Coordinators are volunteers appointed by an ACS Local Section to coordinate the Local Chemistry Olympiad Competition. Only Coordinators are authorized to receive forms, order exams, and oversee the administration of Local Section Exams and National Exams.

Find a Local Section

Frequently Asked Questions

Becoming a Coordinator
What do USNCO Coordinators do?
Coordinators handle the following tasks:

Advertise and promote the Olympiad program in their local section
Contact high school teachers
Inform students where to register for participation
Order exams, certificates, USNCO pins, etc.
Oversee the administration of Local Section and National Exams
Distribute test results

How do I become a coordinator?
Coordinators are appointed by their ACS Local Section Chair. Find your local section.

How do I register my local section to participate in this year’s Olympiad program?
Contact your Local Section Chair or email the USNCO office.
Administering Exams

What are the rules for the National Exam?
You can review rules online or find them in the Coordinator Handbook (PDF).

Where do I get exams?
Email usnco@acs.org to request an order form. Only USNCO Coordinators are authorized to submit this order form.

How do I know what materials and chemicals I will need for the competition lab practical?
Coordinators receive a preliminary listing of materials and chemicals to prepare for the lab practical by email. The final materials list is sent by U.S. mail with the national examination packet. Email usnco@acs.org for more information.

What is my section's National Exam allotment?
Your section will have 10 or more participants. This number varies depending on the number of ACS members in your local section. 2024 allotments were determined based on the membership counts as of October 2023. View 2024 allotments (PDF)

What if I have a repeater? Does that affect my National Exam allotment?
Study Camp repeaters do not count against your allotment and are automatically eligible to sit for the National Exam.

USNCO Teacher Training Workgroup

The content covered in USNCO exams is typically more involved than a standard high school chemistry curriculum. This serves as a barrier to entry for schools not already involved in the USNCO. In addition to coaching programs to help students improve individual performance, we believe a teacher training course would equip more schools to confidently participate and sustain participation over time.

The training course will cover content divided into the ten topics covered in USNCO exams. Each topic will be covered at the local section exam and national exam levels. The course will be available as a free resource and will be hosted at the ACS Learning Center platform.

A group of thirty volunteers who are chemistry educators forms the working group to prepare and produce the training course. Those volunteers have professional backgrounds and experience with the USNCO. The group is lead by five Steering Committee members.

The USNCO Subgroup of SOCED is overseeing the work and advising when necessary. ACS USNCO staff covers the logistics and technical aspects of the course production.

Products produced during this project will be the property of the ACS.

The target launch date of this project (subject to change) is 2023.

Contact the USNCO office if you have questions about this initiative.