How to prepare for the USNCO
USNCO success is built, not improvised. The students who reach the National Exam, the Study Camp, and Team USA all do the same thing: they start months ahead, work through years of past papers under timed conditions, and prepare across the full syllabus — theory and the laboratory alike. This page sets out how to do exactly that.
Steady, structured preparation beats last-minute cramming
The USNCO rewards depth, not speed-reading. Its questions are written to reward genuine chemical reasoning, so the preparation that works is consistent and structured — a little every week over months, not a sprint in the final fortnight. The strongest competitors begin in the autumn, well before the Local Exam each March, and build from a solid AP-level foundation toward the harder material the National Exam demands.
Two habits matter more than any single book. First, map your study to the syllabus — stoichiometry, thermodynamics, kinetics, equilibrium, acids and bases, electrochemistry, bonding and structure, periodicity, and organic chemistry — and turn your weak topics into a checklist you close one by one. Second, sit past papers under real timed conditions. The National Exam is three parts: 60 multiple-choice questions in Part I, written free-response in Part II, and a laboratory practical in Part III. Each part is a different skill, and each one rewards deliberate practice.
Do not neglect the free-response and the lab. Many students drill multiple-choice because it is easy to self-mark, then lose ground where the harder marks live. Writing out full free-response solutions — showing the reasoning, the units, and the final answer — and rehearsing core laboratory technique are what separate a good local score from a National-level result.
A 3-step study plan
A simple sequence any serious student can follow from a standing start.
- Build the baseline. Get fully comfortable with AP-level chemistry across every syllabus topic, then push past it into the harder treatment the National Exam expects.
- Train on past papers. Work through Local and National exams going back many years, timed, marking honestly against the answer keys and logging every topic you miss.
- Drill the hard marks. Write full free-response solutions and rehearse laboratory technique deliberately — the two areas where National-level points are won and lost.
The core reading list, and what each one is for
You do not need a shelf of textbooks. A small, well-chosen set covers the whole syllabus — paired with past papers as your main training material.
Atkins’ Chemical Principles
A rigorous general-chemistry text that goes well beyond AP and underpins most of the National Exam syllabus — thermodynamics, kinetics, equilibrium, acids and bases, electrochemistry, and bonding. Use it as your reference for the physical-chemistry topics, working the problems rather than only reading the chapters.
Organic Chemistry (Carey)
Organic chemistry is a substantial part of the exam and the topic AP students most often underprepare. Carey gives the mechanisms, functional-group chemistry, and reasoning the National Exam and the IChO both demand. Focus on understanding why reactions proceed, not on memorizing reagent lists.
Past papers + AP as a baseline
AP Chemistry is the right floor to build from, but the real training material is the papers themselves. USNCO Local and National exams with answer keys are available going back many years, from 1999 through 2025 — the single best predictor of what you will face and how to pace it.
Structured USNCO coaching, built around your level
Self-study takes you a long way, but a structured programme removes the guesswork — what to study, in what order, and how to fix the gaps a self-marked test cannot show you. Our coaching is built specifically around the USNCO, not generic chemistry tutoring.
A typical plan starts with a diagnostic against the syllabus, then sequences your weeks toward the Local Exam in March and the National Exam in April. From there you train on curated past papers, with structured feedback on the parts students find hardest to self-assess.
That means real free-response coaching — marking your written solutions the way an examiner would, on reasoning and units, not just the final number — and laboratory coaching to prepare for the Part III practical. The aim is simple: turn months of effort into the score the exam actually measures.
What to focus on, season by season
The USNCO calendar gives every student the same fixed checkpoints. Working backward from them turns a vague intention to “study chemistry” into a concrete plan.
Build and secure the foundation. Get fully fluent in AP-level chemistry across every syllabus topic, then begin extending into harder material with Atkins and Carey. Start light past-paper practice to learn the question styles, and keep a running list of weak topics to close.
Shift into timed practice. Sit full Local and recent National papers against the clock, mark honestly against the keys, and review every miss. Register through your ACS Local Section Coordinator in good time — for the 2026 season, registration opened on 6 October 2025, with Local Exams held 27 February to 16 March 2026.
Sharpen the hard parts. If you are nominated for the National Exam, focus on full free-response solutions and on laboratory technique for the Part III practical. Practice all three parts to time. The 2026 National Exam runs 10 to 19 April, taken by more than 1,000 students, usually hosted at universities and colleges.
Train at the top level. The top 20 scorers spend two weeks at a residential Study Camp — 31 May to 13 June 2026 — where four are chosen for Team USA and the International Chemistry Olympiad in July. Here, advanced theory and intensive laboratory work take centre stage under expert mentors.
Preparing for the USNCO
Months ahead — ideally the autumn before the Local Exam in March. The USNCO rewards consistent, structured study over time, so a little each week from a solid AP-level base beats any last-minute cramming.
A small set goes a long way: Atkins’ Chemical Principles for core theory, Organic Chemistry by Carey for the organic topics, and AP Chemistry as a baseline. The single most valuable resource is past papers — Local and National exams with answer keys are available going back many years.
They are the core training material. USNCO Local and National exams with keys exist from 1999 through 2025. Sitting them under timed conditions teaches you the question styles, the pacing, and exactly which topics to revisit before the real exam.
Part III of the National Exam is a laboratory practical, so rehearse core technique deliberately rather than only reading about it. Most students underprepare here, which makes focused lab practice — and lab coaching — one of the highest-return ways to raise a National-level score.
Many students do well on self-study and past papers. A structured programme adds a syllabus-mapped plan and feedback on the free-response and lab work that is hard to self-assess. We offer USNCO coaching built around your level — message us to talk it through.
You register through your ACS Local Section Coordinator — no invitation is needed to start. For the 2026 season, registration opened on 6 October 2025, the Local Exam runs 27 February to 16 March 2026, and the National Exam runs 10 to 19 April 2026.
Start the season with a clear plan
Get a syllabus-mapped study plan, curated past papers, and coaching on the free-response and lab — built around your level and this season’s dates.