HMChO 2026 will be held virtually on February 21. Registration is OPEN!

The 2nd Annual HMChO will be held virtually on February 21, 2026. Registration is open now: link

Join our mailing list to be notified of future opportunities!

What is HMChO?

Founded by past USNCO winners and IChO medalists from Harvard and MIT, HMChO was created with the vision of inspiring high school students worldwide to deepen their passion for chemistry. Our goals:

Engage a diverse community of students;
Support students in reaching beyond school curriculums;
Prepare students for examinations like the U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad (USNCO) by presenting questions written by USNCO study campers and IChO medalists;
Provide students with an enriching environment meant to deepen their understanding of chemistry.

Exam Format

The Olympiad follows a format modeled after the U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad (USNCO) in order to ensure a rigorous assessment of students across the multiple areas of chemistry. It will run virtually in the 2026 competition.

The exam will be split into two parts as follows with a break between them:

Part I: 90 minutes for 60 multiple-choice questions;

Part II: 105 minutes for 8 written-response problems;

Scoring Formula: Total Score = 1.25 × Part I Score + Part II Score.

Eligibility

HMChO is open to all high school students (equivalents of U.S. grades 9-12) with all students participating in the same division.

HMChO has an international scope and invites students from all countries to participate.

Registration will open soon, please join our mailing list for updates!

HMChO 2026 Schedule

Tournament Date: Saturday, February 21th, 2026

Check-in Time: 9:30 AM EST

Part I Exam (Multiple Choice): 10:50 AM - 12:20 AM EST

Break: 12:20 AM - 12:50 PM EST

Part II Exam (Free Response): 12:50 PM - 2:35 PM EST

Part II Exam Upload Period: 2:35 PM - 2:50 PM EST

Exact times are subject to change.

The awards ceremony will take place one week after the competition.

Complete information can be found on the HMChO Information page.

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