How to Prepare for National Science Bowl
What is USABO (USA Biology Olympiad)
National Science Bowl (NSB) is a nationwide academic competition that tests students’ knowledge in all areas of science and mathematics. NSB is a buzzer based science competition on questions ranging from Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Earth Science, Energy, and Mathematics. This competition is sponsored by the Department of Energy (DOE)
Middle and high school student teams from diverse backgrounds are comprised of four students, one alternate, and a teacher who serves as an advisor and coach. These teams face-off in a fast-paced question-and-answer format. There are 65 high school and 50 middle school regional Science Bowl tournaments, and the winner from each region is invited to attend the National Science Bowl competition in Washington DC.
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​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Who can participate in USABO
NSB has two divisions:
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Middle schools: The middle school division has 45 regions, where each school can send 1-2 teams comprised of students in grades 6, 7, 8.
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High schools: The high school division has 60 regions where each school can send 1/2 teams to comprised of students in grades 9-12.
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When is National Science Bowl held
The competition dates typically are:
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Regional Competitions: February - early March (different regions host it on different weekends)
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National Competition: April (Washington DC)
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You can find more information about the 2023 NSB Finals here.
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How to do well on National Science Bowl
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Understanding all the content: The concepts asked in NSB go beyond the school curriculum so you need to go deeper into the different subjects. The High School Nationals is significantly harder and requires using many topic specific textbooks (for example Organic Chemistry or Cell Biology). Olympiad Preparation (USABO, USNCO, USAPHO, USAAO, USESO) helps a lot as well. Many accompanying resources (like Chapter Notes, Videos) can be useful for learning and review as well.
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Being able to answer fast: NSB is a buzzer based competition so you need to practice fast buzzing speeds especially for the toss-up rounds. Some fast buzzing tips are provided at the bottom of this page.
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​Subject and Topic coverage: This is a team event where 4 members competing (with 1 alternate). It is best to divide the topics such that every topic is covered across the team.
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​Practice Team Strategies: To maximize your chances, you need to work on team strategies like taking notes, non-verbal clues, and double checking answers.
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What are the best resources to prepare for NSB
Note: These resources were compiled and/or created by former participants of the National Science Bowl® and not officially endorsed by the U.S. Department of Energy or the National Science Bowl®. Outside content and resources may be out-of-date or even incorrect. Students and coaches should always confirm the validity of any resources and study questions independently.
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Official list of resources and information from the NSB website:
Tips and Resources for National Science Bowl​
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Biology
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Middle School Regionals (Advanced Middle School Level)
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OpenStax: Concepts of Biology (Free Online Textbook)
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Middle School Nationals / High School Regionals (AP Course Level)
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Campbell Biology (Most Popular Textbook)
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LibreTexts: General Biology (Free Online Textbook)
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OpenStax: General Biology (Free Online Textbook)
High School Nationals (College Undergraduate/Graduate Level)
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Crash Course Physiology Videos
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LibreTexts: Molecular/Cell Biology (Free Online Textbook)
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LibreTexts: Physiology (Free Online Textbook)
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LibreTexts: Genetics (Free Online Textbook)
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LibreTexts: Botany (Free Online Textbook)
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Biology Questions:
These questions can help you refresh your concepts and practice answering the style of questions asked during Science Bowl rounds.
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Chemistry
Middle School Regionals (Advanced Middle School Level)
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LibreTexts: Introductory Chemistry (Free Online Textbook)
Middle School Nationals / High School Regionals (AP Course Level)
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Chemistry, by Zumdahl (Most Popular)
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Atkins Physical Chemistry (More Advanced)
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LibreTexts (Free Online Textbook)
High School Nationals (College Undergraduate/Graduate Level)
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Chemistry Questions:
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2019 National Biology Bowl Question Sets 2019 National Biology Bowl Question Sets contains all the questions used in the 2019 National Biology Bowl, which was held on May 25th, 2019, in Claremont, California. It is a great study guide and provides excellent practice material for the middle school National Science Bowl, National Academic Quiz Tournaments, US Academic Bowl, and National Biology Bowl.
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