USABO Open Exam coming up

worst*bad*boy · 02-07-2007, 06:41 PM

My school is having the open exam on Friday. Is it same throughout the U.S.? I have to sudy for it.

AznN3rd · 02-07-2007, 10:50 PM

how have you studied for it so far? I'm the only one taking it at my school and because my teacher doesnt really care about it, its all independent study. I dont even get school funding and have to fundraise through a club.

sigurros · 02-08-2007, 02:55 AM

Im really interested in biology and take a course at the local community college, how would I go about taking this exam next year?

kryptonsa36 · 02-08-2007, 04:54 PM

The test is required to be held within a certain time frame, so it's not universally going to held tomorrow.

worst*bad*boy · 02-08-2007, 06:34 PM

^^Thanks^^ I discovered that. So, what if people who have taken the test help others who have not. It ruin the whole point of a test. Or do they change the test every day? If they did that they will have to make a lot of tests.

vin09 · 02-08-2007, 07:29 PM

Ive never heard of this test..hmm..

worst*bad*boy · 02-08-2007, 09:26 PM

It's actually pretty new.

worst*bad*boy · 02-09-2007, 02:16 PM

Hey does anyone know how the open exam is scored?

il bandito · 02-09-2007, 09:50 PM

Anyone know how the semifinalists will be decided? About how many questions would the cut-off mark be? It used to be 25 so I hear.

Potential · 02-09-2007, 11:26 PM

AHH THE USABO! I took it last year when I was just taking Biology I as a freshman and didn't move on to the Semifinal Round. I'm taking AP Biology this year and am really worried because our teacher is moving at a very slow pace, so I'm self-studying a lot of stuff for the USABO (and most likely, AP Exam, too). And like "il bandito," I also want to know more about the cut-off score. I think that there is no set qualifying score-it's all based on distributions; two kids from my school advanced to the Semifinal Round last year and they had scores in the 30s, I believe.

PS-For those of you taking AP Biology, how far are you in completing the syllabus? And if you use Campbell's and Reece's textbook, what chapter are you on?

Thanks and good luck to everyone on the USABO!

AznN3rd · 02-10-2007, 05:04 PM

Quote:

^^Thanks^^ I discovered that. So, what if people who have taken the test help others who have not. It ruin the whole point of a test. Or do they change the test every day? If they did that they will have to make a lot of tests.

technically, the teacher could give the students the test ahead of time and given him/her the campbell book to use, but I guess its all about integretty.

blah123 · 02-11-2007, 10:50 PM

do we get a graphing calculator or something? for like hardy weinberg stuff

chronicidal · 02-12-2007, 12:32 AM

IIRC, only a four-function calculator for the semis exam.

slurpz · 02-13-2007, 02:29 PM

wow so I haven't been on CC for the longest time ever!

just wanted to know...how many returners are trying out this year?

Aint_No_Mountain · 02-15-2007, 02:40 PM

Hey i have a question - there are some practice exams on Canada's BO webpage (http://www.biocomp.utoronto.ca/page2.htm#exams). Are these questions about the same difficulty as the USABO? Cause on the USABO website it says something like the alumni think the australian ones are good practice but the australian ones are pretty easy i think. The Canada ones are harder. I just want to know what the level of difficulty of the questions is, and my teacher doesn't have example questions from the website cause shes a RETARD

thanks and by the way i havent taken the exam yet - CEE is allowing a lot of east coast schools an extension because of our heinous snow